PEF gets in on the act in Germany

Donations to two new charities by the Private Equity Foundation (PEF) have taken the venture philanthropy fund’s total investment in Germany to €400,000. The latest organisations to secure funding are the Projektfabrik’s JobAct® Programme, which combines the world of theatre with work, and SchlaU, which provides young unaccompanied refugees with an education especially adapted to their needs. They join apprenticeship provider, Hamburger Hauptschulmodell, in PEF’s portfolio.

Shaks Ghosh, Chief Executive of the Private Equity Foundation, commented “Both JobAct and SchlaU were a perfect fit for the Private Equity Foundation. They are highly innovative and successful at giving disadvantaged young people a chance in life, but stand to derive great benefit from financial and pro bono investment in their core infrastructure to enable them to roll-out their programmes.

“Both organisations also have lessons to teach us, not only about the challenges faced by those making the transition from education to work in Germany, but about new and creative ways to help solve the growing NEET (young people not in education, employment or training) issue across Europe.”

At JobAct®, participants work together to put on and perform a play at a prestigious venue. They write the script, receive acting coaching and are responsible for everything from stage and costume design to the carpentry and light and sound effects. The students receive job search skills training alongside the theatre aspect of the course and a follow-up work placement gives them the scope to put into practice what they’ve learnt. Twice as effective as comparable programmes, it credits its emphasis on personal development for its success.

Since it was established in 2005, JobAct® has operated in 18 cities across Germany and is preparing pilots in Spain and the Netherlands. PEF’s investment of €195,000 aims to help JobAct® build up its management capacity to handle the organization’s fast growth and to establish a programme to train theatre experts to work with its NEET students.

SchlaU was founded in 2000 by a group of people concerned that Minor Unaccompanied Refugees were being treated like adults when they arrived in Bavaria and often had no access to education or counselling despite the traumatic experiences they’d left behind in their own countries or faced during their journey. The charity set about developing a unique set of teaching tools and interventions which have enabled it to help 96 per cent of its 16 to 20 year olds, some of whom have never attended school before, graduate with a school diploma in one to three years. Of these, over 60 per cent have gone on to either complete an apprenticeship, are in an apprenticeship programme or are working towards an additional school diploma.

SchlaU’s specially tailored education focuses on language skills and cultural differences as well as providing psychological support and practical help, vital for those without family to fall back on. It builds close relations with local employers, places students in internships, and, crucially, stays in contact with the young people after graduation, helping them further if they subsequently have difficulty in finding a job.

PEF’s initial investment of €25,000 will improve SchlaU’s management capacity and provide development funding to scope out expansion of the project beyond its initial base in Munich.

For further information please contact Rosie Davey at rosie@privateequityfoundation.org or call 020 7749 5129 / 07827 804066