What does the Herausforderung einfach machen gGmbH do?

At »HERAUSFORDERUNG – einfach machen!« (CHALLENGE – just do it!), we believe that school is a time for getting to know yourself and developing your personality. After graduation, young adults need to have an idea of who they are and what they are capable of. Our approach: extracurricular experiential learning through CHALLENGE PROJECTS. We are establishing these at secondary schools nationwide. To this end, we empower students, teachers, and volunteers and are committed to holistic learning and teaching formats.

Why are we awarding a grant to the Herausforderung einfach machen gGmbH?

In its funding area »Learning & Participation«, the Schöpflin Foundation supports actors who bring impulses for transformation into schools. The intervention »Herausfoerderung« (Challenge) introduces such an impulse into the entire school environment: Students explore their strengths and experience themselves and their peers in new ways; teachers take on new roles and become coaches; parents learn to let go and place greater trust in their children; volunteers accompany the young people and gain insights themselves; and the broader school community helps finance the experience. In a structured, curriculum-based process, young people experience autonomy, self-efficacy, and strength-based learning—skills that are often neglected in traditional educational settings. All of this contributes to a shift in school culture, supports the development of schools, and creates space for young people to grow through self-exploration.

What is our mutual goal?

With the support of the Schöpflin Foundation, Herausforderung einfach machen gGmbH can increase its impact, particularly by scaling up in depth. To this end, they want to reach more young people per cooperation location and expand their HERAUSFORDERERregions. The levers of impact are:
A: The expansion of data-driven school development.
B: Investment in formats for expanding local parental involvement.
C: Establishing systemic cooperation to recruit volunteers.
D: Increasing their visibility through strategic brand building.

These impact initiatives contribute to the goal of establishing holistic educational formats in secondary schools nationwide and reaching all young people in the spirit of equal opportunity. The concrete approach of the HERAUSFORDERUNGEN (Challenges) makes school development tangible at the local level, and newly acquired knowledge can be tested and deepened in the project.