About NaturKultur e.V.
NaturKultur e.V. is a youth association that was founded in North-West Germany and is now located in Bremen, Wiefelstede/Oldenburg and Osterholz-Scharmbeck.
The name Natur (nature) represents the physical world including all living things as well as the land and the oceans. Kultur (culture) is the totality of socially transmitted behaviour patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought. As an organisation, we aim towards being the synergy between these two terms in all that we do.
Our main Aims:
- To create and provide international mobilities for young people in Germany.
- To encourage and support young people to go on international mobilities, but also other organisations and NGOs to host young people from all over Europe and the world or to send their members abroad.
- To provide opportunities for young people that will help them become more civically engaged in their local societies.
- To create community-based projects and activities, where young people are empowered to address issues that are relevant in our local societies.
- To share and promote tolerance, diversity, and understanding among the different cultures in Europe, in our local societies and beyond.
Our Values and Beliefs
Our values and beliefs shape how we approach our work, how we guide our decisions and behaviours in our everyday world. They are deeply embedded in all of us, and we gladly share them through young people and partners we work with on a daily basis.
Development of young people
We are providing a platform for young people to make a positive impact and change the world while they are developing themselves. Special emphasis is put on including young people with fewer opportunities, such as young people with disabilities, those who live in rural areas, belong to different ethnic minorities, are refugees, or have learning difficulties.
Environment and sustainability
We deeply care, educate, develop, support, protect and enjoy the surrounding environment. We care about sustainability in our work in terms of ecological footprint, waste management and recycling, efficient use of resources, and energy.
Healthy lifestyle
We are continuously educating ourselves and getting aware of what we cook and eat, we regularly do sport and exercise, we learn about our emotional and mental health, and we educate others about these matters.
Human rights
We actively advocate, promote, develop and create activities that strive for better gender equality, conflict resolution and peace building, integration of refugees and young people from different backgrounds. We also advocate for freedom of expression and media.
Culture and diversity
All of our activities are done in an international context. We believe that the diversity of cultures, traditions, food, dances, languages, music and other features of multicultural environments enrich our local societies and contribute to the open-mindedness of young people from an early age.
Our Activities
Our biggest impact is done through activities that channel our values and beliefs through our multicultural and diverse team, which is transmitting that passion for creating and providing great learning experiences for young people in Germany and beyond.
Youth exchanges are implemented as international mobility projects in Germany and abroad for between 4-20 days on relevant topics in society, where young people can learn a variety of skills through non-formal education methods.
Training and networking courses are our method of sharing the know-how, information and contacts with our partner organisations, and develop new and better opportunities for youth.
Short and long term volunteering projects enable us to send and host volunteers who work on international community-based projects from 1 to 12 months that are financed by the European Solidarity Corps Programme.
Opportunities to work and develop are provided by us to young people, as they can take an active role in organising projects and youth mobilities and learn many kinds of skills, such as languages, teamwork, project management, and other soft skills by taking part in our activities.
Community-based projects are our tool to enhance cooperation with the local municipalities, other organisations that have a local impact on the young people, but also on the community itself.
Workshops and activities for youth are organised by our volunteers or other members to share skills and knowledge, such as learning how to paint, theater classes and education, photography, outdoor workshops, poetry writing and presentations, cultural activities, and working with people with disabilities.
To read more about all the activities that we did so far and how our organisation developed between 2011 – 2020, you can discover our Booklet below.