With the initiative “Community Impact Project”, Jacobs University students in their fifth semester engage in major-related projects for the benefit of the community to create positive change. With their international and strong academic background, Jacob students support NGOs, administrative organizations, schools, businesses, or startup companies by applying their knowledge and taking on social responsibility for the greater good of the Bremen region.
You are a company or startup located in the Bremen region and need a business plan?
You need support for the development of your ministry’s traffic plan? Are you lacking in-house skills, resources, or time to accomplish certain projects?
Could expertise & insights of skilled, digital natives with an understanding of Generation Z and an international background contribute to bringing your projects to life? Take advantage of the Community Impact Project! It’s free!
What we offer:
Are you looking for support with your project? Feel free to contact us:
Alena Klein
Community Impact Project Coordinator
Tel: +49 421/ 200 3066
A CIP is a 5 ECTS project, mandatory for all undergraduate students, that is designed to enhance the study experience of our students and offers the opportunity to connect their academic achievements to social realities in specific targeted projects. Students utilize what they have learned so far at Jacobs – both in terms of theoretical content and methodological skills – to address real issues of organizations, companies, or groups in our region. Working in interdisciplinary teams to contribute to our region, students not only take on social responsibilities but also have a unique chance to put their abilities to work in a real societal context while practically acquiring some of the social skills necessary to succeed in German or Western European labor markets.
Projects are run in direct cooperation with regional partners and range from the development of concepts and ideas, practical help, or media projects (such as blogs, podcasts, or videos) to research projects that have a clear positive impact on our region. While students are given a lot of creative room to develop their own ideas, our faculty will always support them in their endeavors to make sure the project will be a great success.
What the CIP offers to our students:
Alena Klein (for organizational concerns) a.klein [at] jacobs-university.de
Dr. Jakob Fruchtmann (for academic concerns) j.fruchtmann [at] jacobs-university.de
Dr. Freia Hardt (for administrational concerns) f.hardt [at] jacobs-university.de
This recent project is a cooperation between a team of committed Jacobs students and the Bremen State Association for Health (LVG). Their goal is to provide weekly reports on YouTube and other Social Media Platforms about the current numbers, restrictions, explanations, and tips regarding COVID-19 in six different languages. It is meant to support all those in the Bremen area for whom it is challenging to stay informed during the pandemic due to language barriers. To put the plan into practice, students work in various subgroups responsible for aesthetics, technology, translating, reporting, and coordinating. While bringing their international backgrounds to the project, they gain essential media, communication, and organizational skills.
Jacobs students offer (online) workshops at local schools and create a matching system for the purpose of connecting interested students with schools in our region. Partner schools profit from the students’ expertise in their respective study fields, their digital knowledge, and diverse backgrounds that offer new skills to high school students and help them draw motivation and ideas regarding their future options!
Students support the regional non-profit organization KETAAKETI with its innovative strategy of improving living conditions and future perspectives for children worldwide through education! Stressing self-organization and sustainability, KETAAKETI aims at the initiation and partnership of country-owned NGOs in some of the world’s poorest countries that then develop school projects and family support. In the long run, the organization plans to expand projects across the world and to create a network between the founded NGOs.
Jacobs students support the “Referat für Strategische Verkehrsplanung” in Bremen (the team responsible for the strategic planning of traffic in the Bremen administration) in their development of future concepts for the traffic organization of our town until 2025! The CIP focuses on the idea of ridesharing/carsharing with the goal of reducing the number of cars in the city and thus lower CO2 emissions. Students conduct research on European and worldwide benchmarks, collect and analyze data, and create mathematical models and surveys to better understand ecological parameters, allocation strategies, and customer’s attitudes for the specific needs and options of the Bremen area. In addition, they get the chance to further pursue their professional interests through practical experience and gain essential skills in project planning, organizing, and collaboration.
Students support Bremen’s organization “Hood Training,” which aims to integrate youths from less advantaged socio-economic backgrounds through sports programs and other activities (e.g., freeletics, martial arts, graffiti, and rap). The program not only allows for the young participants to discover and develop their individual strengths but to grow a feeling of understanding and community, learn to deal with aggression, and take over responsibility as a member of our society!
A project that addresses the struggles of women in our communities, such as the risks of gender-related violence and poverty. Jacobs students work closely with the adjacent refugee camp and plan on collecting donations and hosting different workshops in which they teach German language skills and self-defense to support women with migrant backgrounds during the process of adjusting to their new home!
A project that aims to increase awareness and conversation about menstruation at Jacobs University and target areas in Bremen to rid the discomfort surrounding the topic. The students plan to realize their vision through workshops at the university and possibly at public schools, an art exhibition, interviews with people from older age groups about their experiences, a women’s week, and presenting future ideas such as 3D-printed menstrual cups!
A student project that films people reading out anonymous stories about experiences of discrimination. Reporting how this makes them feel and commenting on the specific situation and the broader topic, the students spark a discussion and bring attention to the many facets of discrimination. A fascinating project that will be both a series of films and a form of collective reflection!
International students bring their expertise to schools, associations, initiatives or authorities in the Bremen region and at the same time gain practical experiences. The prospective academics help solve problems and learn something new: this is the basic idea of a pilot project at Jacobs University, which is to become a fixed component and obligatory part of the students' studies. "Our university offers a lot for Bremen and the surrounding area. We have set ourselves the goal of integrating this institutionally into our course offerings," says sociologist Dr. Jakob Fruchtmann, one of the initiators of the "Community Impact Project".
Read more ...