Learning together, growing together - SoMa in action from the students' perspective

The motto for Monday was „Going out“. The 5th semester students developed concepts for the social department stores„ Stöbereck in Nordhausen, which is run by Horizont e.V. In this service learning project, the students were able to put theoretical content into practice using the example of this practical partner. They presented their proposals and designs to the student community in small groups. In the afternoon, everyone continued their work on creative ideas in interactive workshops and thus filled the morning's concepts with even more suggestions. The 1st and 3rd semester students were also actively involved. The 3rd semester students organised the “Mini Stöbereck„ flea market and provided information about platforms for buying used clothing, furniture or household items: “We were very pleased that the Mini Stöbereck was very well received. We were able to give the exchanged items a new lease of life," said a student from the 3rd semester. The 1st semester students provided organisational support to ensure that the first day ran smoothly.

„Invite“ was the motto of the second day of SoMa in Action Week. Prof Dr Stoll from Fulda University of Applied Sciences joined the event digitally. In her lecture on sustainability in the social economy, various aspects of sustainability, for example in organisations and in management, were highlighted and then discussed. In the afternoon, Mrs Tiepelmann-Halm from Schrankenlos e.V. from Nordhausen was a guest. Schrankenlos e.V. is committed to intercultural life and understanding and, for example, runs the „WeltladenCafe” in Nordhausen's old town centre with exclusively sustainable products. The workshop focussed on the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from the 2030 Agenda. The students were able to expand their knowledge of sustainability and also learn how specific, complex and far-reaching each individual goal is.

Much to the delight of the students, the last day was dedicated to „playing”. Students and lecturers played the „AWO House“ simulation game together. Everyone was assigned roles, so teachers became members of a band, yoga group or cookery group and students became café operators, language course participants or moderators. In a large fictitious meeting, the wishes of each stakeholder group were discussed in order to find common values for the shared use of the building. This also involved voting on the sustainable orientation of the building based on the sustainability goals.
The subsequent Christmas party, organised by the FSR SoMa, was a successful finale. Together they created a buffet full of delicious treats. Students and teaching staff looked back on the year together while playing games and chatting in a cosy atmosphere.

Many new shared experiences, a lively exchange between students from different semesters and an exciting practical project lie behind teachers and students. This brought the year to a successful conclusion away from the lectures.