Social Entrepreneur´s Profile:

ChangeWriters e.V.

Following the American model of the Freedom Writers, Jörg began writing diaries with students who were considered “unschoolable”. After successful pilot projects, he founded the ChangeWriters association in 2014 to pass on the methods to educators nationwide. With practical seminars and support services for educators, the association aims to improve the culture of relationships in schools in Germany in order to see and promote the skills and potential of young people who are sometimes difficult to reach and thus improve their chances of participation. At the same time, educators are strengthened and relieved in their attitude toward the students.

The experience of actively contributing to positive change motivates students to take responsibility for successfully shaping their school careers and life paths. In concrete terms, many of the students whose school-leaving qualifications were previously jeopardized by their behavior and performance have successfully completed school and found their way into working life.

COVID has made Jörg’s work more urgent than ever: amplified by school closures, students feel even more disconnected, unseen and lost. Teachers find it even more difficult to work in a needs-oriented way due to the reduced access to students. Since the multiple loss of knowledge is almost impossible to make up for, especially for students with already weaker performance, needs orientation and perceiving the students in their individual living space is essential. This is also recognized by the schools and increasingly demanded, so that the teacher training was changed in such a way that it also became digitally feasible.