SemiFit on Experiential Learning

Haus der offenen Tür is a youth centre that is doing intergenerational inclusive work since 1980s. It is part of the Catholic church of St. Peter. Current team is active since the year 2000 in a new stage of the institution.
In the year 2000, Petra Klein became director of HoT and started an update of the organization. With this new generation, HoT became a regional meeting point and started networking and collaboration with key stakeholders from public and private sector in the area. A very important objective of HoT started to be developed and HoT became a strong lobby for youth with fewer opportunities mainly through Petra´s background in politics and policy making. From 2000 to 2005 the organization came from having one full time worker to three.
In 2009, thanks to a European Social Fund project by the German Ministerium called 2nd Chance, HoT increased its collaboration with the local and regional schools and got two more social workers in the team. 2nd Chance is an ongoing project thanks to which HoT could bring social work to schools, implementing non formal education with groups, supporting individuals, and that way promoting inclusion and intercultural awareness in the school while preventing exclusion.
Since 2007, thanks to ESF project Kompetenzagentur , HoT got two new colleagues into the team. This project made possible for HoT to implement specific case work with young people in situation of exclusion. This case work made stronger our relations with the employment and migration offices as HoT became the point of support for the young people that had higher difficulties to fit in the system.
Since 2011 Haus der offenen Tür started using in a more important way international opportunities as an added value for the inclusion processes with their young people. Organizing exchanges, trainings and volunteering in HoT and also giving the opportunity to local and regional youth to have international experiences abroad. In 2012 the regional good feedback on this extra approach was such that HoT got a new team member with a focus on coordination of this international mobility. This brought a new focus into HoT by bringing international partners and creating a sustainable network for developing the international initiatives.