Study, Work & Care - Visible and Fair.
Under this motto, Paderborn University invites you to a special week of events from 24-28 November 2025 to mark the 20th anniversary of the "audit family-friendly university".
Combining studying, working and caring responsibilities is a challenge that many university members face on a daily basis. Whether childcare, caring for relatives or sharing the mental load as partners - care responsibilities are an integral part of life, but often remain invisible in the university context. This is precisely where the anniversary programme comes in: it invites you to take a closer look, share experiences and provide new impetus for a fair organisation of study, work and care responsibilities.
Since the first certification in 2005, the university has continuously implemented measures to improve the compatibility of study, work and care responsibilities - from flexible study and working time models to support services for caring responsibilities, family-friendly infrastructure and a wide range of childcare services. With the news of the 2025-2028 action programme, this course is now being set in a targeted manner: Topics such as sharing care work between partners, supporting caring students and promoting self-care are moving even more into focus.
The anniversary programme picks up on these focal points and makes visible what often remains invisible: the diversity of care work in all its facets. Whether through a travelling exhibition on the everyday life of family carers, a lecture on mental load, scientific insights into the lives of caregiving students or practical tips on self-care - all programme items invite you to take a look, start a conversation and gain new perspectives.
The series of events will be rounded off with a family theatre performance that will delight not only children but also adults with its humour, colour and imagination.
Programme overview (German language)
| Mon, 24.11.25 | Tue, 25.11.25 | Wed., 26.11.25 | Thu, 27.11.25 | Fri, 28.11.25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
10:30 a.m.
Opening of the travelling exhibition "The everyday life of family carers" in the main entrance foyer |
Travelling exhibition "The everyday life of family carers" at the University Library |
Travelling exhibition "The everyday life of family carers" at the University Library |
Travelling exhibition "The everyday life of family carers" at the University Library |
Travelling exhibition "The everyday life of family carers" at the University Library |
10:30 am - 1:30 pm
Information stand of the FamilyServiceOffice in the main entrance foyer | 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Digital presentation: Family as a team - sharing mental load and responsibility fairly | 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Digital lecture: Hidden Lives - The hidden lives of caring students
| 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Digital lecture: Studying and working with child(ren) - strategies for more self-care in everyday life | |
15:00 - 16:30,
Family theatre in the studio stage
Elmar, the colourful elephant.
About the little mole who wanted to know who hit him on the head. |
Programme description
Date & time: Opening on 24 November 2025, 10 am | Exhibition from 24 to 28 November 2025 | Location: Opening in the foyer, then exhibited in the university library for a week | Target group: All university members
Content:
The exhibition provides insights into the lives of nine carers from Berlin. It shows the challenges and burdens as well as the closeness, gratitude and joy associated with caring at home.
It depicts the diversity of family carers - whether partners, parents, children, people with a migration background, professionals or young people. With personal stories, the exhibition makes visible what otherwise often remains invisible: Caregiving as a central part of our everyday lives and our society.
The exhibition invites people to enter into dialogue with one another, to give carers visibility and to become more aware of the importance of carers in our society.
The travelling exhibition is on loan from the Berlin-based Fachstelle für pflegende Angeh?rige.
Date & time: 25 November 2025, 10:30 am - 1:30 pm | Location: Foyer | Target group: all university members
Content:
In the foyer of the main entrance, the FamilyServiceOffice will provide information about existing offers within the framework of the family-friendly university and specifically about the anniversary programme. The travelling exhibition "The everyday life of family carers" will be on display around the information stand.
Date & time: 26.11.2025, 12.00 - 13:30 | Location: digital | Speaker: Laura Fr?hlich | Target group: (expectant) university parents & carers
Content:
Mental load - the constant thinking, planning and organising - puts a strain on many families and often causes problems in everyday life. Especially when there are children or relatives to care for, couples easily fall into old role models and one person bears the main burden. This leads to exhaustion, conflicts and a lack of time for oneself.
In this practical presentation, author and speaker Laura Fr?hlich shows how family organisation can succeed as real teamwork. You will learn how to distribute tasks fairly without having endless discussions and how to get all family members on board, from children to adults. With tried-and-tested methods and concrete tips, you will learn how to shorten to-do lists, hand over or take on responsibility and thus bring more freedom, breaks and joy into everyday life.
The special challenges of single parents and the necessary political framework conditions are also highlighted - for less stress and more togetherness in the family.
Registration: Please send a short e-mail to vereinbarkeit@upb.de.
However, it is also possible to join at short notice via the link.
Meeting ID: 684 5410 1818 | Identification code: 975901
RecordingSince not all interested employees and students with care responsibilities will have the opportunity to attend the lecture live - either for reasons of compatibility or due to other obligations - the lecture (without a question and answer session and while maintaining the anonymity of all participants) will probably be recorded and made available afterwards. This will be pointed out again before the start of the recording.
Date & time: 27.11.2025, 11:00 - 12:30 | Location: digital | Speaker: Prof. Dr Moritz He?, Dr Anna Wanka | Target group: Lecturers & interested university members
Content:
Students with caring responsibilities represent a group that has so far been barely visible in the higher education landscape. News studies assume that around 10% of students regularly take on caring responsibilities for relatives. It can therefore be assumed that there are at least one or two caring students in every course. This caring responsibility remains largely invisible in the university context, but has a significant impact on the course of study, psychosocial well-being and opportunities for participation.
Prof. Dr Moritz He? (Professor of Gerontology, Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences) and Dr Anna Wanka (Emmy Noether Junior Research Group Leader, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main) will present empirical findings on the life situation of caring students and discuss their implications for higher education policy. The aim is to make the challenges of this group of students more visible, to gain a differentiated understanding of this often hidden reality of life, to present support programmes and to discuss them together.
Registration: Please send a short e-mail to vereinbarkeit@upb.de.
However, it is also possible to join at short notice via the link.
Meeting ID: 636 0857 7360 | Identification code: 569108
RecordingSince not all interested employees and students with care responsibilities will have the opportunity to attend the lecture live - either for reasons of compatibility or due to other obligations - the lecture (without a question and answer session and while maintaining the anonymity of all participants) will probably be recorded and made available afterwards. This will be pointed out again before the start of the recording.
Date & time: 28.11.2025, 11.00 am - 12:30 pm | Location: digital | Speaker: Stefanie Poggem?ller | Target group: university-affiliated parents
Content:
Everyday life as a parent is often characterised by stress, multitasking and little time for yourself. Between job, studies, child(ren), household and partnership, there is hardly any room for relaxation - and this is exactly where this virtual event comes in. The 90-minute impulse workshop will show why self-care is not a luxury, but an important resource for personal well-being and everyday professional and family life. Practical impulses, small exercises and concrete strategies will be conveyed to help you take small time-outs in the turbulent everyday life of parents and thus gain more energy, calm and balance in the long term.
What participants can expect:
- Insight into the challenges parents face in their everyday work-life balance
- Practical mini-exercises for working from home and working or studying on site
- Strategies for integrating self-care routines into everyday life
- Exchange with other participants in the group
Registration: Please send a short email to vereinbarkeit@upb.de.
However, it is also possible to join at short notice via the link.
Meeting ID: 681 9673 0580 | Identification code: 419727
Date & time: 28.11.2025, 15:00 - 16:30 | Location: Studiobühne | Target group: Tickets for university-affiliated children/families as well as for "external" families | Artist: S?ren Ergang | Costs: none
Content:
Two plays will be shown, each lasting 30-35 minutes. Tickets are valid for both plays. Admission from 14:30. There will be an interval between the two plays.
Elmar, the colourful elephant - Colourful. Cheerful. Unforgettable.
The colourful theatre adventure for the whole family!
We are different and yet the same. Elmar is colourful and an elephant, but not grey. He wants to belong and is looking for the grey berries. But being the same is also pretty boring, Elmar soon realises.
In the role of the lovable Elmar, S?ren Ergang inspires with humour, charm and a lot of heart. A rousing production about courage, friendship and the joy of being different - told with music, imagination and lots of colour.
Based on the book by David McKee.
About the little mole who wanted to know who hit him on the head
A little mole, a big mystery - and a wonderfully weird search for clues right across the animal farm!
S?ren Ergang brings the popular story to the stage with lots of wit, speed, music and a pinch of cheeky humour. A rapping cow, an amorous bird and a sports-loving rabbit are all part of the action. An entertaining theatre experience for children and adults that is guaranteed to make you laugh!
Cheeky, charming and simply hilarious.
A hilarious play based on the book by Werner Holzwarth and Wolf Erlbruch.
Booking: Tickets can be booked in person or by telephone via the UPB ServiceCentre. As there is a ticket contingent for university members as well as for "external" families, please indicate the group for which tickets are to be reserved (university-internal/university-external).
