The voice on the phone sounds fresh and vital. The man on the other end of the line cheerfully reports on his adventures and experiences with the Kreisbildungswerk (KBW) in Ebersberg, with which he has been associated since it was founded. It took place exactly 50 years ago, on June 27, 1972 – Adalbert Mischlewski was 52 years old at the time. The very first program, a leaflet with 28 entries for 44 events, lists the 102-year-old theologian and teacher from Grafing with the lecture “Fear of the Future” and as leader of the “Ecumenical Bible Discussion”.
“We are a small educational institution in a small district,” says Hubert Schulze, who has been chairman of the KBW association since 2019. But that only applies to personnel, when it comes to offers you don’t have to hide yourself at all. In 2019, before everything shrank to a third because of the pandemic, there were 736 events with 5,325 double lessons for 12,980 participants.
The mix of topics once ranged from contraception to nuclear energy
A proud increase – compared to the first year, in which around 2000 people came to courses and lectures. At the beginning of the 1970s, these included the “bridal couple days” for people about to get married. Certainly not only interesting for you: the program items “Contraceptives” and “Wealth accumulation”. In the further course of the first decade, it is then about “sense and nonsense of development aid” or about nuclear energy, but there are also folk dance meetings or interesting facts “about laundry care”.
Chairman Hubert Schulze, managing director Andrea Splitt-Fischer and “founding father” Klemens Siebert in front of the “Klösterl”, the KBW office in Ebersberg.
(Photo: Peter Hinz-Rosin)
In order to keep the company running, there are currently six full-time positions in administration, volunteer coordination, family and senior education as well as digital and public relations work, distributed among 14 people. Here, too, there is a big difference compared to the beginnings, when Klemens Siebert, founding chairman and at that time still a personal union (and honorary) managing director, was responsible for practically everything. He was assisted by Irmgard Otter, chairwoman of the Catholic Women’s Community. The work was done in the living room at home, office space did not exist until four years later.
The founding was suggested by the church, but the association acts independently
When Siebert, an 83-year-old who seems much younger, talks about the time when the company was founded, you can feel how proud he still is of what was created there. His goal was to bring people from the Ebersberg district together – but he also thought: “Can the district education center be so open and take up topics that the church might not like?” That was it, which is why controversial issues were always dealt with openly.
Today’s boss Schulze explains why this openness is still possible: “As a registered association, we are independent, not a branch of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising.” At the end of the 1960s, however, they had suggested coordinating the structures of church educational work with adults, as they existed from 1945, at district level, which then led to the founding of the KBW. In Ebersberg, ten parishes were involved, as well as various Catholic associations and associations.
Siebert, who moved to Grafing in 1971, seemed the right choice for the managerial post, as he was very involved in the district, well networked and, as a teacher, was also familiar with educational work. But he emphasizes that there was support from the political side right from the start: “The mayor at the time, Vollhardt, Mr. Beham as deputy district administrator, and district administrator Streibl all played a key role.”
From dying forests and military service to genetic engineering or housework without stress
A continuity can be observed in the program over the many years in the areas of religion and spirituality, family, society and politics, art and culture. Over time, health courses and the “grief network” were added. Because the KBW often hits a nerve, its offer reflects social change and can therefore be read as a kind of sociological heart rate monitor.
At the beginning of the 1980s, people dealt with “youth sects”, with “§218” and the “dying of our forests”https://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/ebersberg/.”Conscientious objectors” are just as much a topic as “environmental protection in the household” and “Violence on TV”. Increasingly people then turn to questions such as “genetic engineering” and focus on families, women (“being a stress-free housewife”) or the older generation.
When the founding chairman switched to the executive committee after 13 years, he received a book with all the programmes.
(Photo: Peter Hinz-Rosin)
Founder Siebert is also getting older and his professional commitment is increasing. He became the headmaster in Moosach, which is why he gave up the association’s chairmanship in 1985 after 13 years and switched to the executive committee. And while he took over the management of the secondary school in Kirchseeon in 1992, the KBW focused on nutrition: “Battle of the milk cuts”, “Cooking course for men” or “Healing Fasting Hiking Weeks” are now on offer.
From 1984 onwards, the parent-child program (EKP) has been a very important mainstay. Petra Weber from Anzing has known the concept for more than 30 years – first as a participant and since 1995 as a group leader. The mother of four particularly appreciates the exchange: “Pregnant and young mothers are always spoken to here, and the little ones also learn an incredible amount through the solid framework that provides orientation.”
In 1998/99 the Kreisbildungswerk goes online, computer taster courses gain in importance. Just like women’s education – for example in matters of finance. After the turn of the millennium, the “just world” became an increasingly important topic. It’s about quality of life, health and creativity, but also about interreligious dialogue, meaning and orientation, knowledge and further education.
A page from Klemens Siebert’s travel diary as a reminder of the study trip to Ephesus in 2008.
(Photo: Klemens Siebert/private)
Siebert is particularly proud of two major areas of the KBW, which he was instrumental in bringing to life: firstly, the sponsorship project, which supports young people with their graduation. And then the study trips, for example to Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Turkey and many other places that Siebert led between 2008 and 2019. He always created information flyers for the participants in advance and then a souvenir book. Of the 60 to 70 people between the ages of 20 and 60 who were willing to travel, some have been there up to eight times, he says, and some of the friendships that were formed far away have lasted to this day.
The Bildungswerk is represented at 27 locations in the district
A big plus of the Ebersberger KBW is its presence in the area. Initially, they were represented at four locations in the district, two years later at 27 locations. Thanks to the cooperation with the parishes, events can be held not only in the centers. The offer is supported by voluntary work, both on site and partly on the part of the speakers. The KBW provides support through advertising, logistics, organization and specialist advice. As a planning aid, it provides topic suggestions and a pool of speakers, and it also offers further training. “But it’s always give and take,” says Schulze. “We live from the ideas that are born locally.”
The financing comes from a mix: In addition to church funds and government grants, the participation fees bring money into the association’s coffers. However, at the KBW “education should be a low-threshold offer – and not just for those who can afford it,” as Managing Director Andrea Splitt-Fischer emphasizes.
The Ebersberger KBW sees its importance in the motto “lifelong learning”. It sees itself as a podium for an open discussion of current topics – today these are, for example, “Will the Church abolish itself?”, “Hate comments on the Internet” or “Live better without plastic”. According to Schulze, however, it is not about conveying Christian values as rigid dogmas – rather, it is the human being that counts. Non-religious people are also very welcome.
The magazine, which is published twice a year, is no longer sufficient for the wealth of events. Especially since there are numerous series of events with network partners, such as the weeks of tolerance or the libraries. That is why the almost 60-page magazine from spring/summer 2022 only picks out a few individual dates and presents special topics such as biographical work, multilingual parent talk or “Sport inclusive” as part of further training for educational staff. Everything else is covered by individual brochures.
Anniversary celebration on June 26 in Poing
The Ebersberger Kreisbildungswerk celebrates its 50th birthday on Sunday, June 26th, with a big anniversary event. In the program: Artist Johannes Böhriger as well as pantomime Anhelina Terlyha and magician Oleksandr Solyanik, the latter are talents from the renowned circus school in Kyiv and ended up in Munich because of the war. Their involvement also makes it clear what the KBW is all about, namely creating connections and building bridges. Or, as Petra Weber says, who recently welcomed a Ukrainian mother into her playgroup: The district education center “helps a lot to get to know people and to feel comfortable in a place.”
With its parent-child program, the KBW also helps young families settle into their new everyday lives.
(Photo: Peter Hinz-Rosin)
Apparently Adalbert Mischlewski also definitely felt comfortable with his activities for the KBW. “That was always very enriching for me too,” he says, for example, about the study trips “in mixed company” that he offered until 2008. “Everyone always thawed out at dinner, we talked about something from the day, there were always some who still sang. That was always a highlight.” But he also really appreciated the ecumenical evenings, where the participants could have asked absolutely any question. Laughing, he tells how someone once said that this was the only place in Grafing where everyone could talk freely.
For the (free) participation in the festival service and ceremony on Sunday, June 26, from 2 p.m. in Poing, please register by sending an email to [email protected] or by calling (08092) 85 07 90.