There is still no protective umbrella for non-formal education in Germany. Hopefully, this situation at the beginning of April 2020 is only a temporary one. Support is urgently needed so that the spectrum of educational institutions, associations, foundations and initiatives that have developed over decades can be preserved. The German civic education system (and related fields of work) is based on pluralism, independence and subsidiarity. It is therefore an essential source of democratic culture and civil society involvement, which we will urgently need after the crisis.
Unfortunately, the situation in our case sounds too familiar: Due to the coronavirus threat, all companies stopped providing services in March or adapted them to the current reality - for the sake of health protection and for the sake of solidarity with people who are particularly vulnerable to the virus. According to current information, educational institutions will be closed by the end of April. However, it is already clear that many projects will not take place long after this period and groups will still cancel their bookings.
Public funders make every effort to make their funds available without unnecessary bureaucracy. This does not change the fact that the losses incurred by many entities threaten their existence. This is because all other income, such as fees from participants or rental income, is completely lost. The situation is not much better for many small institutions, independent organisations and self-employed people (trainers, etc.) who, through their expertise, contribute to the non-formal education landscape. This is why the actors involved in civic education of young people and adults strongly demand to be included in the rescue package offered by the federal government.
The crisis will certainly change the field of civic education. At the moment, the most visible change is the rapid increase in digitalization. Following the motto "better online than never", many institutions have started to offer virtual events. In time, we will see what will remain as art for art's sake and what will turn out to be successful ventures. One of the key questions is how stationary offers in meeting houses and virtual formats will alternate in the future.
Ole Jantschek, Vice-Chairman of the Council of the Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe
