The adult education center (VHS) in the Würmtal valley is starting the summer semester with renewed vigour: after "nine great years", management Veronika Wagner is handing over her position to Julika Bake.
She is already working on new course ideas for refugees.
A German course is already running.
Würmtal
– On Friday the time has come: After nine years as manager, Veronika Wagner (40) is leaving the adult education center in Würmtal.
"I was very shocked when she told me her decision by phone," said the first CEO, Klaus Tonte (51), at a press conference on Thursday.
Wagner assures that there is “no dramatic story” behind her decision to only take part in VHS offers such as the Swedish language courses in the future.
On the contrary: "There were nine great years in a beautiful place in the middle of the Würmtal." But now it is "time for a change".
Born in Goettingen
Friday is her last working day, when she hands over her position to her successor, Julika Bake, who is also 40 years old.
"I'm looking forward to starting here at the adult education center," said Bake.
Born in Göttingen in Lower Saxony and raised in Hamburg, she only gradually approached the Bavarian Würmtal.
She studied peace and conflict research in Malmö, Sweden, and Marburg, Hesse, before moving to the Laim district of Bavaria in Bavaria.
From there, the 40-year-old commuted to Augsburg, continued her studies at the university there and worked in research and teaching at the same time.
In 2015 she took on a position as a further education consultant and lecturer at the study center for evangelical youth work in Josefstal.
Here she already offered seminars with a focus on peace education,
seen the job ad
She came up with the idea of applying to VHS as managing director through a job advertisement.
“Volkshochschulen have always been very important to me,” says Bake.
She considers them to be “wonderful institutions” that offer everyone who is interested education and creative impulses away from the cramming at school.
After a "larger application process", as chairman Tonte put it, she was the right choice for the position.
Bake is now taking over around 70 courses from her predecessor Veronika Wagner.
These include the department of consumer education and the language area.
Here, Julika Bake plans to offer more German courses for refugees from Ukraine in the future.
"The first course started on Monday and the demand was so great that we could open three more," says Bake.
Due to Corona, however, only 14 participants are currently allowed, and the question of financing still has to be clarified.
The new manager is also considering offering informative courses on political issues related to the war in Ukraine.
