Spin-offs

I associate vh Ulm with the start of my professional life—and at the same time with a place where I have always felt at ease. Countless encounters, inspiring evenings, and exciting events have taken place here, which I still regularly attend today: concerts, readings, and much more. Through my professional work, I became involved in the field of civic engagement, which should be more firmly established in many cities in Baden-Württemberg. At the time, people no longer spoke of volunteering but rather of engagement. Lothar Heusohn asked me whether I would like to work in this area, and that is how I ended up at the Bürgeragentur Zebra, a community hub for civic engagement, where I worked for many years as a project staff member. A fortunate coincidence then led to a major step: a married couple from Ulm donated a house in their will to the Ulmer Bürgerstiftung, Ulm Community Foundation, on the condition that the proceeds be dedicated to supporting civic engagement. This gave rise to the idea of a new volunteer agency in a central location—and the vh was the natural choice. Together with a student and other contributors, I developed the concept: the central element would be an information centre, open at least twenty hours per week and run by volunteers. In 2010, it was opened on the ground floor of the vh as engagiert in ulm, Ulm’s volunteer agency. We were active in the EinsteinHaus for about seven years. To this day, vh Ulm remains an important partner of engagiert in ulm. Together, we launched the Academy for Civic Engagement—a space where volunteers can continue their learning and develop their skills. ‘For me, vh Ulm is an open, vibrant space—a space that connects people, inspires them, and strengthens civic engagement.’