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  1. Main school building
    Main school building - © Senate Departement for Urban Development and the Environment, Berlin (http://www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de/)
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Campus Rütli

Status
ongoing
50%
City

Berlin

Main actors

Local Government, City Government, National Government, NGO / Philanthropy

Project area

Neighborhood or district

Duration

Ongoing since 2007

The Campus Rütli is both a concept and a place for promoting the education and social inclusion of underpriviledged children and adolescents

The Campus Rütli is located in the district of Neukölln in Berlin, one of the city’s social hotspots. In 2006, the Rütli School’s teachers decided to write an open letter to unveil the prevalence of daily violence and appalling learning conditions at the school. In few years, however, thanks to its committed teaching staff and the financial support of foundations and the Government, the school has turned into a role model.

At one single location, the Campus Rütli brings together a range of different facilities, including a school, two Kindergarten, a Youth club, a workshop for training activities and meeting sites. It offers a wide-range of activities so as to foster the integration of children and their parents, such as language courses with certificates. New infrastructure has been built and its coordination has been improved. The Campus Rütli tends to narrowing the gap between the institutions, giving young people the opportunity to shape their school careers in a more coherent way.

Since the concept’s announcement in 2007, the Campus has achieved many positive results. It contributed to changing the district’s image, thus attracting new population strata. Consequently, the area surrounding the school will not be eligible to take part in the National Development Program by 2016, bringing about the challenge of its financial sustainability by then.

For further information about the case study, click here.

Sustainable Development Goals

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for allReduce inequality within and among countriesMake cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainablePromote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
City
Berlin, Germany
Size and population development
In 2019, the municipality of Berlin had a population of 3,669,491 inhabitants, making it the most populous city in the European Union (EU). The larger metropolitan area has about 5 million inhabitants.
Population composition
According to estimations, about one third of Berlin’s population was foreign born or has a migratory background. These inhabitants originate from other parts of the EU—such as Poland, Italy or Bulgaria—as well as from countries outside of the EU, such as Syria, Vietnam or the United States of America. The largest non-native population comes from Turkey: In 2019, more than 107,000 Turkish nationals were registered as inhabitants of Berlin.
Main functions
Berlin is the capital and largest city of Germany. As a city-state it is also one of the country’s 16 Länder, as the federal states are called in Germany. Situated approximately 112 miles (180 km) south of the Baltic Sea, the city lies in the wide glacial valley of the Spree River, which runs through Berlin’s centre. The city extends over an area of 891.7 square kilometres and stands at an average altitude of 34 meters above sea level. After the reunification of Germany and East and West Berlin in 1990, the unified Berlin was re-established as the country’s capital (replacing Bonn, the former capital of West Germany). In 1999, large parts of the Federal Government and the German Bundestag finally moved back to Berlin. Berlin is a city of great historical significance, which becomes evident considering the amount of historical landmarks that visualize the city’s history. Some of the most important landmarks include the Brandenburg Gate (built in 1793), the Reichstag Building (which dates to 1884), remnants of the Berlin Wall (taken down on the 9th of November 1989) or the Holocaust memorial (inaugurated in 2003). Berlin is also a famous cultural hub, known for its world-class museums, theatres, operas and concert halls as well as its vibrant club scene and street art. Finally, the Brain City Berlin is a leading location for science and research. It is home to a number of prestigious universities such as the Freie Universität Berlin, the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin and the Technische Universität Berlin, with more than 35,000 students each as well as renowned research institutions and think tanks.
Main industries / business
As the fourth largest economy of the world, Germany has a wide array of prestigious industries. Berlin is home to a diverse mix of economic activities: state-owned enterprises, creative industries, automotive manufacturers, (digital) media corporations, high-tech and telecommunication companies as well as multiple digital pioneers that flourish in the city’s vibrant start-up scene. Tourism is constantly growing and brings about 14 million visitors (2019) to the city every year.
Sources for city budget
Berlin draws its budget for public expenditure largely from taxes, federal transfers, fees, fines and operating revenues. It is spent not only to provide high quality public services, but also to boost the city’s private sector, civil society engagement and cultural life.
Political structure
The city-state Berlin is governed by the Berlin Senate, which is comprised of 10 senators, and the Governing Mayor. As the capital of Germany, Berlin hosts the Bundesregierung (federal government), the Bundestag (federal parliament) and the Bundesrat (the parliamentary chamber of the 16 Länder). Each of the 16 Länder has a representation in Berlin. On many political issues, the Länder have co-legislative powers vis-à-vis the Federal government. Moreover, Berlin hosts embassies from more than 120 countries from around the world.
Administrative structure
Berlin is administrated by the Senate and its 12 districts or boroughs (Bezirke). The Senate is the city’s central administration, in charge of city planning, public policy, and the regulation of public and private spheres. The district administrations have some decentralized public functions, with reasonable differences between the various localities.
Website
http://www.berlin.de

The Campus Rütli is located in Neukölln, one of Berlin’s social hotspots. In November 2008, the “Häussermann-Studie” warned about the rise of a parallel-society in that area. In fact, nearly 90% of the children of the Campus living there come from families with migration background.

The Campus Rütli’s project aims at countering usual misconceptions within the educational system for children living in difficult environments. Common reasons for their difficulties include:

  • Parents are not enough represented in educational structures
  • Transitions between schools represent a difficult gap for children
  • Existing educational structures are not connected sufficiently

The objective of the Campus Rütli’s major objective is breaking this scheme and implementing a network of supporting institutions. Therefore, the Campus intends to better involve parents regarding school issues and to bring together institutions responsible for the children’s overall development and integration.

The Campus Rütli’s guiding principles are:

  • Education of professionals working hand in glove with parents to determine the most appropriate choices for children during their school career
  • Cultural diversity is being considered as an opportunity; Social integration is facilitated by education
  • The Campus Rütli is being deeply integrated with its social environment

Considering the low level of economic and social indicators, in 2003, the Reuterquartier in Neukölln has been identified as a priority area (“Quartiersmanagement”), thus benefiting from additional financial and human resources to foster its development. From that year on, the new Quartiersmanagement-Team prioritized education and youth supportive measures in various domains, e. g. sports, music and health. Shortly after, the concept of “intercultural moderation as strategic intervention” has been implemented in four schools (including the Rütli school), therefore enhancing the presence of intercultural moderators.

From 2005 onwards, the idea of the Campus emerged among politicians and professionals.  In May 2007, the distritc’s mayor, Heinz Buschkowsky, together with the foundation “Zukunft Berlin” (Future Berlin), began to develop the strategy for the future Campus Rütli and its communication. Their common goal was to develop a strategy whose principles and solutions could be transferred to other crisis-ridden schools within the district of Neukölln.

The final version of the concept for the Campus Rütli has been approved in September 2007. Its main objective is the realization of a new and sustainable educational concept together with the creation of a common social area. The project has been officially presented in January 2008 and rapidly gained the interest of the media.  In November 2012, the inauguration of the “Quartiershall” was the first effort achieved within the framework of the new concept’s implementation.

The main principles of the concept are:

  • The school administration has the main say and gives direct orders to institutional cooperation and financing partners.
  • Definition of an embracing educational concept, valid for all classes and school types at the Campus. One of the Campus’s main pillars is its comprehensive school (“Gemeinschaftsschule”). At the Rütli Campus, children can complete their entire educational biography, from Kindergarten to professional training. Germany’s high-school diploma, the “Abitur”, is also an option for young people at the Campus.
  • New buildings have been constructed at the Campus site; some older ones have been renovated and extended in order to achieve more social space for the district and the campus.
  • Strong participatory integration of the inhabitants in the process.
  • Internal and external public relations work.

The main partners of the Campus Rütli include:

  • The Senate Department for City Development and the Environment
  • The Senate Department for Education, Youth and Science
  • The Borough Authority of Neukölln
  • The „Quartiersmanagement“ Reuterplatz
  • Education Partners: Ein km2 Bildung, Lokaler Bildungsverbund, Reuterkiez, Kiez AG
  • Foundations: Freudenberg Stiftung, Heinz und Heide Dürr Stiftung, Karl-Konrad-und-Ria-Groeben-Stiftung, Stiftung Zukunft Berlin & S. Fischer Stiftung

Through its “Ein Quadratkilometer Bildung” the Freundberger foundation financially supported the concept’s implementation.

The Campus Rütli is located in an area benefiting from the Federal Government’s financial support. Social improvements within the area of the school will lead to the phasing out of this federal support by 2016. Until then, the campus has to become financially independent. 

From 2006 to 2013, the Senate Department for City Development and the Environment in Berlin provided 6 Million Euros for the construction of the new Campus’ hall.

Upcoming construction works planned for 2015 will require an additional amount of 32 Million Euros.

In just a few years, the campus Rütli achieved positive results at the school level, and was a driver for change in the borough. The concept improved educational opportunities for children and gave more possibilities for families to socially integrate. It contributed to change the district’s image.

The main features of this changing social environment include:

  • Less early school leavers than in the past
  • Increasing number of registration, including children from German families
  • New educational offers and emergence of high-school graduates at the school

In 2013, 24 students passed the German high-school diploma at the Campus Rütli. Some students were good at the school level, but many others have difficulties within the school system. The main reasons for these difficulties are their domestic environments, an insufficient skill level in mathematics and sciences and a high turn-over of professors at the school in the past.

The main factors which have contributed to the success of the school’s transformation process are: 

  • The strong commitment of teachers and head teachers, parents, local politicians. Problems always have been considered as challenges; solutions are implemented with commitment at the Campus
  • A network of supporting organizations (including foundations)
  • Usage of New ideas for a test-period of one year. Thus, parents and children  feared changing processes to a lesser extent
  • Public and media interest for the project; this interest helped gaining political and financial support for the Campus’s development
  • Constant monitoring and evaluation of the processes
  • Existence of management and control structures to find common and negotiated solutions; Presence of politicians, together with administration and civil society
  • Fostering synergies between all the stakeholders involved
  • Integration of the children and their parents in the processes of change and in the activities of the school

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