Three young people have begun their volunteer service in the fields of culture and education at three municipal cultural institutions in Bamberg. Inga Braungart, Annabell Langer, and Zoe Schmidt share what motivated them.

They work at the City Library, the Municipal Music School, and the World Heritage Center—the three young women who began their FJS Kultur program with the City of Bamberg this past September. Why did they decide to do this, and what are they hoping to gain from it?

Annabell Langer, Music School: “Since I was still undecided about what I wanted to do professionally after completing my training at the vocational school for music, I decided to do a voluntary social year at the Municipal Music School in Bamberg. Music has always been a huge part of my life, so my FSJ in the cultural sector gives me the chance to continue pursuing my passion. My highlight so far has been taking photos and helping out at a concert. I really appreciate the opportunity to experience music and culture up close during my FSJ. I’m looking forward to meeting lots of new people and gaining life experiences.”

Inga Braungart, City Library: “Since I didn’t yet know which direction I wanted to take after school, I quickly decided that I wanted to do a FSJ to help me figure things out. And because I love reading so much, I chose the City Library as my placement.”

Zoe Schmidt, World Heritage Center: “During my first month as a volunteer, I’ve already had a lot of fun learning more about Bamberg’s history and its significance as a World Heritage City. I’m looking forward to continuing to gain new and exciting experiences this year and to exploring the complex topic of World Heritage from the public’s perspective.”

The FSJ Culture and Education
Volunteers gain insight into the work of cultural institutions, carry out their own projects, and can gain clarity about their future aspirations. In addition, the organizing body, BAG Spielmobile e.V., based in Munich, hosts a kick-off event in Munich as well as four one-week seminars at various locations in Bavaria, where all volunteers can get to know one another better.

A volunteer service is neither unpaid volunteer work nor a paid internship. It is an activity that serves the professional and personal development of the volunteer. The Voluntary Social Year (FSJ) and the Federal Volunteer Service (BFD) are state-recognized opportunities to work as a volunteer in an organization. As the provider of the Volunteer Services for Culture and Education in Bavaria, Spielmobile e.V. organizes educational programs for the volunteers and supports the placement sites. In Bavaria, approximately 200 volunteers (FSJ and BFD) are currently active at approximately 160 placement sites. Additional placement sites in Bamberg include Chapeau Claque and iSo.

The Cultural and Educational Volunteer Services are supported and funded by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and the Bavarian State Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Affairs.

https://freiwilligendienste-kultur-bildung.de/

https://www.freiwilligendienste-kultur-bildung-bayern.de/

Photo credit: Sonja Seufferth, City of Bamberg

Caption: Inga Baumgart, Zoe Schmidt, and Annabell Langer are the new FSJ volunteers in the Culture and Education department.