Abenteuer Lernen E.V.

What Abenteuer Lernen E.V. does

Abenteuer Lernen e.V. is a Bonn-based nonprofit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 2004 that delivers experiential, discovery-based learning programs centered on Education for Sustainable Development (BNE) with inclusion as a foundational design principle. Its core offerings span Saturday and holiday workshops for children aged 6–16, BNE workshops delivered on-site at schools and kindergartens, semester-length Offene Ganztagsschule (OGS) courses, dedicated programming for refugees via the 'zusammen – together – معاً' project, adult sustainability workshops (World-Life-Balance), and professional development (Fortbildungen) for educators. The underlying 'technology' is a proprietary pedagogical methodology — Entdeckendes Lernen — in which children develop their own questions and solutions through hands-on experimentation with fire, water, earth, air, plants, and animals; outcomes are not predetermined.

The organization monetizes through three streams: heavily subsidized course and workshop fees (€5 Saturday material fees, €43–€180 summer course tiers), government and foundation grants (NRW Environmental Ministry, City of Bonn, Federal Ministry for Education and Research, Aktion Mensch, Stiftung Jugendhilfe, Deutsche Postcode Lotterie, Software AG Stiftung), and tax-deductible donations via betterplace. It also sells published experiment kits and teacher guides as a secondary channel. Go-to-market is hybrid: direct-to-consumer bookings through the website and walk-ins at the barrier-free Tapetenfabrik Bonn-Beuel facility, plus enterprise field sales into schools and kindergartens across the Bonn–Köln–Düsseldorf corridor.

Abenteuer Lernen is recognized as the Regionalzentrum für BNE NRW, is one of 60 BNE-certified institutions in North Rhine-Westphalia (certified December 2018, recertified May 2023), and has received the National BNE Prize 2023 and the National BNE Award 2025. It operates with approximately 25 team members including board, management, and pedagogical staff, and is governed by a volunteer board chaired by Ellen Klandt with Ruth Dobrendorff in operational Geschäftsführung.

Name

Abenteuer Lernen E.V.

Legal name

Abenteuer Lernen e.V.

Website

https://abenteuerlernen.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Abenteuer Lernen e.V. is a Bonn-based nonprofit founded in 2004 delivering experiential Education for Sustainable Development (BNE) programs for children, schools, refugees, and adults across the Bonn–Köln–Düsseldorf region through grants, subsidized course fees, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Experiential Education and Sustainable Development Services

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Accessibility, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) & Inclusive Content Services (EDAGAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accessible Curriculum & Instructional Materials Adaptation (Braille, Large Print, AAC-ready) (EDAKABAG), Professional Development for Inclusive Practices (General Education Staff) (EDAKABAL), Special Education & Accessibility-Optimized Media (UDL, AAC, Captioning) (EDAGALAH)

Keywords

• Experiential learning programs
• Education for sustainable development
• Inclusive children education
• Hands-on science workshops
• Nonformal youth education

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Course and Workshop Fees: Revenue generated from paid educational courses for children, youth, and adults. Pricing varies by program type with subsidies available for disadvantaged families.
2. Government and Foundation Grants: Primary funding from government bodies including the NRW Environmental Ministry, City of Bonn, Federal Ministry for Education and Research, and various foundations such as Stiftung Jugendhilfe, Aktion Mensch, Deutsche Postcode Lotterie.
3. Donations: Accepts donations through the betterplace platform and direct bank transfers. Donations are tax-deductible and support reduced-cost programming for disadvantaged children.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Abenteuer Lernen e.V. delivers experiential, hands-on educational programs in natural sciences, crafts, and arts for children, youth, and adults. The organization runs courses, workshops, holiday programs, and after-school offerings at its barrier-free facility in Bonn-Beuel and on-site at schools and kindergartens in the Bonn, Köln, and Düsseldorf regions. All programs are built on an inclusive, discovery-learning methodology aligned with Education for Sustainable Development (BNE).

Product overview

Abenteuer Lernen e.V. is an educational organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of experiential learning programs centered on Education for Sustainable Development (BNE). The organization operates primarily as an educational service provider rather than a technology product company. Its core offerings include Nachmittagskurse (afternoon courses) and Ferienprogramme (holiday programs) for children, BNE-Workshops für Schulen (school workshops), Offene Ganztagsschule (all-day school programs), and Samstagsveranstaltungen (Saturday workshops). These are complemented by specialized programs for different age groups: kindergarten offerings, youth programs including Work & Chill, adult courses featuring World-Life-Balance sustainable action evenings, and dedicated offerings for refugees through the 'Zusammen - together' project. The organization provides Fortbildungen (continuing education) for educators and produces Publikationen (publications) including experiment booklets and teaching materials. Thematically, all offerings fall under four pillars: environmental education/nature, natural sciences, crafts, and art, delivered through an inclusive, experiential learning approach. The organization also runs various projects including Forum Inklusion lebendig machen, Zukunft inklusiv(e), Biodiversitäts-Baustelle, DemokraWie?, and Transform it (using VR technology).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nachmittagskurse und Ferienprogramme (Afternoon Courses and Holiday Programs) Afternoon courses and holiday programs for children held at the barrier-free Tapetenfabrik facility in Bonn-Beuel, delivering experiential learning in natural sciences, crafts, and arts on an inclusive basis.
• Samstagsveranstaltungen (Saturday Workshops) Saturday workshops for children providing diverse hands-on experiences in Education for Sustainable Development topics, accessible via a small material fee thanks to public subsidies.
• BNE-Workshops für Schulen (BNE Workshops for Schools) Education for Sustainable Development workshops delivered to schools of all types in various formats, covering topics such as sustainable consumption and environmental themes.
• Offene Ganztagsschule (OGS) Kurse Semester-length AG courses in natural sciences, crafts, and arts offered as part of extended all-day school programs for grades 1-4 in the Bonn region.
• Kindergarten-Angebote (Kindergarten Experiment Courses) Experiment courses for kindergartens in which young children embark on discovery journeys exploring scientific phenomena through hands-on activities with age-appropriate materials.
• Angebote für Erwachsene (Adult Programs including World-Life-Balance) Craft, artistic, and socio-political courses for adults aged 18 and above, including the World-Life-Balance series of evenings focused on sustainability actions and personal well-being.
• Angebote für Jugendliche (Youth Programs including Work & Chill) Youth programs including the Work & Chill open inclusive youth meeting point offering art, crafts, science, and chill activities every Friday for adolescents aged 10-20.
• Zusammen - together (Refugee Programs) Active meeting point for refugees and their companions offering weekly woodworking, pottery, sewing, painting, drawing, acrobatics, scientific experiments, and cooking in a language-neutral setting.
• Fortbildungen (Continuing Education for Educators) Continuing education programs for teachers, social educators, early childhood educators, and other multipliers covering Education for Sustainable Development, inclusion, and urban wilderness topics.
• Forum Inklusion lebendig machen (Inclusive Leisure Network) Network project strengthening inclusive leisure offerings for children and youth in the Bonn area through networking, practical exchange, and exemplary programs.
• Publikationen und Experimentiermaterialien (Publications and Experiment Materials) Published educational materials including experiment booklets, teacher guides with copy templates for kindergartens, schools, and OGS, covering topics like air, water, flying, plastics, and ponds, available for purchase by educators and institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,400 children and youth directly reached through project-based programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• BIO-DiversemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2020Partner in Stadtwildnis project (May 2020 - April 2023) focused on urban biodiversity and BNE education.
• Forum Inklusion lebendig machen NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA network project strengthening inclusive leisure offerings for children and youth in the Bonn area. Partners include Abenteuer Lernen e.V., Brücke-Krücke e.V., Behinderten-Gemeinschaft Bonn e.V., and Katholische Jugendagentur Bonn gGmbH. Collaborates with City of Bonn Youth Office and Inclusion Office. Funded by City of Bonn.
• BION Biodiversität BonnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides idealistic support for Stadtwildnis biodiversity education project.
• Alanus-Hochschule für Kunst und GesellschaftmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Kunst vertikal project, providing artistic therapy expertise for climbing wall project with students.
• Beueler Initiative gegen FremdenhassminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal initiative against xenophobia collaborating on refugee support programs.
• Komm an - Integration through ParticipationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRW integration program providing financial support and resources for refugee integration activities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Heinz Sielmann Stiftung: Major German environmental foundation funding and operating nature education programs including the Sielmanns Naturlandschaften and biodiversity education projects. Comparable BNE methodology and sustainability focus, with substantially larger funding base and national profile.
• Kinderschutzbund (Deutscher Kinderschutzbund Bundesverband): National child welfare association providing education, family support, and inclusion services across Germany. Comparable as a child-focused nonprofit with BNE-adjacent inclusion work and significant public funding, but with much broader welfare and policy scope.
• BUND (Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland): Major German environmental NGO with federal and state-level structure, operating BNE programs in schools and youth centers. Comparable in mission (sustainability education, BNE delivery) but at much larger national scale and broader programmatic scope.
• Germanwatch e.V. German environmental and development policy organization running BNE programs in schools on climate, sustainability, and global justice. Comparable in BNE methodology and curriculum focus, but oriented more toward political advocacy and policy than direct experiential service delivery.
• NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland): Germany's largest nature and environmental protection association with over 900,000 members, running extensive BNE programs, youth groups, and nature education centers. Comparable as a BNE practitioner with much larger scale and broader geographic reach than Abenteuer Lernen.

Others

• Eine Welt Netz NRW: NRW state-level network coordinating global learning and BNE actors across North Rhine-Westphalia. Directly relevant as the broader ecosystem in which Abenteuer Lerner's NRW Regionalzentrum status sits, and a channel for state-funded BNE initiatives.

Direct peers

• Naturschule Deutschland e.V. National association of German nature schools (Naturschulen) delivering experiential environmental and sustainability education. Closest direct peer to Abenteuer Lerner's discovery-learning methodology, with a federated network structure covering multiple regions.
• NAJU (Naturschutzjugend im NABU): Youth-focused nature and environmental education arm of NABU, delivering hands-on environmental programs for children and adolescents nationwide. Directly comparable target audience, experiential methodology, and BNE orientation, with significantly broader geographic coverage.
• Welthaus Bielefeld e.V. Nonprofit in North Rhine-Westphalia offering experiential global learning, fair trade education, and inclusion-oriented programming for schools and the public. Closely comparable in experiential pedagogy, NRW geography, and BNE/inclusion mission with similar organizational scale.

Emerging players

• Anne Frank Educational Centre (Anne Frank Zentrum Berlin): Educational nonprofit delivering experiential inclusion and human rights programs for schools and youth, including in NRW. Comparable in inclusion-as-foundation methodology and BNE-adjacent human rights education, with a more urban and tour-based delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=40Wbla0osT8
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/abenteuer-lernen-e-v-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Abenteuer Lernen E.V.