Damon Ruhländer

Triform Camphill Community is a residential community in Hudson, New York (USA). Triform supports young adults with special needs by offering educational, vocational and life skill training. I work as a caregiver (called "coworker") and support people with disabilities in their everyday lives. I support the residents during the workshops and vocational training. In the afternoon I organize the leisure program and excursions.

As a student teacher, I work for Studio2B GmbH in the area of developing and implementing career-oriented workshops for students at schools in Berlin and Brandenburg. My highlight: In the Talent Parcours, students between grade 7 and 9 get an initial insight into the variety of career options which are available to them, to match them with their personal and career interests and strengths. Students receive feedback on possible study and training options based on their own goals and demonstrated strengths.

I work as a mentor for the mentoring program "MISA 2.0 - Mentoring Initiative Starke Azubis" for the Unionhilfswerk (sponsor before 07/20: Studio2B GmbH). The project is funded by the Senate Department for Integration, Labor and Social Affairs and aims to support trainees in the fields of logistics, law, security, technology or transport. I support trainees with professional, academic and personal issues, such as conflicts at work and learning deficits in vocational training.

I work as a project assistant in the family and language education department of wortlaut Sprachwerkstatt UG. We work in various districts and neighborhoods of Berlin with schools, daycare centers, family centers, refugee shelters, neighborhood organizations and other local actors. My tasks include the organization of meetings with our network partners, the quantitative and qualitative evaluation of our projects, the creation of language education materials and support for the project management.

Since 11/2018, I have been volunteering for the German Red Cross. Currently, I am a youth group leader of the Youth Red Cross and a volunteer in civil defense and disaster control. I am deployed in an operational unit of a care center (BTP). As youth group leader in the Youth Red Cross, I am responsible for the organization of youth group activities. During the Corona crisis, I worked at the testing station for travelers returning from risk areas. In addition, I was a first-aid medic at several Events.

After 5 years as a member of the organising team, in July 2022 I was elected coordinator of the initiative "Seid ihr die Ersten?" ("Are you the first?"). The initiative is aimed at students from the Institute of Historical Sciences who are the first in their family to study at a university. We organise lecture series with graduates, network meetings, individual counselling, consultation hours and workshops on topics such as scientific work, study financing and career entry.

As an active member of the Berlin chapter of International Students of History e.V. (ISHA), I organize cultural events for domestic and foreign students, such as eyewitness evenings, museum visits, and historical city tours, in the past for a long time also in the function as public relations officer. My highlight was the fundraising and organization of the academic and cultural program of the "Summer Seminar 2019 - Walls in History", where more than 50 students from many different countries participated.

For wortlaut Sprachwerkstatt UG I work as a student teacher in the field of method workshops, learning- and language support for students. This includes workshops in which students in preparation for their school exams are guided in finding topics, learn research techniques and practice their presentation skills.

I had the opportunity to apply what I have learned at university to real-life scenarios in the Wilhelm-Bölsche Integrated Secondary School in Berlin Friedrichshagen during a period of six months. I taught history and ethics from grade 7 to 10, I also supported prevention projects and school projects ("School without Racism - School with Courage"). Besides teaching, I conducted quantitative research about the relationship between self-efficacy and classroom disturbances. 

During my internship at Adventure-Camp Mecklenburg, I was responsible for the organization of the daily program, including canoe trips, Highland Games and excursions into the surrounding area. The participants were between the ages of 9 and 15.

I was involved in the mentoring program FirstGen of the Central Women's Representative of Humboldt University Berlin, which was supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. As a mentor, I supervised mentees, which parents didn't visited university, for several semesters and taught them strategies and methods to overcome the hurdles of studying, such as study and self-organization. I also supported them in their career orientation and put my mentees in contact with graduates.

I worked on behalf of wortlaut Sprachwerkstatt UG at the Fritz-Karsen-Schule in Berlin-Britz as a substitute. My tasks included substituting lessons in history, physics, WAT (Economy-Work-Technology) and music, supervising homework, accompanying the project week and carrying out supervisions during the breaks.

During my internship at the Anne Frank School, I was able to gain a wide range of experience in school operations. In addition to teaching, I also participated in extracurricular events such as work groups and conferences. I evaluated the observations in a research paper graded with 1.0.

As an elected member of the Student Parliament of the Humboldt University of Berlin, I represented the interests of approximately 40,000 students to the university administration and the public during two terms of office. One of the most important tasks was to decide on the funding of student projects with the money of the student body.

During my internship abroad in the Spanish Pyrenees camp of VOYAGE Reiseorganisation GmbH, I was responsible for the organization of sports tours, events and animations. My tasks also included the preparation and follow-up of the wadertrekking tours including material maintenance and the organization of leisure activities.

I completed an internship in the office of Prof. Dr. Peter Danckert, Member of the German Bundestag. I have gained intensive insights into the work of a member of the federal parliament and his staff in the Bundestag and his constituency office in Königs Wusterhausen. As part of the internship, I supported the implementation of events in the constituency.

Member of the History Student Council (representing students in various academic bodies at the institute and faculty level). Member of the Student Parliament of the HU Berlin (representation of students vis-à-vis the university administration).