Online launch of the new adult education centre course programme on 24 June

The Chemnitz Adult Education Centre's 2019 winter semester begins on 9 September. The new courses will appear online on 24 June. From then on, all courses can be booked at www.vhs-chemnitz.de. Course bookings can also be made at the service counter in the Adult Education Centre from this date. Vouchers for the new course programme can also be purchased.

Vision series 2019
The new Adult Education Centre semester starts with a highlight: Jörg Armbruster, journalist and author, will report on his experiences as a correspondent in the war zone of the Middle East on 13 September as part of the Vision series. He will address the balancing act between objective journalism and reporting authorised by the Middle East regimes and the associated risks - including risks to life and limb.

Elections
Following the recent European elections, the adult education centre is now also focusing on the state elections in Saxony in its course programme. What exactly is meant by the terms minority voting rights, list and direct mandates, overhang mandates and equalising mandates? Which electoral law applies in Saxony? This course provides all the necessary information to be able to vote competently in the election. The adult education centre has invited the State Centre for Political Education to Chemnitz for this purpose. In addition, the courses "Where does tolerance reach its limits? Lecture and discussion on a fundamental democratic value" and "Democracy for tomorrow. A roadmap to save the world - with a concrete blueprint for a just Europe" will focus on promoting tolerance and democracy in our society.

Environment and climate
Climate change is a key topic in the current political debate. The adult education centre is taking up this debate in autumn and winter for interested people of all ages. The five-part course series "Living Consciously" focuses on the careful use of the world's resources:

• Living sustainably - an idea of Hans Carl von Carlowitz from Chemnitz" lecture on 24 September discusses the basic idea of sustainability as understood by Carlowitz. This event is a co-operation with the Sächsische Carlowitz Gesellschaft e. V.
• The information evening "Into the rubbish bin... and then what?" on 1 October provides information about waste disposal and recycling. This event is a co-operation with the ASR Chemnitz.
• "Waste avoidance in practice - good ideas to copy!" takes place on 19 November. The aim of the workshop is to demonstrate creative and practical approaches to waste avoidance and sensible reuse and recycling. The course is a cooperation with the Chemnitz Environmental Centre.
• "Plastic waste in breakfast?" on 28 November provides information about plastic waste, plastic production and initiatives to avoid plastic. The plastic atlas will be presented at this information evening. This event is a cooperation with BUND Landesverband Sachsen e. V.
• "Last resort for the climate? Behind the scenes of the World Climate Summit" on 11 December will focus on the goals of the World Climate Conference taking place at that time. The event is being organised in cooperation with the WWF. It will be broadcast by the German Adult Education Association as a live stream in adult education centres throughout Germany.

Tip: In further courses in November 2019 and February 2020, "Bird and nature conservation in the garden" will be discussed and specific tips on protecting native butterflies - in the course ""Doll's houses" wanted: creating and caring for butterfly meadows" - will be given.

Getting to know Italy: lectures on Liguria and Tuscany, wine seminar and language courses

In autumn and winter, the adult education centre brings the Italian sun to Chemnitz. In "Travelling in Liguria between love myths and on shepherd's paths", an Italian woman talks about her homeland. She takes the audience to Cinque Terre and the "Via dell'Amore". The "road of love" is famous for its lovers: Tristan and Isolde or Cupid and Psyche. The Antola Nature Park with the dominant peak of Monte Antola and the surrounding pilgrimage routes are also presented.

A highlight for Italy fans is the lecture "Tuscany - the Etruscan South". This region is known for its unique nature, for example the famous chestnut forests of Monte Amiata, and colourful harbour towns. Thermal springs, such as those in Saturnia, and ancient Etruscan towns also characterise the area south of Siena. This lecture combines marvellous pictures with interesting information on architecture, culture and the country and its people.

Wine is also part of Italy. Italy is one of the leaders in wine production. The short "wine journey" through Italy promises enjoyment combined with interesting facts for all wine lovers. The wine seminar shows the variety of grape varieties grown in Italy, such as Vernaccia, Montepulciano and Sangiovese. A tasting of the best wines is complemented by interesting information on how to enjoy them in the right wine glass, cultivation and storage.

Tip: Other wine seminars are organised in the wine-growing regions of Germany and Australia.

Italian is one of a total of 22 foreign languages offered by the adult education centre in the winter semester. "A particular highlight for us is the language course "Italian - Corso avanzato C2. 1", says Mrs Grit Bochmann, Director of the Chemnitz Adult Education Centre. "Learning a foreign language at native speaker level is something we have the utmost respect for. Some of the participants have been studying with us for more than ten years. They are looking forward to their Italian course at the highest level currently offered at the adult education centre. We greatly appreciate their loyalty and trust."

The systematic language courses in the entire foreign language programme at the adult education centre start at entry level A1. 1. greetings, introducing yourself and ordering in a restaurant are the first course contents. Learners can develop and consolidate their language skills at the Chemnitz Adult Education Centre up to mother tongue level C2. Learners can choose the format that suits them at all levels: Refresher or consolidation, courses for confident speaking or at a slow learning pace, themed language courses such as reading, cookery and business language courses.

Tip: In addition to the systematic language courses, ten languages will once again be offered in the "on-the-go" course format, including Thai, Norwegian and, brand new, Brazilian Portuguese. In just a few events, language enthusiasts can get excited about travelling privately or professionally - without a lot of grammar, but with lots of authentic phrases.

The printed version of the Adult Education Centre's course catalogue for the winter semester will be available to take away from 19 August at the Adult Education Centre, the citizen service points and all known locations. On the following day, the adult education centre will set up an information stand at the Chemnitz market. It will provide information about the new courses on offer and advise anyone who is interested. The adult education centre will report on this separately.

Information about the VHS: The Chemnitz Adult Education Centre is located in the heart of the city of Chemnitz, right next to the central bus stop at Moritzstraße 20. The Adult Education Centre is the largest municipal education provider (department in the cultural sector, Office 41 of the City of Chemnitz) and occupies the fourth and fifth floors of the TIETZ with a total of 33 mostly multifunctional, ultra-modern course rooms. Chemnitz Adult Education Centre has 17 employees and over 350 teachers from more than 30 countries. Last year, the adult education centre recorded around 31,750 lessons and around 14,000 registrations. (Total annual figures for 2018). This means that the adult education centre is roughly the size of a three-form grammar school.