It was a good month ago that Virginia Ohlmann courageously intervened in a brawl at the Poinger train station and stopped it – and thus possibly prevented worse things from happening. Where did she get this courage from? Difficult to say – but it stands to reason that a school project also contributed to this: There the tenth grader of the Poinger Dominik-Brunner-Realschule learned something regarding civil courageous behavior.
The school project is called “Pack ma’s” and is a cooperation between the Dominik Brunner Foundation, the Bavarian Teachers’ Association (BLLV) and trainers. “We have definitely reached more than half a million children and young people with the training,” says Ralph Kappelmeier on Tuesday morning – a milestone. The founder and trainer of the “Pack ma’s” concept was together with his trainer colleague Nico Witte, Peter Dreier, chairman of the Dominik Brunner association, and Uli Hoeneß, chairman of the board of trustees of the Dominik Brunner foundation, in Poing for a press conference with headmistress Sylvie Schnaubelt in her Dominik-Brunner-Realschule. The civil courage courses have been part of the curriculum for the seventh grade since 2016 – and Virginia Ohlmann has also gone through it.
Since November 2009, Uli Hoeneß has been Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dominik Brunner Foundation.
(Photo: Christian Endt)
Dominik Brunner is a name that stands for civil courage like no other: In September 2009, the man became the victim of a brutal violent crime – he died because he didn’t look the other way but helped when others were in need. The Dominik Brunner Foundation was established in memory of him and his courageous deed. Since then, it has been pursuing three goals: to educate the population regarding moral courage and to sensitize them to do violence prevention work and to offer victims help.
This is exactly what the “Pack ma’s” concept is all regarding – originally a project by the Munich police for Munich schools. The now six trainers have trained more than 5000 teachers, mostly on a voluntary basis. Such training lasts one and a half days. “We are in six out of seven Bavarian administrative districts,” says coach Nico Witte. The trained teachers then act as multipliers: They teach their students constructive conflict resolution strategies and civil courage as part of project work.
The reactions in conflict reactions can be very different
“Solving conflicts is a difficult thing,” says coach Kappelmeier. “If a youngster stands in the way of another and says, ‘You can’t go past here, this is my way’, what do you do then?” The possible reactions might be very different: Are you trying to assert yourself and avoiding him? Should you confront him? Or give up and walk away? The courses try to get to the bottom of such and similar scenarios.
Kappelmeier and his colleagues would often hear from parents that they told their child: If someone comes and hits you, hit back! According to the “Pack ma’s” trainers, this is a wrong reaction. “We always tell our students and their parents: hitting back is also hitting,” says Kappelmeier. You can also see in the tragic case of Dominik Brunner what can happen if you enter into an open confrontation: the situation does not always end well for the person who intervenes.
The stories told by the coaching duo make it clear that there is no one right reaction for every eventuality. “Everyone is different,” says Nico Witte. “Some people are more reserved and don’t want to get too involved in the conflict, others are more likely to intervene.” The trainers see possible room for maneuver in every personality type. “Even just getting help is perfectly fine. We advise everyone and always in cases of physical altercations: call the police,” Witte continued. This is always a good and important step in the right direction.
In the role-playing game, the police officers become the evil rioters
Nico Witte and his police colleague Kappelmeier usually go to the schools in pairs. They are police colleagues, and most of the “Pack ma’s” trainers work on a voluntary basis. “In practice, we work a lot with simulation and role-playing games,” says Kappelmeier. For example, the teachers would play bus passengers in their training courses, one of them the bus driver, another an old woman, others the cool kids in the back of the bus, and so on. “And then we slip into the role of the rioters,” says Witte.
“We also do a lot of exercises aimed at building trust among the participants,” Witte continues. “That has a lot to do with falling or holding the other.” For example, in one exercise, one participant would hold on to a rope above the ground and the others would have to hold him to keep him from falling. “As the course progresses, you notice that the teachers as a community grow a little closer together.”
Perhaps there will soon be regular honors for civilly courageous people
The “Pack ma’s” team is currently arranging a very special honor for people who have shown civil courage. “We want an honor before FC Bayern games in the Allianz Arena,” says Kappelmeier. 75,000 people cheer you on for your exemplary behavior – “that would be incredible appreciation!”
Headmistress Sylvie Schnaubelt jumps in right away: Virginia Ohlmann, her student who got involved in a fight and was even honored for it by the Poinger police – wouldn’t she be a suitable candidate? Quite possible, according to the “Pack ma’s” team.
