Social work done and EUR 3,000 donated

RENOLIT trainees and dual students completed social internships at AWO, Lebenshilfe and DRK-Berufsbildungswerk / A total of EUR 3,000 donated in kind

Worms, 6 December 2023 - For the second year, RENOLIT has offered its junior employees a "social internship". 32 trainees and dual students completed an internship at AWO Rheinland, Lebenshilfe Worms-Alzey and DRK-Berufsbildungswerk Worms. They experienced a change of perspective and got to know the world of people with disabilities. At an official closing event at RENOLIT, the trainees reported on their experiences and presented the cooperation partners with donations in kind totaling 3,000 euros.

All trainees and students in the second year of their vocational training completed the social internship. This means that almost twice as many junior employees took part as in the previous year. They chose between one of three social facilities in Worms - the AWO Haus der Generationen senior center Remeyerhof, the day care center of Lebenshilfe or the DRK-Berufsbildungswerk. From August to November 2023, they worked in small teams for a week on site at each of the social institutions.

Last week, all participants in the program came together again for the final event at the RENOLIT headquarters in Worms: the trainees, the training and study managers and the RENOLIT works council members. Beforehand, the trainees had documented their personal experiences in pictures and words on posters. Following the World Café format, they exchanged ideas with the contact persons from the social institutions and reflected on their experiences.

"I had never had any contact with a retirement and nursing home before. So, I didn't know what to expect there," explains Vera Kohlmann, who is doing a dual degree in mechanical engineering at RENOLIT. "In any case, I now really appreciate what the nursing and care staff do and how easy it is to do the patients a favor. I first had to let my experiences sink in and talk about them in my private life."

"This year, more RENOLIT trainees completed the work shadowing program with us and were able to experience different activities. The young people learned that being disabled is not just a coincidence and found out that working with and for people with high support needs at Lebenshilfe is enriching, cheerful and takes place at eye level," says Nora Ringhof, Head of the Day Support Center and Education Department at Lebenshilfe Worms. "Ultimately, the people with disabilities contributed a great deal to the success of this social experience with their open and often unbiased manner. This has also led to the desire for a return visit to their interns."

The cooperation partners also received donations in kind. All 32 trainees were able to suggest themselves or as a team where their 100 euro donation should go. In total, donations in kind amounting to 3,000 euros were collected.

"We are seeing everywhere how important respectful coexistence is in our society. As an employer, we assume social responsibility. In the social internship, our junior employees learn to think outside the box. They gain personal experience and broaden their horizons," says Markus Blümle, General Manager Corporate Human Resources at RENOLIT, who is delighted with the successful social internship.

 

Vera Kohlmann's social internship at the retirement and nursing home

Vera Kohlmann is in her third semester studying mechanical engineering with a focus on plastics technology at the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) in Mosbach. She completed her social internship during her training at RENOLIT at the AWO Haus der Generationen senior center Remeyerhof in Worms. She completed the one-week internship from August 28 to September 1, 2023, together with three RENOLIT employees.

At the retirement and nursing home, the junior staff received both theoretical training and hands-on experience. The group was given a tour of the home, took part in integration discussions, learned the basics of care using a care doll and obtained a wheelchair driving license. They also learned more about dementia and the care of dementia patients in lectures. They were also introduced to the management of a retirement and nursing home and gained an insight into finances and personnel management.

The RENOLIT employees were then able to put their new theoretical knowledge into practice. Among other things, they played bingo with the patients, carried out memory training and provided feel-good moments with a manicure. However, the focus of the week was the Worms Backfischfest. As part of this, the retirement and nursing home organized its own party in the building with music and dancing. The young people also accompanied a group of ten people in wheelchairs to the official Worms Backfischfest.

 

The cooperation partners

The Lebenshilfe für Menschen mit geistiger Behinderung, Orts- und Kreisvereinigung Worms-Alzey e.V. would like to show people with intellectual disabilities and mental illness ways to a happy and self-determined life. Lebenshilfe Worms encourages, supports and promotes each individual according to their abilities and talents. With a wide range of therapeutic offers, special training and suitable jobs, the association creates the basis for an active and good life. The aim is to enable people with intellectual disabilities and mental illness to live in the heart of society. After all, they have a right to participation, involvement and co-decision-making. Lebenshilfe Worms supports and assists them in exercising their rights and interests. www.lebenshilfe-worms.de

Together with the AWO Pfalz in Rhineland-Palatinate, the AWO Rheinland offers a wide-ranging support network for senior citizens, families and people in all walks of life. The area covered by AWO Rheinland stretches from the river valleys of the Ahr, Nahe, Moselle and Rhine to the Sieg - over the heights of the Westerwald, the Eifel and the beautiful Hunsrück to the edge of the Taunus. With around 1,800 employees, around 2,100 volunteers and 14,800 members, the AWO District Association Rhineland with its 18 district associations and 168 local associations is always close to the people - regardless of whether the AWO is needed in a rural border region or in a city. www.awo-rheinland.de

The Berufsbildungswerk Worms primarily supports young people who need special assistance for vocational training. The facility of the DRK-Landesverbandes Rheinland-Pfalz offers state-recognized training in future-oriented professions and teaches knowledge, skills and abilities to master everyday working life and the social environment independently and self-confidently. The Berufsbildungswerk Worms relies on cooperation with partners in the employment agencies, schools, the city of Worms, professional associations, the Rheinhessen Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the chambers of crafts and trades, as well as with companies and businesses in Rhineland-Palatinate. www.bbw-worms.drk.de/