00_Taeti_Titel_2007-gb.qxd 26.03.2008 11:49 Uhr Seite 1 Annual Report 2007 Annual Report •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••Annual Report 2007 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• www.bertelsmann-stiftung.org Stiftung mann Bertels 00_RZ_Taeti_innen_07_gb_3.qxd 26.03.2008 13:33 Uhr Seite 112 00_RZ_Taeti_innen_07_gb_3.qxd 26.03.2008 12:34 Uhr Seite 1 00_RZ_Taeti_innen_07_gb_3.qxd 26.03.2008 12:34 Uhr Seite 2 2 Contents •••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••• Diversity is enriching. •••••••••••••••••• Those who overcome ••••••••••••••••••Contents prejudice and make •••••••••••••••••• friends of strangers have just passed through the doorway to a promising new world. 4 Setting great things in motion Foreword by Dr. Gunter Thielen Children: 6 Our most precious resource Children are a precious 9 Educating role models resource, not only for their 15 School – and then what? 6 parents and families, but for society as a whole – a resource 21 Helping children grow strong that grows all the more pre- 29 Winning families cious as fewer babies are born. Common ground: 34 A society that includes everyone 37 Old and young, together 44 Working together – Living together 53 Good health for everyone 58 Modern government 00_RZ_Taeti_innen_07_gb_3.qxd 26.03.2008 12:34 Uhr Seite 3 Contents 3 66 Welcome to an increasingly interdependent world. Our goal: to promote peaceful coexistence among the globe’s diverse cultures. Our neighbors and ourselves – 66 Learning from each other 69 Dialogue without borders 78 Tomorrow’s Europe In order to carry out 86 Reforms for a better world their work, nonprofit organizations rely on society’s appreciation and trust. Transparency is therefore one of our core commitments. 96 Facts and figures 98 98 Employees 102 Financial report 106 Additional information 108 Governance 110 Photography credits 111 Production credits Strong together: In times of globalization, when many fear being cut off from their roots, it’s important to ask how we can increase social cohesion. Our projects are designed to improve the life we share. 34 00_RZ_Taeti_innen_07_gb_3.qxd 26.03.2008 12:34 Uhr Seite 4 4 Editorial Setting great things in motion The Bertelsmann Stiftung: 30 years of civic engagement Dear Reader, In February of 1977, Reinhard Mohn signed his name to the articles of incorporation that called the Bertelsmann Stiftung into being. The first sentence of that document gave his reason for doing so: his conviction that diver- gent economic and political systems were competing on a global scale and that Germany was paying too little attention to the consequences. Today we well know that globalization is accelerating and that the trend toward interdependence is irre- versible. Many are worried about ending up on the los- ing side, unable to share in the positive outcomes that change brings. If we are to address these concerns, Dr. Gunter Thielen and Reinhard Mohn (right) bridges must be built to other cultures in order to gener- agree: With good ideas, a compelling message, ate a greater sense of confidence and certainty. deep personal integrity and the requisite financial resources, social entrepreneurs can At the same time, we must remember that people in change the world. other global regions have very different expectations than we do: What they seek is not to maintain the status quo, but to begin enjoying the fruits of prosperity – to a greater degree than in the past. We need allies Globalization transcends all borders, leaving hardly any area of life untouched. We certainly cannot prevent such developments – but we can help shape them. To ensure that we all journey into the future together, we need a vision of how we want to live 10, 20 and 50 years from now – in Germany, Europe and the global community. For this reason, the Bertelsmann Stiftung is expanding its focus and becoming more active internationally. To do so, we need likeminded partners. We are therefore form- ing networks with think tanks worldwide, since only by joining forces will we be able to learn from the experi- ences of others and contribute constructively to the life we share. Pioneers such as Al Gore, Bill and Melinda Gates, Prof. Muhammad Yunus, Kofi Annan, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and our own Reinhard Mohn stand as proof: With good ideas, a compelling message, deep personal integri- ty and, not least, the requisite financial resources, social entrepreneurs can change the world. 00_RZ_Taeti_innen_07_gb_3.qxd 26.03.2008 12:34 Uhr Seite 5 Editorial 5 The Bertelsmann Stiftung focuses on people – and only to the extent that it offers people greater opportuni- ties will globalization be viewed as just. “Our goal is to pave the way for greater participation in the globalized world,” says Dr. Gunter Thielen. Participating in globalization Our founder has tasked us with planning ahead for the The Bertelsmann Stiftung focuses on people – and only society of tomorrow by creating projects that produce to the extent that it offers people greater opportunities exemplary solutions today. As he wrote in celebrating will globalization be viewed as just. Our wish is to open the foundation’s 30 years of reform efforts: “We have to doors and pave the way for greater participation in the learn that as citizens, we must get involved to support globalized world. That is the goal that will guide all of society. Don’t wait, act!” We cordially invite you to join our future work. us in setting great things in motion. The 2008 Carl Bertelsmann Prize is dedicated to Sincerely, “Integration through education,” and the choice of sub- ject signals our desire to increase awareness, above all, of the barriers to equal education that children of immi- grants face. In selecting a winner for the prize, we will be conducting a global search for exemplary solutions to this problem. Don’t wait, act! Dr. Gunter Thielen Inspiring people, shaping the future: The Bertelsmann Stiftung is unique. Under its roof, our specialists can engage in independent, nonpartisan thought about life in the future before initiating the relevant reforms. Our goal: to strengthen society, help individuals realize their full potential and spur development of the globe’s polit- ical and economic systems. 00_RZ_Taeti_innen_07_gb_3.qxd 26.03.2008 12:34 Uhr Seite 6 6 Children: Our most precious resource Children: Our most A responsibility shared by families and society “The most treasured gifts are not acquired – they’re born.” Parents who adorn their child’s birth announce- ment with a message such as this understand the happiness a child rep- resents. A new life has entered the world, and the future automatically takes on a new dimension. 00_RZ_Taeti_innen_07_gb_3.qxd 26.03.2008 12:34 Uhr Seite 7 Children: Our most precious resource 7 precious resource 00_RZ_Taeti_innen_07_gb_3.qxd 26.03.2008 12:35 Uhr Seite 8 8 Children: Our most precious resource Children: Our most precious resource A responsibility shared by families and society ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Children are more in local organizations are 75 percent more likely to than sleepless nights, experiment with alcohol and drugs. While civic engage- crayon marks on the ment is no panacea, it helps children discover that they walls, sticky fingers are in fact needed. and-mud-stained soc- cer shirts. They bring With each succeeding generation, civil society must laughter, tenderness, develop its cohesive structures anew. Children and love and responsibility for the rest of a parent’s life. young people have a particularly clear, untarnished per- They mean seeing the world in a new way, looking at spective and pay close attention to whether those around the future with new eyes. them actually do as they say. Credible role models who embody fundamental values are therefore more effective Children are a precious resource, not only for their par- than any number of lectures on moral behavior. The ents and families, but also for society – a resource that work carried out by the London-based Citizenship is growing all the more precious as fewer babies are Foundation, winner of the 2007 Carl Bertelsmann Prize, born. Demographic change is transforming society, and demonstrates that schools can serve as a venue for we are just beginning to grasp the myriad ways in which teaching children how to become socially responsible these shifts are affecting our everyday lives. To deal with individuals. In schools throughout the UK, children as these challenges, we need to identify problem areas as young as five are learning that their involvement in the early as possible, pose the right questions and decide community requires assuming personal responsibility together which responses will create the world we want and showing respect for others. to live in. Only then will we be able to make informed choices abut where to invest our resources most effec- Democracy means getting involved tively. Although many adults in Germany tend to take a rather skeptical view of the younger generation, children and High-quality, healthy schools young people want to contribute to the common good “Health and education go hand in hand,” says Dr. and help shape the world around them.