The DDR Museum supports LifeTeachUs

LifeTeachUs brings real life into schools

In Germany, over 1 million school lessons are cancelled every week and not replaced. The non-profit organisation LifeTeachUs compensates for these lost lessons with so-called LifeLessons. The LifeTeachUs volunteer and certified LifeTeachers come from a wide variety of fields and industries but have one thing in common: they bring real life and practical knowledge into schools.

In the LifeLessons, children and young people learn about different professions and gain experiences of work, for example, or are shown how to file tax returns or manage time. Depending on age, topics such as dealing with mental and emotional health issues, opening a bank account for the first time, coping with artificial intelligence or cryptocurrency can also be covered. This enables pupils to gather practical skills instead of just watching films or doing nothing. The LifeLessons are just as varied and diverse as the teachers themselves.

True to the motto: »What do you wish you had known when you were at school?«, the LifeTeachers teach a wide range of topics that are intended to prepare students for life after school. The pupils get to interact with a wide variety of people from diverse social backgrounds that they would perhaps otherwise not meet at school or in their own environments. The fewer school lessons that are cancelled, the better the children's chances for equal opportunities. After all, in some places, up to 20% of all lessons are cancelled.

The whole thing is organised via a specially programmed app of the same name, in which the partner schools report their needs. These are then forwarded to the appropriate LifeTeachers, among whom one volunteers to conduct the LifeLessons at school or online, even at very short notice.

The founder & managing director of LifeTeachUs

Ludwig Thiede (pictured right) is the brains behind LifeTeachUs. Ten years ago, he asked himself why he hadn't already learnt certain things at school. This question gave rise to the idea for LifeTeachUs.
This was followed by a rocky road involving many voluntary after-work hours in addition to his regular activities, a few doubters and, initially, many closed doors at schools. Ludwig was faced with the decision to give up more than once. Eight months after its foundation, more than 100 partner schools and over 4,000 LifeTeachers are registered across Germany. More and more large companies are signing up for corporate volunteering.
The numbers are growing steadily.

The DDR Museum as a strong partner

As a museum, we take our educational mission very seriously. For us, this means that we offer discounted and preferential admission to our museum to school groups of all ages, as well as constantly looking for ways to make a lasting contribution to improving education and access to education in Germany. Together with founders, we have therefore set up the non-profit organisation »LifeTeachUs gGmbH«. We finance LifeTeachUs, are also involved in its content and persuade other private companies to get involved as well.

Become active as a LifeTeacher yourself

Has this aroused your curiosity? As these are flexible voluntary positions, all you need is to commit time and perhaps local travel if you wish to volunteer for LifeLessons. There is no minimum time requirement, but there is a maximum benefit in return: bright, curious, and eager-to-learn young people who will one day be there for us in the future. You can find all you need to know about volunteering as a LifeTeacher on the LifeTeachUs website.