Rock Your Life

ROCK YOUR LIFE! is a German non-profit education and consulting organisation built around a one-to-one mentoring programme. It was founded in 2008 by three students — Elisabeth Hahnke, Christina Veldhoen and Stefan Schabernak — at Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance, initially as a student initiative responding to the fact that a young person's family background still heavily determines their educational and career trajectory. The core idea was simple: pair a teenager from a disadvantaged family with a volunteer student mentor who accompanies them on equal footing for at least a year, free of charge. The programme targets pupils aged roughly 14 to 18. Mentors and mentees are matched — at local sites through a "speed-dating" format, and in the organisation's own nationwide programme through a questionnaire and matching algorithm — and then meet several times a month to work on school performance, career orientation, applications, social skills and self-confidence. Mentors receive structured training on mentoring, potential development and career guidance, and the organisation continuously evaluates the programme's effectiveness. After early success at the Friedrichshafen pilot site, the initiative professionalised, moved its headquarters to Munich and became a social enterprise operating as a social franchise. Local non-profit associations at university cities recruit and organise student volunteers, while the Rock Your Life gGmbH provides central support, training, events and quality assurance. Over time the model expanded beyond students: working professionals can now also serve as mentors, and mentoring can be delivered digitally, hybrid or on-site independent of a local branch. Internationally, Rock Your Life Schweiz GmbH was founded in 2013 (with the German gGmbH holding a 25% stake) and ROCK Rock Your Life Netherlands followed in 2017, giving the organisation a presence in several countries. In Germany it operates through numerous local sites in cities such as Aachen, Berlin, Bielefeld, Dresden, Frankfurt, Friedrichshafen, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Cologne, Leipzig, Mainz, Mannheim, Munich and Tübingen. Beyond mentoring, the organisation extended its offering in 2015 with "Rock Your Company!", a programme addressing companies facing high apprenticeship dropout rates, demographic change and the expectations of younger generations. It is funded by foundations, corporate partners and donation initiatives, is a signatory of the Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft, and is part of the eleven network for child and youth development. Studies by the ifo Institute in 2021 and 2023 found that its mentoring measurably reduces background-related disadvantages and improves participants' educational and labour-market prospects.

ROCK YOUR LIFE! began in 2008 as a student initiative at Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance. According to the organisation's own account, three committed students — Elisabeth Hahnke, Christina Veldhoen and Stefan Schabernak — founded it to counter the fact that family background still determines a young person's future. The Wikipedia account describes the trigger as a podium discussion on educational equity with Peer Steinbrück, after which twelve Zeppelin University students founded Rock Your Life as a pilot project in Friedrichshafen. The idea was to support teenagers from disadvantaged families practically and on equal footing by giving them a student mentor. ROCK YOUR LIFE Mentoring was born and was immediately successful. The pilot attracted positive coverage in local and national media and received several prizes and awards. Because of the strong response and early results, a non-profit limited liability company (gemeinnützige GmbH) was founded to establish additional sites. Support came from, among others, the BMW Stiftung Herbert Quandt, the Vodafone Foundation and the Zeppelin University society. Over the following years the organisation grew substantially: the number of sites rose to more than 45 within five years, and 168 trainers were qualified to deliver the training sessions. Funders have included the Karl-Schlecht-Stiftung, the Credit Suisse EMEA Foundation, the Wübben-Stiftung, the Town&Country-Stiftung and the donation initiative Deutschland Rundet Auf. The overwhelming response required professionalisation. ROCK YOUR LIFE! moved to Munich and became a social enterprise; the student activists became founders and the growing organisation adopted a social franchise model. Student mentors were professionally trained and the mentoring programme was continuously evaluated for effectiveness. Schools and, increasingly, companies became important partners. International expansion followed. In 2013 Rock Your Life Schweiz GmbH was founded, with the German gGmbH holding a 25% stake; Rock Your Life is represented at seven sites in Switzerland. In 2017 ROCK Rock Your Life Netherlands was founded and currently has a site in The Hague. In 2014 the first cross-site cooperation, "Zukunftskick", was launched with the discount retailer Penny. In 2015, against the backdrop of high apprenticeship dropout rates, demographic change and companies' growing challenges with the so-called Generation Y, the organisation added a further programme component: Rock Your Company! The organisation also broadened access to mentoring, allowing working professionals as well as students to become mentors and offering digital, hybrid and location-independent mentoring supported by the internal "ROCK YOUR MENTORING" qualification platform. Effectiveness research became a defining feature. Studies by the ifo Institute in 2021 and 2023 demonstrated that the mentoring programme significantly reduces background-related disadvantages and sustainably improves young people's chances in education and the labour market. The organisation states that the 2023 ifo study showed its mentoring fully levels background-related disadvantages, improving participants' school performance, social skills, labour-market chances and self-confidence. ROCK YOUR LIFE! is a signatory of the Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft and part of the eleven network (eleven – Verein für Kinder- und Jugendförderung e.V.), which supports established organisations along the education chain that demonstrably work for equal opportunities for children, young people and families. Its awards include the Phineo "Wirkt!" seal in 2015 for particular effectiveness and recognition as an "Ausgezeichneter Ort" in 2012 in the Land der Ideen competition.

• 2023

  Second ifo Institute study confirms the programme levels background-related disadvantages.

• 2021

  ifo Institute study documents the effectiveness of the mentoring programme.

• 2017

  ROCK Rock Your Life Netherlands founded, with a site in The Hague.

• 2015

  Programme extended with Rock Your Company!; awarded the Phineo "Wirkt!" seal for particular effectiveness.

• 2014

  First cross-site cooperation "Zukunftskick" launched with the discount retailer Penny.

• 2013

  Rock Your Life Schweiz GmbH founded; the German gGmbH holds a 25% stake.

• 2012

  Recognised as an "Ausgezeichneter Ort" (Outstanding Place) in the Land der Ideen competition.

• 2009

  Wikipedia dates the founding by a student team at Zeppelin University under the leadership of Hahnke, Schabernak and Veldhoen to 2009.

• 2008

  Founded as a student initiative at Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen by Elisabeth Hahnke, Christina Veldhoen and Stefan Schabernak.

Non-profit social enterprise for educational equity, using volunteer one-to-one mentoring to level background-related disadvantages; operates as a social franchise with locally organised student associations and central quality assurance.

• ROCK YOUR LIFE! Mentoring

  One-to-one mentoring pairing volunteer students or professionals with pupils aged 14–18 for at least one year, free of charge.

• ROCK YOUR MENTORING

  Internal digital qualification platform for mentoring pairs in the nationwide programme.

• Rock Your Company!

  Programme component added in 2015 addressing companies' challenges with apprenticeship dropout, demographic change and Generation Y.

1. 1Home - ROCK YOUR LIFE!rockyourlife.de
2. 2Über uns - ROCK YOUR LIFE!rockyourlife.de
3. 3Rock Your Life – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
4. 4Rock Your Life – Wikidatawikidata.org