New Chemnitz Adult Education Centre course programme to be published on 19 June

The new course programme for the next semester of the Chemnitz Adult Education Centre, which starts at the beginning of September, can be viewed at www.vhs-chemnitz.de from 19 June, ahead of the summer holidays. In addition to classic courses, the more than 840 courses on offer also include exciting new formats and special events on current topics in the city of Chemnitz.

Registration is possible immediately from 19 June 2017 via the online registration form at www.vhs-chemnitz.de or during the opening hours of the service desk. The printed booklet will be available to browse through on 14 August at the VHS Chemnitz, the citizen service points and at all known distribution points.

"This semester's focus is on inclusion, internationality and Europe," says Grit Bochmann, Director of VHS Chemnitz. "These topics are closely interlinked and embody a part of the adult education centre. It is important to our educational institution that all people have largely barrier-free access to our educational programmes. That is why we are increasingly developing inclusive course formats and are planning five events with a sign language interpreter in autumn, for example, as well as a course on learning Braille. We also attach great importance to the international transfer of expertise. Our lecturers come from 34 countries around the world; apart from Australia, all continents are represented. This is why interested parties can learn a foreign language directly from native-speaking lecturers at the Chemnitz Adult Education Centre or book courses on Far Eastern relaxation techniques or original international cuisine."

The city of Chemnitz's bid for the title of Capital of Culture 2025 will be a particular focus in the coming semester. In addition to the city's events, the adult education centre is also organising three open-air evenings, which will take place in the Rosenhof, weather permitting. The free events are designed to entertain and educate at the same time: What does the Capital of Culture bid mean for Chemnitz? What opportunities does Chemnitz have? With music and culinary experiences, experts will present how culture and society characterise the urban landscape, how "urban culture" develops through historical developments, politics and, above all, through the people who live there.

Three walks will also be offered: through the city centre, over the Sonnenberg and over the Kaßberg/Schloßberg. Questions such as: Why are these urban spaces the way they are? What disruptions have occurred on the Straße der Nationen, for example, during the GDR era? What ideas for further development are conceivable?

Due to the versatility of the adult education centre, there are also completely different offers. The teachers at Chemnitz Adult Education Centre have developed a series of "do-it-yourself" courses. In these courses, participants learn interesting facts about cooking and baking, carving and felting techniques, how to professionally restore old small pieces of furniture or how medicinal or poisonous plants can be. An experienced confectioner will show how to make artistic cake decorations from fondant with original decorations. In addition to "how to", the programme always includes an opportunity for VHS course participants to exchange ideas with each other.

Both the "Do-it-yourself" and the "Self-Care with the MELT Method" lunchtime courses are new. The MELT method comes from the USA and is a special form of fascia massage. The exercises are performed with small balls. They effectively promote relaxation in the shoulder/neck area, prevent back pain and increase the body's general flexibility.

The autumn programme is rounded off by tailor-made courses for companies in Chemnitz as well as the tried and tested language courses. The VHS has been offering German and English courses from A1 to C1 and conversation courses for many years. The information evenings are particularly suitable for getting started and familiarising yourself with new languages. New language courses in the coming semester include Irish Gaelic, Persian and "Vietnamese for Travellers".

VHS Chemnitz has been in existence since 1919 and is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2019. VHS Chemnitz is located in the heart of the city of Chemnitz, right next to the central bus stop at Moritzstraße 20. As the largest municipal education provider, VHS Chemnitz occupies the fourth and fifth floors of the TIETZ with a total of 33 mostly multifunctional, state-of-the-art course rooms. VHS Chemnitz has 16 employees and more than 350 teachers from over 30 countries. More than 13,000 learners from 68 countries took part in around 35,000 lessons (total annual figures for 2016). This means that the size of VHS Chemnitz is roughly equivalent to a three-form grammar school.