Tafel Academy
Sharing knowledge. Supporting people. It was with this motto that Tafel-Akademie gGmbH, a subsidiary of the umbrella organization Tafel Deutschland e.V., began its work in 2016. This organization has made it its mission to train and qualify Tafel volunteers for their service, gain new volunteers to work on site at Tafel food banks, aid voluntary boards in their work, and support research projects in these areas or conduct its own. The Tafel Academy organizes seminars, events and projects across Germany.
Training opportunities
The Tafel Academy’s range of training opportunities is geared toward the needs of Tafel’s active volunteers: volunteer and conflict management, food-related skills, occupational health and safety and boosting diversity are just some of the subjects covered by the seminars. The seminars are held all over Germany and give participants from different Tafel food banks a chance to exchange ideas and network with each other. The Tafel Academy’s range of seminars is continuously being expanded and, as of 2020, is also available in digital formats.
Federal Voluntary Service
By completing their Federal Voluntary Service at Tafel, volunteers can play an active role in helping people in need and saving food. Anyone can complete their Federal Voluntary Service at Tafel, regardless of age, gender or background. Younger volunteers can gain and develop their interpersonal and social skills, while older volunteers can contribute their lived and professional experience. There is no upper age limit.
The Tafel Academy is responsible for the pedagogical support of the numerous federal volunteers at Tafel food banks and is the primary contact for organizational matters at specific Tafel sites.
Projects
The Tafel Academy conducts a range of educational projects. The target groups for these projects are either children and young people or adults, depending on the project. As well as Tafel service users, some of these projects are also geared toward the Tafel volunteers themselves. The various projects help the Tafel food banks to conduct their own projects, for example in the area of cultural training, nutritional education, or increasing diversity and participation.