20 years of Betheljahr

It was a modest beginning: the first edition of the Bethel Year started in 2002 with 25 participants. Today, 20 years later, the number is around 20 times higher. Last year, 480 young people were involved in voluntary service at Bethel. It is not only in terms of growth that the Betheljahr is a successful model.

The Bethel Year was conceived at the start of the project as an alternative to civilian service. "Even back then, there were considerations that the civilian service could possibly be cancelled one day," says Deacon Stefan Homann, Head of the Bethel Volunteer Agency. "And because there were around 150 people doing community service at Bethel, we wanted to be prepared for this eventuality."

From then on, Bethel was no longer just a placement centre for the Voluntary Social Year (FSJ), but also a sponsor - and therefore responsible for the application process, seminar offerings and educational support for participants. Civilian service was not actually abolished until 2011, "but by then Bethel had everything organisationally in place," says Stefan Homann. Today, Betheljahr participants have the choice between FSJ and Federal Voluntary Service; there are differences mainly in terms of age limits and the option to fulfil the service on a part-time basis.

"The young people are hugely important for Bethel," says Stefan Homann. "During their assignments, they take on many additional tasks that could not be done without them." However, their labour alone does not have a positive impact on Bethel. "500 young people - that also means 500 new ideas and a breath of fresh air." With an unbiased view from the outside, established processes are also scrutinised and rethought.

A considerable number of the participants remain connected to Bethel even after their voluntary service. In the 2021/2022 cohort alone, around 70 of them decided to start an apprenticeship at Bethel afterwards. "Even though that is not the primary goal of the programme," says Stefan Homann. "But even if the people leave after their Bethel year, they remain good multipliers for us - because they know Bethel and tell others about us and our work."

Text: Marten Siegmann | Photos: Thomas Richter

Three faces - three stories

2002 | Tobias Holzwarth

"The Bethel year was a very exciting and wonderful time for me. Compared to today, we were still a fairly small group of 25 participants back then. Nevertheless, we got to know some great new people. I particularly liked the opportunity to get a taste of other areas in addition to my placement at the Basan workshop. One of these was the former SPuK sports and cultural centre in Eckardtsheim, where I accompanied various activities. A second was the Mara Hospital, where I worked on a ward for people with epilepsy. What I took away from the year was the certainty that I really enjoy working with people and that it's exactly my thing."

Bethel year in the Basan workshop, now a healthcare and nursing assistant in the Bethel.regional crisis team in Bielefeld

2008 | Verena Eschmann

"It was already clear to me before my Bethel year that I wanted to work with adults with disabilities. I knew the workshop area from an internship during my school days at Bethel vocational college; for the voluntary service, I wanted to work in a residential facility. I completed the year at the Siloah Specialist Hospital. There, I helped with the care of the residents, but also supported them in their everyday lives and leisure activities. Looking back, this time reinforced my decision to stay in the social sector. I then trained as a curative education nurse at Bethel and continued to work as a weekend helper at Siloah for a while. I then moved to Kiel to study social work there."

Bethel year at Siloah Specialist Hospital, now a social pedagogue in integration support in Kiel

2019 | Ana Lucila Garcete

"After studying psychology in my home country of Paraguay, I wanted to try something new, learn a new language and do some practical work. I looked online for information about voluntary services in Germany and came across the Betheljahr programme. I immediately felt welcome at Bethel. I was involved in the BoBB project at Mara Hospital. There we accompanied people with epilepsy. It was nice to see that even small gestures can have a big impact - and that sometimes you can achieve a lot with very little effort. Throughout the year, I also gained insights into occupational therapy. I liked it so much that I started an apprenticeship afterwards and would therefore like to stay in Germany for the time being."

Bethel Year International in the project "Needs-orientated support for people with disabilities" (BoBB) at Mara Hospital, now a trainee at the Eckardtsheim School of Occupational Therapy at Bethel Protestant Hospital

This story simply told

The Betheljahr has been around for 20 years. This is a voluntary social year in Bethel. 25 participants started in 2002. Last year, around 480 young people volunteered at Bethel. A great success. Many of the young people stay on after their Bethel Year. They go on to do an apprenticeship, for example.