Culture Academy’s Ethics and Philosophy

Education Through Movement

A human being only plays where they are human in the fullest sense of the word, and they are only fully human where they play. (Friedrich Schiller)

We understand movement as a means of holistic, humanistic education. In our shared exercises, we build bridges to others and to ourselves. Interaction in pairs and small groups, as well as physical training alone, reveals limits that we can play with. In doing so, we learn to realise our potential with relaxed mindfulness and make responsible decisions. Taking responsibility and growing as a person need not mean suffering under the weight of the world. We teach playful approaches to activating our own resources and working joyfully towards a future worth living.

A child laughing as they place a friendly hand on another child's shoulder

Guiding Principles

  1. We are a non-profit association for education, movement and play.
  2. We stand for respectful encounters as equals.
  3. We learn from and with one another.
  4. We respect individual boundaries and promote self-efficacy, responsibility and participation in decision-making.
  5. Through varied cultural and sporting activities, we actively contribute to a strong democratic society.
  6. We create safe and inclusive spaces where hostility towards people has no place.

Strong People for a Strong Democracy

Human dignity shall be inviolable. Art. 1 GG

An open and diverse society needs courageous people to help shape it. We promote physical and psychological resilience to enable people to take an active part in shaping social processes. Our training is intended to reach beyond the association into everyday life, helping people to take responsibility calmly and thoughtfully. We stand for enlightenment, a strong civil society and a culture of encounter and exchange. Tolerance, respect and decency are as essential to this as the ability to stand up for one’s convictions. Core values of our exercises are self-control, creativity and compassion.

Child Safeguarding

Supporting children and young people in their development is central to our work. We teach skills for a fast-moving world in which creative adaptability and sustained perseverance matter. As an independent provider of child and youth welfare services, we run projects to support disadvantaged people and develop talents and potential. We pay particular attention to personal integrity, recognising boundaries and communicating them. Accordingly, we take child safeguarding standards seriously and create safe spaces that support development without overwhelming people.

Transparency & Sustainability

As a registered non-profit association, we have worked since 2005 to bring lasting change to our society through civil society action. We are funded by membership fees, grants and donations. Members have regular and ongoing opportunities to learn how these funds are used and to participate actively in the process. Our sections work in full solidarity across sport, education, science and culture. Among other activities, our basic scientific research is therefore funded in part by membership fees. By considering every level at the intersection of education through movement, we sustainably advance our statutory purposes at all levels.

Since the middle of this year, Miteinander e. V. has been supporting us in refining our guiding principles, with a focus on preventing extremism.