Structure of the Humanist Association Germany

Central Services

Our Central Services department forms the administrative and organisational foundation for the specialist departments of the Humanist Association Germany, Berlin-Brandenburg: this is where the General Administration, Finance, Human Resources, IT, Public Relations and Organisational Development departments are located. The dynamically growing infrastructures support our organisation across the board with a professional and comprehensive range of services.

The Humanist kindergartens in Berlin and Brandenburg share a common understanding of education and upbringing. They are places for children and adults where independent and explorative learning as well as socially responsible thinking and action take centre stage. Our educators see themselves as reliable, caring and appreciative educators who support and accompany the educational and developmental processes of the children in close cooperation with the families and through open, mutually appreciative contact. This is realised in everyday life through mixed age groups and the concept of Open Work. In addition to experiencing community, the child's decision-making sovereignty is the key focus of our work. We also train nursery teachers at our Humanist Technical College for Social Pedagogy.

Our humanist hospices in Berlin and its surroundings are aimed at supporting seriously ill people and people in the last phase of their lives. We are always guided by a humanistic concept of humanity, and accompany people in an age-appropriate, culturally sensitive and empathetic matter. Our hospice services are wide-ranging and, in addition to traditional hospice work, include support for children and young people with life-shortening illnesses beginning at the time the illness is diagnosed as well as intercultural end-of-life care. 

In addition to alleviating physical symptoms, we also focus on the social, psychological and spiritual needs of the affected people and their relatives. Individual self-determination is the guiding foundation of our work in in our hospices.

We support people who find themselves in difficult life situations in overcoming their problems. Professional services in the various Berlin districts and our locations in Brandenburg offer counselling, support and care for people who have got into conflicts or social crises. For example, because they have become unintentionally pregnant, have no shelter, can no longer manage their everyday affairs on their own or need care. In accordance with our humanistic world view, the right to self-determination and human dignity are paramount in every life situation. Help is provided with the aim of self-help and the search for existing resources.

Our youth work is very diverse and active at various locations in Berlin and Brandenburg. One focal point is the JugendFEIER, which every year accompanies many thousands of young people from Berlin and Brandenburg on their symbolic step into the adult world. But our youth organisation Junge Humanist*innen (Young Humanists) and other institutions for children and young people also offer activities that are fun, challenge young people, provide opportunities to get involved and encourage them to take life into their own hands.

The Humanist Association Berlin-Brandenburg is an educational organisation with a long tradition. In addition to educational and lecture work on ideological topics, our educational work in Berlin and Brandenburg is centred on teaching the school subject Humanistische Lebenskunde. Founded 1997, The Humanist Academy Berlin-Brandenburg in turn organises and promotes scientific events as well as humanistic and political education, carries out research projects, archives, documents and publishes the results of scientific work on modern humanism. Since 2023, the Humanistic University of Applied Sciences Berlin, with various courses of study in humanistic practice, and the Free Humanstic Primary School have been added to the educational institutions of the association.