My name is Sarah Ozigi and I work as mentor for young pupils who have behavior problems.
The reason I took part in the exchange programme is because I wanted to know how the educational system is structured and how they deal with pupils with behaviors problems.
On my first day I was really surprised to see how clean and tidy Germany is despite the fact that the area we were in is classed as a deprived area. I was speechless when I was introduced to Kids and Co and saw the ways in which they helped prepare young people for work with vocational training.
I was very inspired when i got to Kids and Co & saw the work they are doing in regards to young people who don’t want to go to school. I noticed that German educational system is focused mainly on getting good qualification to enable young people to work and have various vocational skills to enable them to strive and be successful.
The first day was exciting for me as I was able to observe and take in the culture of Germany. At the same time I was shocked because of my perceived ideas of Hitler and Nazis. The people were friendly, and this changed all my negative views as I thought I would be coming into a country that was not welcoming of other cultures.
This exchange program has really been useful to me in a sense that I have learned a lot about the structure of German educational system and have been able to compare it to the UK educational system and have seen the difference in services that are available for young people who refuse to go to school. I noticed that if young people don’t like reading and writing they are able to do vocational programs but they still have to do theory as well as practical. I also learned that pupils are not excluded from school.
I found out that children in Germany start school at 6 and young people do placement on weekend which is not done in the UK. In the youth centres there are attached social workers that work alongside teachers and young people. This I believe is much needed in the UK and should start to be set up as it may have an impact on school exclusion. I learnt that despite the fact that young people have disruptive behavior they could be sent home but i also learned that German teachers were not given the support to manage young pupils who are disruptive in class which is the same as teachers in the UK.
I have learnt that Germany take education seriously and strive to push their pupils to gain qualifications and use different strategies around it like vocational programs. I also acknowledge that in Germany if you do not have a qualification you cannot work, whereas if you were in the UK without qualifications you could still find work.
Overall my experience has been fun and exciting, I have had the opportunity not only to meet people who work and live in Germany but other organisations based in England. It really has been a learning curve for me in terms of adapting to a new culture and trying different food.
