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BKCR Restarts Erasmus+ Internships Abroad

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all of the BKCR's internships had been suspended in 2020. But in 2021, a total of eleven students could do internships abroad again. 

Fabio Stolten and Julian Bönsch were the first BKCR students who could do an internship at the Kinvara Children's Community Centre (KCCC) on the western coast of  Ireland. KCCC manager Christiane Schulte and BKCR teacher Wolfgang Niehues had established the co-operation and were delighted that the first students could participate now. 

Afterwards, Julian said that he did have a bit of a hard time understanding the children in the beginning, but could always rely on the local staff to help him. Fabio and Julian not only were delighted they found accommodation within Kinvara's community, but also felt very much at home in this community due to its hospitality. 

The BKCR's internships at the German school in Warsaw were restarted this year, too. Jonah Metzlaw and Malte Deppe had the opportunity to go to Poland for that, with BKCR teachers Kristina Kranefoer and Lisa Teschke as their advisors. Malte and Jonah were impressed by the high level of understanding among German and Polish children at the school. They also took part in various workshops. Jonah: "The aikido coach spoke Polish but I could still make out what he wanted the children to do." Malte adds: "One afternoon we went with a small group to downtown Warsaw. This taught me how to take care of a group of children on a sightseeing tour."

Unfortunately, the Covid-19 numbers in Warsaw started going up by the end of the second week, leading to cancellations of several activities and foreshadowing more closures to come. BKCR's Kristina Kranefoer discussed possible scenarios with her colleague in Warsaw, Katarzyna Sidor, and the two students. In the end, everyone was happy Malte and Jonah made it home safely.

As Annette Fouqué, coordinator of the BKCR's international activities say: "Everyone who had the opportunity to go abroad this year is already thinking about venturing out abroad again. You can't achieve that with digital substitutions, but only if you really go abroad and experience the culture and meet the people."

Last changed: Dec 03 2021