Joel Is 15 Years Old

How a Berlin School's Basement Is Rescuing Troubled Teens from Exclusion

Friends value him for his loyalty and kind nature. Joel has many talents, but nothing brings him more joy than hands-on craftsmanship. That's one side of him.

Then there's the other Joel—the one who has been on the high-risk offender list for two years due to repeated theft and assault, who poses a serious danger to himself and others, and who refuses to accept any rules or boundaries.

Joel is emotionally volatile, aggressive, and completely lacks impulse control. He has never known stability within a family. His outbursts began in daycare. At school, things only got worse. After multiple transfers, he ended up at Erich Kästner School, a special-needs institution. But even here, regular classroom instruction is nearly impossible. Joel insults, hits, flies into rages. He skips school and turns to crime. Nearly all support measures from the school and youth welfare system have been exhausted.

A hopeless case—until he joins the intensive pedagogical class at Erich Kästner School.

The example outlined by school principal Jörg Geelen at the opening of the new learning center is fictional. Yet, he emphasizes, it draws on real experiences he and his staff have faced for years.

Joel's story could just as easily reflect reality. Erich Kästner School specializes in supporting students with learning difficulties, emotional and social challenges, and language development in lower secondary education. Around 230 children and adolescents receive specialized pedagogical guidance here.

But there's a small group that doesn't fit this framework—kids like Joel. In professional terms, they're students with complex emotional and social needs. They exist outside the standard system, teetering on the edge of life on the streets or prison. Five years ago, Erich Kästner School launched a specialized intensive support program for them.

The concept provides clear daily structures within a protected learning environment while actively fostering social integration.

Now, this program has received a major upgrade. The intensive class has moved into the school's former caretaker's apartment in the basement, creating its own sanctuary. Previously, lessons took place in rotating classrooms.

The new approach? From the basement, these children will find their way back to life. A punching bag hangs from the ceiling, a foosball table stands nearby, and a small soccer goal leans against the wall. The fact that the old apartment connects to a large adjacent room has the welcome side effect of giving the students their own mini gym.

A narrow, elongated hallway links a kitchen, bathroom, and four other rooms: an office, a workshop and art studio, and a meeting space that doubles as a classroom. Everywhere, the atmosphere is cozy, thoughtfully detailed—and above all, calm. The new 1,160-square-foot learning space is on school grounds but has its own separate entrance.

During the months-long renovation, the young people in the Basement project—its self-chosen name—pitched in eagerly. The school and the city, particularly the Central Building Management (ZGM) and the departments of education, youth welfare, and employment, ultimately brought the intensive pedagogical center to life.

"This is a safe space. And that's the most important thing," explains Annika Schmitz, a school social worker for the city of Krefeld assigned to Erich Kästner School. For four years, she and special education teacher Dennis Prause have formed a dynamic duo, providing daily, high-intensity support to this small group. The two are the backbone of the project. "Everything here works through relationship-building. It's the key to everything. We need a strong, reliable emotional bond with these young people," Schmitz says.

A Fresh Start: How One School Helps Troubled Teens Rebuild Their Lives

Dennis Prause stands beside her, gazing at a pyramid diagram hanging in the classroom. He points to the base with his index finger. "This is where we are—right at the bottom," he says. "We start with the most basic skills, focusing first on stabilization so we can even begin to think about learning success." The intensive educational support program is designed for students in grades eight through ten.

"This is definitely not a permanent solution," Prause explains. "Our goal is always reintegration into regular school life. Only if we strengthen these young people in the long term can they have a real chance at integrating into society."

Every three months, Erich Kästner School reviews all progress indicators to determine whether a return to mainstream classes might be responsible—and feasible.

In practice, though, what matters most to Schmitz and Prause is meticulous, day-to-day management. Here, that mission is tied to creating as normal a school day as possible.

That day begins at 8:15 a.m. in the group room with a shared breakfast or an open discussion circle—assuming everyone arrives on time. Often, this is followed by the unconventional subject "Mail, Police, and Drama."

The reasoning behind it is dead serious. Most of these students have regular run-ins with police and courts. Confronting the unpleasant letters from authorities can be painful and overwhelming. But in the safety of the group, they handle it far better.

"These are young people who, at some point in their lives, have been homeless for at least two weeks—often sleeping on the streets or in trains," says Annika Schmitz. "We're talking about individuals who, up to now, have never learned how to maintain a social relationship. Nearly everything in their lives so far has been abandoned or broken off." That's why lessons are condensed into 15-minute increments. After long periods of chronic truancy—a near-universal experience here—attention spans are short.

Beyond academic subjects like math and German, the work follows a self-efficacy approach. The pedagogical—and now spatial—design takes individual strengths and weaknesses into special account. Students can tinker with hands-on projects, cook together, or take out their frustrations on a punching bag. They can independently pursue self-chosen initiatives like gardening or a bike repair workshop, spread out across the entire space, or retreat for quiet time. And above all, they can have one-on-one conversations with Annika Schmitz and Dennis Prause.

The guiding principle is clear: eliminate the breeding ground for pressure, overwhelm, and constant crisis mode. This newly designed learning space combines study, work, and retreat opportunities—and, in the process, evokes emotions many of these teens have never known: the realization that they can act positively, that they can make a difference. Step by step, they rediscover self-confidence and the will to live.

The project boasts impressive results, with measurable progress across nearly all key areas of life: academic trajectories improve, criminal behavior declines, and for many teens receiving this specialized support, things at home begin to stabilize as well.

From 2022 to today, 37 students have participated in the "Basement" model. Twelve were classified as high-risk offenders upon admission, ten of them for serious crimes. Seventeen had been chronically truant. All of them were successfully reintegrated from extreme absenteeism into regular classroom learning.

Equally striking: 27 young people were placed in vocational colleges, apprenticeships, housing projects, or social year programs.

Annika Schmitz sits at her desk, holding a letter she cherishes. It was sent from a juvenile detention center by a former participant—someone she and her team "lost along the way," as she puts it. Yet the words still move her.

From behind bars, the young man thanked her and Prause for their support. In fact, they stay in touch with many former students; one reached out just recently.

The impact lingers—long after the classroom door closes.

When he transferred to the intensive class at Erich Kästner School, his presence in the group home where he lived required a security guard. Not long after, he was kicked out and ended up homeless. Yet every morning, without fail, he made it to the intensive class. There, he gradually turned his life around. Today, he has completed an apprenticeship as a roofer, works in emergency medical services, and volunteers with a social organization that supports homeless people.