Pestalozzi Foundation Hamburg
The Pestalozzi Foundation Hamburg is a social and non-profit organization that was founded in Hamburg in 1847 . For a period of over 100 years, the foundation's activities consisted exclusively of operating a children's home , which moved several times within Hamburg.
After a few realignments, the organization now operates facilities and projects in many parts of Hamburg and, to a lesser extent, in Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein . She is active in child, youth and family welfare, community work , open child and youth work, child day care and in work with people with intellectual disabilities and mental illnesses . It works largely with public funds and, as an operational foundation, has only a small amount of capital from which no distributions are made. The foundation relies on the beliefs ofJohann Heinrich Pestalozzi , whose goal in education was to “strengthen people” and to move them to “help themselves”. The foundation works today under the guiding principle of offering people " help to help themselves ".
history
The story began on January 12, 1846, when, during a memorial ceremony in honor of Johann-Heinrich Pestalozzi, the Freemason Lodge “Zur Brudertreue” decided to set up a foundation to “help children who by their lives Parents are considered orphaned "and" who live in circumstances that cause fear of their moral neglect ". The aim was to create an auxiliary facility for children from neglected families and to raise these children in the spirit of free- spirited education and according to Pestalozzi's methods.
The first children's home was built on August 8, 1847 in Hamburg Billwerder and became a refuge for 32 children. The foundation stone for a new and larger facility in Hamburg Barmbek on Hufnerstrasse was laid as early as 1865 . The number of places has increased to 78 over the years. But the increasing development of the district, especially the construction of the S-Bahn and U- Bahn station in Barmbek, as well as its own expansion plans, resulted in another move. On August 29, 1906, a new home for 100 children was inaugurated in the Volksdorf district of Hamburg . In 1929 this home was sold to the City of Hamburg together with the extensive property.
In 1930, an extensive property with buildings in Diestelstrasse in Hamburg-Ohlstedt was acquired from the sales proceeds for the purpose of resuming work. Until 2013, the Ohlstedt property belonged to the foundation. On April 12, 1931, a new home for 32 children was inaugurated on Diestelstrasse. The director of the home, Elisabeth Schleuß, and the chairman, Pastor Hugo Poppe, have been distant from the prevailing political convictions since the National Socialists came to power , which was evident in the upbringing of the children. This was expressed, for example, in the fact that no picture of Hitler was hung in the children's home . Guiding ideas or songs that glorified national feeling or soldierhood were not spread in the children's home. The home and the director were therefore monitored. 1943 ordered Reichsstatthalter Karl Kaufmann , the seizure of the main house as a replacement for the destroyed by bombs Children's Hospital at Rothenburgsort. The children's home was only able to continue its work with considerable restrictions in a small adjacent building with 20 children.
In 1947 the foundation got its main building back and was able to look after 40 children there again. The foundation's assets were largely lost due to the currency reform in 1948 . A large part of the property had to be sold bit by bit to keep the business going. The following years were also changeable and characterized by financial and structural difficulties. Over the years, the foundation has repeatedly repositioned itself with its offers and objectives and adapted the concepts and practical offers to changing historical and social conditions.
Over the years, the foundation has made changes and continuously expanded its range of child, youth and family work and has been looking after people with handicaps since the 1980s. The office is now located on Brennerstrasse in the St. Georg district . The classic children's home has been transformed over the years into diverse, regionally oriented offers for children, young people, families and people with handicaps. The foundation's facilities are now spread across the entire city of Hamburg, as well as the federal states of Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony.
philosophy
"Learning to live is the meaning of our upbringing"
The philosophy of the foundation is based on the values and knowledge of its namesake Johann-Heinrich Pestalozzi . The foundation has set itself the goal of offering people in difficult life situations support in coping with everyday life tasks. The guiding principle of the work is the idea of helping people to help themselves and is based on Pestalozzi's insight that “upbringing should not bring something strange to people, but rather support and facilitate the development of the original forces.” The foundation of the foundation's work is described by a quote that Pestalozzi emphasized again and again: "The heart of another person can only be guided through the heart, and the love of the heart is revealed in the caring deed." The foundation invokes the principles of appreciation , empathy and solidarity in caring for people and self-determination .
"With the heart alone the heart is guided."
Even today, the employees work according to the ideal of the namesake Pestalozzi. His motivation grew out of personal concern. Pestalozzi grew up in poor and difficult circumstances and spent his life trying to convey human values, education and security to poor and disadvantaged children . According to this principle, the Pestalozzi Foundation Hamburg offers the children, adolescents, families and people with handicaps it takes care of, ways and help in encountering the diverse challenges of life. People should acquire skills to solve conflicts and problems , to cope with everyday tasks, to discover perspectives, to implement ideas and to independently go their own way in the world. The foundation focuses on personally promoting people with their individual strengths and talents and enabling the individual to develop freely in a social network.
deals
Overview of the offers - "With head, heart and hand"
The Pestalozzi Foundation Hamburg now offers a wide range of activities for children, young people, families and people with handicaps in Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony. These include day-care centers , residential buildings, communities, outpatient and inpatient advice and support, as well as community work . The foundation supports and accompanies people in different life situations with a wide range of offers, with the aim of enabling these people to live and act independently.
Children's day offers
The foundation offers individual care for children from 0 to 14 years in the crèche, elementary and after-school care sector . The offer also includes educational lunch tables, where children can have lunch together, receive help with homework and general advice. The first two daycare centers operated by the foundation are located in Hamburg-Eißendorf and in the listed former AOK building in Hamburg- Borgfelde . Two further daycare centers in the districts of Eppendorf (on the premises of the Anscharhöhe Foundation) and in St. Pauli were opened in November 2010. The day care center in the St. Pauli district was built in cooperation with the FC St. Pauli football club in the Millerntor Stadium on the Heiligengeistfeld . This daycare center is supposed to be the first day care center in a football stadium worldwide. A new daycare center is currently being built in City-Nord in the Hamburg- Winterhude district and is due to open in September 2011.
Help for young people
Residential houses
The foundation temporarily accepts children and young people who can no longer live with their families in the residential buildings in Altona-Nord and in Farmsen . Various problems and difficult family histories require young people to be placed in these institutions. The aim is to offer the young people an atmosphere of security and security and to give them independence and a sense of responsibility in everyday life. Together with the children or young people and their families, individual solutions are developed and put into practice. The focus is on the management of conflicts and problems and integration in the social environment. The children and young people should then return to their families.
Communities
The socio-educational communities offer children and adolescents who come from problematic circumstances and who have in some cases been neglected , violence and abuse a new home for a limited period of time. Close professional educational support creates a family-like atmosphere, which offers the children protection and security, builds trust and enables an age-appropriate life. Individually targeted support and care for the individual children and young people, as well as social integration, are guaranteed by building close and loving relationships between the children and young people and their carers. The cooperation with the family of origin is cultivated in the interest of the children and young people. Depending on the personal situation and taking into account the best interests of the child, there is always the possibility of return. The Pestalozzi Foundation Hamburg has partnerships in Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony.
Outpatient aid centers
The foundation offers outpatient and flexible help to children, young people and families in difficult life situations. The referral of families and children or young people to the Pestalozzi Foundation Hamburg takes place through the youth welfare office . The parents and children or adolescents are looked after in everyday management and, above all, advised on problems with upbringing, as well as on school and social issues. The foundation offers outpatient individual help for people with handicaps and mental illnesses . During the consultation, clients are informed about various ways that should lead to success in their search for an apartment or for an apprenticeship or job . The centers offer help, among other things, in separation processes and in dealing with mental illness on a daily basis . In addition, the employees inform clients about various ways of securing financial livelihoods, as well as health care. Advice on family assistance and individual assistance also includes assistance in finding suitable leisure activities and facilities for socializing. The centers for outpatient socio-educational family help and outpatient individual aid are located in the Hamburg districts of Altona , Berne , Borgfelde and Langenhorn .
Help for people who need assistance
The Foundation provides people with handicap assistance in daily life. It operates outpatient care groups, individual apartments and offices that are distributed across the city and where outpatient assistance can be obtained. For example, until 2013, men and women with intellectual disabilities of different ages lived together in Diestelstrasse in the Hamburg- Ohlstedt district and were accompanied in everyday life by professional carers. The single apartments in Farmsen and Berne are more likely to be occupied by people with mental illnesses, and they receive targeted support in coping with their problems. The focus is always on the goal of enabling the people being looked after to lead an independent and diverse social life. People are integrated into society as much as possible and lead an autonomous life.
Community work
The foundation offers support and offers throughout the city of Hamburg that promote social integration and advice for families, children, adolescents and young adults.
The "Treff Berne" is a social-spatial counseling center on the underground station Berne in the former Bücherhalle Berne. Networking with other facilities in the social area is also essential in order to offer the people in the district appropriate support. In the rooms there is also a cafe where people from the area to a low-cost lunch eat can make. The Pestalozzi Foundation cooperates with Hamburger Werkstatt GmbH, which runs the café in the “Treff Berne” and offers people training.
The “family midwife projects ” in the districts of Berne and Großlohe support pregnant women and mothers who have psychological, financial and social problems or who are minors. The “Nest Pilot” offer in the Hamburg Bergedorf-West district, which offers mothers and fathers advice and practical help before and after the birth of their child up to the age of six , also aims in the same direction . These cooperate with various organizations in order to optimally cover the regional needs for care and support.
The “Jugendfreizeitlounge” is located nearby in Farmsen. This is where children and young people from 8 to 18 years of age meet to practice breakdancing together , use the skateboarding facility and make new friends. The range includes table football , billiards , Wii games, computer courses, cooking evenings and cinema screenings .
The aim of the family activation teams "F.aktiv" in Berne, Bergedorf- West and Langenhorn is to offer children, young people and families short-term support and advice, mainly with regard to psycho-social problems. The work includes conflict counseling and practical help in everyday situations.
Financial foundations
The foundation is mainly financed through public funds. Aid for upbringing in the residential buildings, outpatient assistance and living communities receive funding in accordance with §§ 27 and ff. 30, 31, 34, 35, if of legal age in conjunction with § 30 and § 35 according to § 41 SGB VIII, outpatient assistance in accordance with §§ 27/28 SGB VIII in conjunction. with § 36 SGB VIII. Most of the projects are paid for through grants from the city of Hamburg. The foundation is particularly dependent on private funding and donations for new investment projects .
literature
- Madeleine B. Göhring : The Pestalozzi Foundation (1847-1924). A contribution to the history of private youth welfare in Hamburg , Hamburg 1994, master's thesis University of Hamburg.
- Helmuth Haack: Pestalozzis Kosmos , Frankfurter Literaturverlag, Frankfurt / Main 2006, ISBN 3-86548-172-8 .
- Karlheinz Reher: Stories from the home , private print Karlheinz Reher in brochure form.
- Karlheinz Reher: In the flow of time. The history of the Pestalozzi Foundation Hamburg 1847-2014 , Christians Verlag, Hamburg 2014, ISBN 978-3-939969-07-5 .
