NRWTalente Aachen
Promoting educational equality in our region
In Germany today, social background is often a decisive factor when it comes to educational success. RWTH Aachen University and FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences are seeking to counteract this trend through the NRWTalente Aachen project, which is being funded by the NRW Ministry for Schools and Education.
The scholarship program is unique in the region, and it supports dedicated, high-achieving students from non-academic families on their educational journey. The program is aimed at young people from the 8th grade onwards from all types of schools in the Städteregion Aachen and in the neighboring districts of Düren, Heinsberg, and Euskirchen. The aim of the project is to achieve greater educational equality and equal opportunities as well as to provide individual support for young people. RWTH is active here even before a student chooses their course of study. We do this because young people really are the future, and this includes the future of RWTH as well. “We can only deal with topics such as digitalization, mobility, and climate change if we understand that promoting young talent, equal opportunities, and appreciating diversity are fundamental principles of our University culture,” said Professor Sabine Brück-Dürkop, Vice-Rector for Human Resources Development at RWTH Aachen University, while speaking about about the importance of the scholarship program.
NRWTalente offers a wide range of educational opportunities: The support it offers ranges from education-related benefits, such as the financing of learning infrastructure, to individual and open-ended support from our two project managers who work at the respective Central Student Advisory Services. In addition, the scholarship holders can look forward to non-material support in the form of a varied educational program. The program includes excursions to Paris or Berlin, including a visit to the Bundestag, workshops on racism or rhetoric seminars as well as language trips in five fields of activity (getting oriented, gaining practical experience, experiencing culture, shaping politics and society, and acquiring and deepening specialist knowledge). In the “getting oriented” field, the focus is on showing young people of all social backgrounds what they can do after school, strengthening their personalities, and bringing them into contact with universities and companies at an early stage. The educational program makes use of the established offers for students at RWTH, such as the learning labs or the Schüler*innenuni. On top of that, they also visit institutes and other research facilities.
Would you like to support future scholarship holders?
At the start of the program in 2022, the first 30 scholarship holders received their acceptance certificates for the program during a special ceremony. There are now 70 active scholarship holders and 33 alumni who have successfully completed the program and who have now started studying or training.
One alumna says about her time in the scholarship program: I felt that I was in very good hands. At the start, I was worried that I might not cope with the program, but I soon learned that I had nothing to worry about. What I especially like about the network of scholarship holders is that everyone treats each other with a lot of respect and everyone supports each other, even after their active time with NRWTalente has come to an end.”
The selection process for new scholarship holders takes place twice a year, in March and September. We need more supporters to give other committed young talents the chance of getting a scholarship. If you would also like to support NRWTalente in the Aachen region financially, we look forward to hearing from you!
www.nrwtalente-regionaachen.de/unterstuetzen.html
Janette Zakrzewski (RWTH) and Anna-Rika Förster (FH Aachen) are the contact persons for this program.
– Author: Janette Zakrzewski