invites you to experience the never seen and unheard of, in order
to jointly contribute to a democratization and socio-ecological transformation of education.
Aerial acrobatics
Sustainability is currently all over the place and everyone connects everything to it. It is more present than ever and yet the society nature relations remain unchanged. In contrast, the wander circus advocates critical sustainability and extensive democratization of society. Through their diverse artistry the circus folk demonstrates how effortlessly the gravity of habits and structures can be overcome to end exploitative relationships with nature and between people…
From the niche to the ring
Sustainability has become widespread as a topic in education, and perhaps this is precisely why its monoculture is almost meaningless. However, some niches in the educational landscape have been preserved or established in recent years, in which sustainability and democracy are taught/learned in a completely different way. The wander circus offers them a place for joint exchange, networking and fusion.
Circus School
Every time the traveling circus sets up its tent, the whole circus family comes together to learn from and with each other. They design the curriculum themselves and contribute their experiential knowledge. In this way, they immerse themselves in the teaching/learning worlds of others and experiment with their formats, content and methods. If there is a particular need, they also involve external speakers in their activities. This intensive and at the same time playful exchange offers the chance that, over time, something entirely new emerges from the diversity of approaches. In addition to this didactic/content-related further training, the curricular anchoring, implementation, quality development and a qualification framework are also on the agenda.
Operating permit
The wander circus is not a lawless zone. Rather, it shows how people use their spheres to freely implement the unseen and unheard of in the various fields of education. Now everything is to be taken to the utmost limits: Breathtaking examples from different educational contexts, disciplines, etc. will be gathered to show that critical, constructive and consistent education for sustainable development and democracy is indeed possible. The traveling circus also explores new mono- and inter/transdisciplinary educational formats and develops a common quality framework so that a critical understanding of sustainability and radical concepts of democracy can be permanently anchored in the various educational sectors without further ado.
Walking the tightrope
The wander circus steps out of its niche and dares the balancing act between creative freedom and structural anchoring. Teachers and learners, heads of educational institutions and educational politicians are invited to join this circus.
Fundus - the treasure chest of the wander circus
Over the course of the five touring stations, the 100 circus people will fill a treasure chest with tips and tricks, qualification frameworks and quality measures, specific teaching/learning units and entire certificate programs, strategies for implementation and opportunities for evaluation. The finders of the treasure chest can then get straight to work on aligning university teaching critically, constructively and consistently with sustainability and democracy.
Existing university network for sustainability certificates, project weeks, etc.
The wander circus builds on a network of over 30 universities that are dedicated to a specific topic area within the large complex of university and sustainability/democracy: Sustainability certificates, interdisciplinary project days/weeks and the like. This thematic focus specifically addresses actors, teachers and students who are also involved in this area at their university or would like to initiate a corresponding project - further information: sustainability certificates, project weeks etc. - Hochschulnetzwerk
The hat is full to bursting until March 2026
The wander circus is funded as a network by the Stiftung für Innovation in der Hochschullehre (StIL) [Foundation for Innovation in Higher Education] for three years from April 2023 to March 2026 - further information: Network funding - StIL