Two academic experts on adult education and training were involved in a pre-pilot of SVMI learning materials in Stuttgart. The pre-pilot meeting took place in October and November 2018.
Prof. Dr. Gabriele Abels from Tübingen University is an expert on adult education, empowerment, gender rights and social volunteering. Dr. Petra Püchner, head of the Steinbeis European Center in Stuttgart and direct advisor to the Minister for Economic Affairs in Baden-Württemberg is a professional for dissemination, empowerment and on preparing pathways towards adult entrepreneurship.
SVMI’s German partners received valuable comments on the training materials on adult education, some suggestions for refinements in the section on migration and integration and additional ideas for the module on active citizenship. Both experts met with ifa Akademie members to check the English and the preliminary German version of all SVMI learning materials. One element of the discussion was the motivation of seniors in Germany to serve as volunteers for migration integration. Individual interests, life experience and personal international experience need to be taken into account, as well as sensitivity towards regulatory and cultural issues linked to migration and integration. It was positively noted that SVMI materials build upon existing theories of migration and existing knowledge and experience with the aim to convincingly use these skills for volunteering activities. In addition, both experts noted that senior migrants living in Stuttgart should be addressed as well to serve as peer-volunteers.
