Our projects
ESD – Education for Sustainable Development
A wide range of concrete projects promote sustainable and charitable work. Above all, this includes “Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)” for guests and staff at a&o.
Promoting biodiversity
Together with students from Fresenius University of Applied Sciences in Wiesbaden, the groundwork was laid for creating areas that promote biodiversity at a&o locations.
More plants, more insects, a better microclimate in inner-city neighbourhoods: the first a&o insect hostel has opened and is now boosting biodiversity on Mainzer Landstraße in Frankfurt Galluswarte.
Solidarity-based, community-funded financing of school trips – developing a web app
With this pioneering project, a&o is setting standards in terms of participation – and for something that matters so much in every school career: the school trip!
The families in a school class are often a very diverse group. Children of parents with very high incomes or assets sit alongside classmates whose parents are employees or workers. But almost always there are also households or single parents on low incomes or with financial problems, and of course often recipients of state benefits.
So that everything does not have to be geared to the lowest common denominator, we make “solidarity-based financing” possible: those who can and want to pay a little more, those who cannot pay a little less. The main thing is that, in the end, the trip is funded for everyone.
a&o Christmas Wish Tree campaign. In cooperation with SOS Children’s Villages.
Christmas – the season of giving and of bringing joy to others… The aim of this project is to take up this idea and put it into practice in the “a&o educare Christmas Wish Tree campaign”.
In close cooperation with SOS Children’s Village Berlin, specific wishes of children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds are fulfilled, relating to three (entirely donation-funded) educational programmes run by SOS Children’s Village Berlin.
The "a&o orchard planting campaign" in Weimar
Last winter, the "1st a&o orchard planting campaign" took place at the a&o Hostel Weimar.
Why, you ask?
Because there is a wonderful traditional orchard right next to the a&o Hostel in Weimar. And it needs ... a little love and, above all, a few new fruit trees. And that is exactly what a&o educare e. V. is taking care of!
Together with a children’s and youth centre in Weimar and in cooperation with "Grüne Liga Weimar", fruit trees are being planted there in winter. Really beautiful specimens from a regional tree nursery.
Over the winter they took root, then grew in the spring and are thriving, and then .... (this takes patience!) the trees will bear apples, pears, cherries or plums – hopefully a bumper crop (Weimar just can’t stop hosting events..) – which may then be harvested together by a&o guests and staff at the "a&o harvest festival" in late summer and turned straight into delicious juice. Using the mobile fruit press of "Grüne Liga Weimar" – what else?
That’s the plan. Mother Nature just has to play along – then it will all work out!
Alle kommen mit! (Everyone comes along!)
The support fund for children and young people from disadvantaged families – enabling them to take part in school trips.
With the project “Alle kommen mit” (Everyone comes along) a&o educare e. V. is committed to ensuring that financial constraints do not decide who gets to take part. Our support fund enables children and young people from low-income or socially disadvantaged families to take part in school trips – quickly, specifically and without red tape.
The project is funded entirely by donations. We are grateful for any financial support!
