New adult education centre course programme online from 28 June

Next Monday, 28 June, Chemnitz Adult Education Centre will publish its new course programme for the 2021 winter semester online. All new courses for autumn and winter can be found and booked directly at www.vhs-chemnitz.de. As always, anyone who has already booked their course for the next semester has the option of cancelling in writing up to six working days before the start of the course. The adult education centre's winter semester begins on 12 September.

For the courses on offer in autumn and winter, the Adult Education Centre is focusing on maximum flexibility for its customers: Courses will take place on site at the Adult Education Centre and online. In addition, exchange courses will be offered that can take place flexibly both in person and in the virtual classroom. As in summer 2020, all on-site courses will take place at a distance of 1.5 metres from the next person. Masks are also compulsory at the adult education centre. Notices at the entrances to the adult education centre point out the general hygiene rules.

As usual, the adult education centre has put together a wide range of courses for the winter semester. In addition to the tried and tested course classics, many new courses have been included in the winter programme, such as the new exercise and nutrition courses: The adult education centre's yoga course offering will be expanded in autumn to include a course for children, "Fit for the week with children's yoga". "In our new yoga course, children aged six to 16 will learn to calm down quickly with breathing exercises and strengthen their muscles with simple movements," says Grit Bochmann, head of the adult education centre. "What is too relaxed is strengthened and what is too tense is loosened."

There is also a new offer for adult exercise fans in the autumn and winter programme, the AROHA® full-body workout with a focus on the stomach and back. Simple movements from Tai Chi and Kung Fu are used to strengthen specific muscle groups in the body and promote concentration on the inner centre.

In addition to various cookery courses, the adult education centre also offers a course on the traditional preservation technique of fermentation in autumn. Anyone interested will learn a lot about the process and how to preserve fresh food. This form of preservation is not only "trendy", but also very healthy, as fermentation enriches the food with valuable nutrients.

The sustainable handling of food is generally beneficial to climate protection. And if you take a few tips on climate protection into account in your everyday life, you will not only care about our environment, but also about your own bank balance. The new workshop "Climate protection and saving in everyday life: how it works!" provides practical tips on how climate protection can be easily implemented in everyday life without many restrictions, but with a positive balance in your own wallet.

Climate protection is also part of the popular series vhs.wissen live - the digital science programme. In December, the well-known environmental economist Prof Ottmar Edenhofer will talk about climate protection against a political backdrop: Can global warming only be stopped by a global agreement between the international community? What are effective and economically just climate protection measures? Is the so-called "Green Deal" a step in the right direction? All these questions will be discussed at the online event.

An important topic this autumn is the Bundestag elections. The German electoral system with first and second votes is one of the most complicated in the world and repeatedly leads to misunderstandings. Together with Chemnitz University of Technology, the adult education centre is therefore providing information three days before election day: Who do we vote for, and how? What are the consequences for possible coalitions and the formation of a government? Grit Bochmann: "This event offers voters the basics for an informed election."

It has been ten years since a right-wing terrorist network, the National Socialist Underground (NSU), exposed itself and claimed responsibility for a series of racist murders and attacks. In September, the adult education centre will mark this memorable anniversary with a lecture entitled "What does NSU reappraisal mean and why is it necessary?" and two city walks, so-called "Critical Walks", in the Fritz Heckert area. These events will focus on coming to terms with the past: What structures and conditions made the NSU possible? What conclusions have the administration, politicians and society drawn from the NSU? What concrete contribution can the urban society of Chemnitz make to coming to terms with the past?

International social developments are also a topic in the Adult Education Centre's winter semester. "We are delighted to welcome Jörg Armbruster once again," says Grit Bochmann. On 21 September, the journalist will present his book "Die Erben der Revolution" (The Heirs of the Revolution), which was published at the beginning of 2021. In it, he looks back on the Arab Spring of 2011 and its failure. What does Europe have to do with it? Is there still hope for democracy in the region? In his book and lecture, Armbruster attempts to find answers to these complex questions and many more.

Various city walks are also new to the programme: Thomas Morgenstern will guide anyone interested through the district of the same name in the footsteps of Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. Dr Urs Luczak also offers the popular "Reading Chemnitz" tours in autumn and winter. This time, the Chemnitz city walks will focus on the districts of Sonnenberg, Yorckgebiet and Glösa-Draisdorf. After the tours, all those interested will have a cosy get-together to discuss current and future urban developments in the respective districts.

Information on all new courses can be found at www.vhs-chemnitz.de from next Monday. Highlights and additional information can also be found on the adult education centre's Facebook page.