Education for All: These Are the 4 Organizations Recommended by Glasmacher Schulberatung

Education is the key to a better future – it creates opportunities and strengthens the personal responsibility of each individual. When we support young people in fully developing their talents, we give them the confidence and the tools to actively shape their future. In this way, we not only create better opportunities for their careers, but also a fairer society that breaks down exclusion and discrimination.

Unfortunately, many children are still denied access to education – primarily due to social or financial barriers. In the digital age, this gap is particularly obvious: the "digital divide" describes the widening gap in access to digital learning opportunities. While some students are able to fully exploit the benefits of digital technologies, others, often from disadvantaged backgrounds, are left behind.

📚 Contents

1. Promoting educational initiatives: Why donations are crucial

2. These 4 organizations are recommended by the education experts of Barbara Glasmacher Schulberatung

3. Education as a multiplier for a fair society

Promoting educational initiatives: Why private donations are crucial

As a fundamental right, education is anchored in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and is seen as an essential gateway to other human rights. High-quality education is also an essential component of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Nevertheless, it is not a given that every child receives a high-quality education.

The good news: There are many great initiatives and organizations actively and effectively working towards educational equity. Many of them receive state funding with which they can set up basic structures for their work. Frequently, however, funding is insufficient. In particular, innovative educational initiatives that address the individual needs of disadvantaged students and create access to digital education require additional support that state programs alone cannot guarantee. Private donations allow these organizations to respond flexibly and selectively to acute educational needs, opening up access to education and the opportunity for a self-determined future for more children in the long term.

These 4 organizations are recommended by the education experts of Barbara Glasmacher Schulberatung

For this article, we spoke with the experts from international school consultancy Barbara Glasmacher.

For over 25 years, the family business has been helping parents and students select a suitable boarding school in Great Britain. To make this possible, the team has built up a close-knit network of over 200 British partner schools, which are visited personally on a regular basis. These valuable contacts help in finding the perfect school that meets the individual needs and talents of each child.

Today, the Glasmacher Schulberatung is led by the second generation: Theresa Glasmacher and Virginia Jakob. To give back to the community, they are involved through bcause and support organizations that promote educational opportunities in different ways. In the following section, we introduce four organizations that the experts themselves support to promote educational opportunities and strengthen equal opportunities.

21future

The non-profit initiative 21future was founded in 2018 with the goal of showing socially disadvantaged children and young people, in particular, how they can participate in society and drive the solution to societal problems. It offers learning journeys on the UN's "Sustainable Development Goals" (SDG) at 30 partner schools in Germany, where learners are challenged to take responsibility for shaping a fairer and more sustainable world.

„My aha moment in our support of 21future was without doubt my participation in an SDG learning journey of 21future at a middle school in Munich-Perlach in February 2024. Seeing how Tahir Hussain and his team inspired the 14- to 15-year-olds to participate in the tasks set and to motivate them without "commanding" them was very impressive. With a few exceptions, all students seemed to really enjoy the topic of healthy eating, despite initial reservations and the urge to be "cool".“ - Theresa Glasmacher

Support 21future via bcause

Stiftung Startchance

For ten years, the Stiftung Startchance (Startchance Foundation) has been supporting around 160 students from disadvantaged families from all types of schools and grade levels every week, who otherwise would not have the opportunity to develop their skills. The aim is to enable them to have comparable starting requirements in their later professional lives to those of more advantaged children. In addition to weekly assistance with homework from the so-called coaches (usually students themselves, who often become friends or mentors), the foundation organizes weekend trips so that children can gather similar extracurricular experiences as their classmates.

“By supporting the Stiftung Startchance, we are investing in the future of children and young people who grow up in more difficult life situations. Together, we give them the opportunity to develop their potential, build their self-confidence, and write their own success story." - Theresa Glasmacher

Support Stiftung Startchance via bcause

Apropolis e.V.

With panel discussions, day workshops, weekend seminars, and camps taking place throughout Germany, Apropolis has been helping young people to become aware of their own stance and values since 2017. Young people (from age 12) playfully train their "future skills for democracy" and are encouraged and empowered to show initiative and thus actively shape our shared future.

"We support the commitment of Apropolis because it inspires young people for our democracy. Through innovative and dynamic workshops, Apropolis empowers young people to form their own values and actively contribute to our community and help shape our democracy." - Theresa Glasmacher

Support Apropolis via bcause

coach@school e.V.

The multi-award-winning reading practice program Bücherkoffer (Bookcase) by coach@school increases children's educational opportunities through greater reading pleasure and language promotion. In particular, multilingual children from a socio-economically challenging environment are supported in their reading skills and thus strengthened in their personal and educational development.

„We support the low-threshold learning approach of the nationwide initiative coach@school e.V. in order to promote reading as a key competence for active language acquisition and lifelong learning. In our opinion, the concept makes a valuable contribution because it connects children, parents, and educators, thereby increasing the educational opportunities of all children.” - Theresa Glasmacher

Support coach@school e.V. via bcause

Education as a multiplier for a fair society

Educational initiatives play a crucial role in breaking down barriers to promote equal opportunities. Often, it is social and financial barriers that hinder access to good education. Through targeted support, projects that give children and young people access to education — regardless of their background — can be financed.

Many educational initiatives rely on long-term funding to develop sustainable programs that benefit students over longer periods of time. Regular donations help organizations to offer stable and reliable programs. Quality educational work requires qualified staff, such as teachers, coaches, and mentors, to lead the learning programs. In addition, the material costs for teaching materials, tools, and technologies must also be funded.

The positive effect of education goes far beyond the individual. Anyone who invests in educational projects today contributes to long-term economic growth and social stability. Education acts as a multiplier: it creates better future prospects, strengthens society, and reduces inequalities.