Developing ideas, taking responsibility, helping to shape society - what student engagement at UW/H is all about became impressively visible on January 15, 2026 at the final initiative workshop of the accompanying seminar "Engagement and Initiative Work" in the winter semester 2025/26.

Around 150 students took the opportunity to reflect on, refine and think about their projects, experiences and challenges from the semester in three practical workshops.

Three workshops - many perspectives on engagement

"Are you feeling well? A performative journey into reflecting on your own initiative work"
Britta Lennardt (consultant, coach, supervisor and actress) opened up a creative space for personal assessment. Using performative elements, she invited participants to reflect on commitment not only in organizational terms, but also emotionally and biographically.

"Commitment from a student perspective - voices from volunteering"
Pauline and Laurent from the Initiativlabor contributed authentic perspectives from student practice. The workshop created space for an honest exchange about motivation, challenges and learning processes in voluntary work.

"From idea to implementation - from problem to solution"
Alessandra Hecht and Jan-Philipp Krawinkel from Paritätischer Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis provided concrete tools for developing viable projects from ideas - and for remaining capable of acting even in difficult situations.

Continuous qualification in the Studium fundamentale

In the summer semester of 2025, three further workshops had already explored key aspects of initiative work in greater depth - from democratic participation in day-to-day project work to resource management and the interplay between volunteering and work.

The initiative workshops are therefore an integral part of the continuous qualification program as part of the accompanying seminar. They form the practical conclusion of the seminar and strengthen students in their role as committed creators.

More than volunteering: skills development with sustainability

Training courses and workshops for volunteers make an important contribution to the quality and effectiveness of volunteer work. They

• teach practical methods,
• create space for exchange and recognition,
• promote self-reflection and personal development
• and strengthen key skills such as communication, project management and problem solving.

This benefits not only the students themselves, but also the initiatives, organizations and partners they work with. Qualified commitment has a lasting effect.

Further information

• Accompanying seminar "Engagement and initiative work": https: //meine-uwh.de/seminare/detail/begleitseminar-studentisches-engagement-und-initiativarbeit
• Britta Lennardt: https://www.britta-lennardt.de/
• Initiative lab: https://intranet.uni-wh.de/studieren/studentische-vertretungen-und-inititiativen/initiativlabor
• Paritätischer Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis: https://www.paritaetischer-ennepe-ruhr-kreis.de/kreisgruppe/ueber-uns
• Anna Hürten: https://www.annahuerten.de/
• Joos van den Dool (WittenLab): https: //intranet.uni-wh.de/lehren-forschen/wittenlab-zukunftslabor-studium-fundamentale/team/referentinnen

Promotion

The accompanying seminar of the WittenLab. Zukunftslabor Studium fundamentale of the University of Witten/Herdecke is funded by the Werner Richard - Dr. Carl Dörken Foundation.