In his greeting, Joachim Gauck thanked the “Wir zusammen” members, stressing the importance of enterprises and their employee’s commitment for those who are currently looking for shelter in Germany.
“We can sense everywhere that successful integration doesn’t come easy, but that it is always achievable. That is why I like this hands-on approach, where not only the administration, local authorities, and competent bodies discuss integration, but where businesses as part of our society assume responsibility, starting an initiative under the umbrella of ‘We’”, said Gauck during his speech in Essen.
The Klett Group joined the “Wir zusammen” network in July 2016. In December 2015, the educational company took over a long-term sponsorship for a refugee hostel in Stuttgart to support the refugees as well as the volunteers working there. Apart from building reference libraries and offering workshops for volunteers on “German as a foreign language”, Klett also provides work experience at their company grounds in Stuttgart. Many of the company’s employees are also involved as volunteers, helping refugees in their spare time. Klett supports theses efforts with financial or material aid. The educational Group’s language publishers, such as Ernst Klett Sprachen Verlag, Klett-Langenscheidt and PONS, also develop simple, explanatory and visualising products for learning German as a foreign language or a second language to make the first encounter with the German language as successful as possible.
“The flow of refugees from war-torn regions in crisis is a monumental task for Europe. As a pan-European educational company, we want to assume social responsibility. The Klett Group and their employees contribute with expertise and personal commitment towards a successful integration”, says Philipp Haußmann, spokesperson of the Management Board of the Ernst Klett AG.
Since February 2016, “Wir zusammen” has been bundling initiatives from more than 100 German enterprises. During his visit to Essen, Federal President Gauck asked the members of the network about their projects for integrating refugees. Around 300 guests, all members of “Wir zusammen”, participated in President Gauck’s visit.
About “Wir zusammen”
“Wir zusammen” is a network bundling the integration initiatives of German enterprises, whose members continually work on driving integration. To that end, the participating companies conduct their own integration projects, underpinning them with binding sponsorships. The website www.wir-zusammen.de functions as a joint website.
About the Klett Group
The Klett Group is a leading educational company in Europe with its 59 companies at 34 sites in 15 countries. The Group's portfolio encompasses everything from traditional textbooks to modern interactive learning aids; from professional literature to the classics. Moreover, the Klett Group has established itself as the leading private provider of educational and continued education services. The Group companies employ a workforce of 3,206 people and generated a turnover of € 495.1 million in 2015.