David & Meike Buetow (OJC Germany)
Life in OJC continues to go well, but one thing as an organisation that we have been wrestling with, is how do we reach young people. A strong focus on the work here was on those leaving high school and doing a year of voluntary service (Freiwillige Soziale Jahr or FSJ in German). The number of young adults for this has been declining over the years, and with/after COVID many people have felt they have lost too much time already and are not taking their “gap year”, but are heading direct in further studies or vocational training. With that we have been many changes to our FSJ program over this past year, and have also brought a new idea of having a “Time Out Now” program aimed at people from 20 to 30 years old who want to take a break from their studies or work life and join in our community life and work with the vision to foster passion and resilience and strengthen faith to equip you for your place in work and society.