Do we need more of less – and if so, how? This question is the focus of the Munich Adult Education Center (MVHS) in the fall and winter semesters. Susanne May has already found an answer to this – at least for her house. “As far as the adult education center is concerned, I don’t see growth as critical,” says the program director when presenting the offer on the Aidenbachstrasse school campus – also a place where the MVHS has grown. She has just opened her Obersendling district center in the new building at the subway station.
From October onwards, a cross-section of the current program will be offered in an exercise room and two course rooms, says Antonia Heigl, who is primarily responsible for the new location. Since many older people live in the district, the focus is on courses and events specifically for seniors. In addition, collaborations are planned with the other facilities in the building, which is home to, among other things, a primary school, the municipal singing and music school, the school of imagination and twelve band rehearsal rooms. “We have the wonderful opportunity here,” says Antonia Heigl, “to bring together the education of young and old.”
The location in Obersendling is of course only one of around 100 teaching locations where the MVHS offers more than 9,000 courses and events from October to February. Management director Martin Ecker calls this a “polycentric development,” who emphasizes: “We want to enable short routes and low-threshold offers.” This is one of the reasons why the MVHS will continue to grow: the opening of a location on the Riem educational campus is planned next year; In 2025, further district centers will be opened or reopened in Freiham and in the renovated St. Martin Hospital in Obergiesing.
While the Munich adult education center focuses on growth, it is increasingly being criticized in relation to the economy. In the “More from Less” series, the MVHS is dedicating itself to this debate not only with lectures and discussion groups on topics such as refraining from consumption, basic income and alternative economic models, but also in practical courses such as upcycling old T-shirts and cooking with rescued food.
New to the program is the area of crafts and household
Another focus in the coming semester will be on Ukraine, which will be reflected in, among other things, an exhibition of Ukrainian artists in Einstein 28 and the lecture evening “Ukrainian to Fall in Love with”. New to the program is the area of crafts and household, with courses ranging from wood turning to repairing small furniture to the “ideal toolbox”.
The MVHS offering has now reached the pre-Corona level again, says Susanne May. This has not yet been fully achieved in terms of participation. “Here we continue to feel the aftermath of the pandemic,” says the program director. Older participants in particular have said goodbye and they now want to be won back through targeted offers.
Registration for the new MVHS program is now possible, for example online www.mvhs.de. There you will also find all the information about the new Obersendling district center, which will be officially opened on November 14th at 12 p.m. with a party with hands-on activities.