Bildungsvereinigung Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen

Bildungsvereinigung Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen e. V. is the Lower Saxony state organization (Landesarbeitsgemeinschaft) of Arbeit und Leben, a German institution for political youth and adult education. Arbeit und Leben is jointly carried by the Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB), the German Trade Union Confederation, and the Volkshochschulen, represented at federal level by the Deutscher Volkshochschul-Verband (DVV). Its founding idea after 1945 was to improve the position of employees in society and work through continuing education aimed at workers, and to support the democratic new beginning after the Nazi era. The Lower Saxony association is one of 14 state organizations that, together with over 120 local and regional institutions and the federal Bundesarbeitskreis as a common roof, make Arbeit und Leben present throughout Germany, reaching hundreds of thousands of young people and adults each year. The organization's work focuses on political and social education. It designs, delivers and evaluates educational offerings, using the interests and everyday lifeworlds of participants as its methodological starting point. Its declared goal is to help work and life develop according to the premises of social justice, equal opportunity and solidarity, with the aim of a democratic culture of participation. Target groups include employees, apprentices and job seekers, people with migration histories and refugees, seniors, young people and young adults, and works and staff councils. Formats range from workshops and seminars to international encounters, local initiatives and multi-year projects. As part of the Arbeit und Leben network, the Lower Saxony association benefits from federal-level advocacy, funding policy work and innovative nationwide projects coordinated by the Bundesarbeitskreis, while the state and local levels design and run the concrete educational programs. The organization is a registered voluntary association (eingetragener Verein) and is not a commercial company; it operates as a non-profit educational provider within the DGB/VHS family. Its public profile is tied to the shared Arbeit und Leben brand and its motto of being "gemeinsam stark für die Demokratie" — jointly strong for democracy.

Arbeit und Leben was founded after 1945 as a cooperation between the Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB) and the Volkshochschulen. The founding idea was to use continuing education aimed at workers to improve their position in society and work and to support the democratic new beginning after the Second World War. Through political education with employees, apprentices and job seekers, the organization sought to encourage people to take on co-responsibility and co-determination in society. A further aim was to reduce the gap between class-specific workers' education and bourgeois popular education. The first founding phase of Arbeit und Leben organizations took place between 1948 and 1961; not all occupying powers recognized at the same time that democratic attitudes and behavior could be promoted especially through education. The Bundesarbeitskreis Arbeit und Leben e. V. was founded in 1956 as the umbrella organization, based in Wuppertal. A further founding phase followed German reunification, so that since 1990 there have been state working groups of Arbeit und Leben in all the new federal states. Today Arbeit und Leben is present throughout Germany with state organizations in the federal states and over 120 local and regional institutions, plus the Bundesarbeitskreis as a common roof. The Bundesarbeitskreis represents the continuing education policy interests of Arbeit und Leben at federal level, works on funding policy in the interest of its members, and provides professional impulses through nationwide innovative projects. The state organizations and regional and local institutions design, deliver and evaluate educational offerings. The Bildungsvereinigung Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen e. V. is the Lower Saxony state organization within this network. As one of 14 Landesarbeitsgemeinschaften, it participates in the federal structure while tailoring programs to the needs of Lower Saxony. Its work continues the founding mission: political and social education aimed at strengthening democratic culture, social justice, equal opportunity and solidarity, with offerings open in principle to all but especially addressing employees, apprentices, job seekers, people with migration histories and refugees, seniors, young people, and works and staff councils.

• 2026

  Erasmus+ project AI.D recognized as a good practice example.

• 1990

  After German reunification, state working groups of Arbeit und Leben are established in all new federal states.

• 1956

  Bundesarbeitskreis Arbeit und Leben e. V. founded as the umbrella organization, based in Wuppertal.

• 1948

  First founding phase of Arbeit und Leben organizations begins, lasting until 1961.

• 1945

  Arbeit und Leben founded after 1945 as a cooperation between the DGB and the Volkshochschulen.

Non-profit political education provider within the DGB/Volkshochschule network, focused on democratic participation, social justice and equal opportunity.

• Political education seminars and workshops

  Workshops and seminars on political and social topics for various target groups.

• Youth political education

  Programs aimed at young people and young adults to foster democratic participation.

• Continuing education for works and staff councils

  Training and qualification for employee representation bodies.

• International exchange and encounter programs

  International encounters and projects as part of political education.

• Multi-year projects on social and political themes

  Long-term projects addressing current and fundamental societal issues.

1. 1Arbeit und Leben e.V. DGB/VHS – Startseitearbeitundleben.de
2. 2Arbeit und Leben e.V. DGB/VHS – Arbeit und Leben: Für eine demokratische Kultur der Partizipationarbeitundleben.de
3. 3Wikidata: Bildungsvereinigung Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsenwikidata.org
4. 4Wikipedia: Bundesarbeitskreis Arbeit und Lebende.wikipedia.org