Erlenhof (Reinach BL)

Living

In four residential groups and individual youth apartments, young people organize their everyday life and leisure time together under socio-pedagogical guidance.

By moving into an external apartment in the region, the young people can take a further step towards independence following internal living.

Various leisure activities during the week as well as on weekends uncover new interests and talents of the young people.

Family Placement Forum

Young people live in selected families with agricultural or commercial businesses in Switzerland, which allows them to gain new experiences and distance from their previous lifestyle in a manageable setting. The families are selected by us according to defined criteria, are bound by contract and receive regular support. They attend our regular, specially adapted, internal training events.

Family, orientation, reflection, upheaval and courage for new things - in short FORUM - are the moving guiding principles. The stay in the host families for a shorter or longer period of time is suitable for crisis intervention, pauses for reflection and for the development of new life perspectives; goals and length of stay are coordinated individually.

**experiential education

With experiential education, young people experience life in the great outdoors. Under simple conditions, possibilities and limits of the environment, the group and the own person are experienced. This intensive confrontation helps the young people to further develop their personality and to learn new ways of solving conflicts. Taking on responsibility and the experience of mastering a special challenge strengthens self-confidence in one's own abilities and resources.
Experiential education is intended as an intervention that brings movement into entrenched patterns of behavior and thinking. The offer is therefore also suitable as a development-oriented supplement in the context of a home stay or a family placement as well as for crisis intervention in particularly difficult phases of life.

Therapeutic offers Personal development with complementary therapeutic offers.

Therapeutic offer

Individually coordinated verbal and non-verbal forms of therapy (for example, painting, theater games, individual and group discussions) serve to reinforce the personality-building effect of the socio-pedagogical offers of Erlenhof. Conversation and regular contact with parents are also important to us.

**Pedagogical offer

Living** Living in supervised residential groups and youth apartments on the Erlenhof premises and in external rental apartments in the region.

Forum Family Placement A time-out in selected families in Switzerland for crisis intervention, pauses for reflection and development of new life perspectives.

Adventure pedagogy Experiential education settings are carried out as part of the residential group activities.

Gardening

The Erlenhof nursery is primarily a landscape gardening company that maintains the diverse Erlenhof landscaping. We also undertake comprehensive garden maintenance work as well as alterations to customer gardens. In addition, we offer professional fruit tree pruning.

Potted plants for private customers are overwintered in our spacious greenhouses. In addition, summer flowers, vegetables and berries are produced for the youth center's own needs.

Apprenticeship opportunities Landscape gardener (apprenticeship) Gardener (apprenticeship)

Kitchen

The kitchen feeds the people who live and work at Erlenhof. It attaches great importance to a balanced diet and the use of regional, healthy products. Food comes partly from the Erlenhof itself or, as far as possible, is sourced directly from farms in the region.

In our beautiful theater hall we can host festive occasions for up to 80 guests. In addition, the kitchen operates a bakery and, on request, a banquet service for smaller occasions.

Apprenticeship opportunities Cook (apprenticeship) Kitchen employee (certificate)

Horse stable

The Erlenhof Horse Stable is a boarding stable for about twenty horses, which are accommodated in large bright boxes as well as in a free stall.

Twelve hectares of meadowland are available for grazing. The immediate surroundings form a beautiful, spacious riding area, which invites to extended rides. The illuminated riding arena and the indoor riding arena are used for working with the horse. Qualified employees take care of the species-appropriate care of the animals.

The pension stable also includes suckler cow husbandry with Scottish Highland cattle ("Highlands"). Purebred breeding animals are available for sale, as well as beef from species-appropriate, extensive husbandry. As the first breeding farm in Switzerland (since 1988) we have a lot of experience and are therefore in a position to give you qualified advice on all questions concerning the keeping, care and breeding of the "Highlands".

Apprenticeship opportunities Farmer (apprenticeship) Agricultural practitioner (certificate) Horse keeper (certificate)

Fitter

The Erlenhof locksmith's store is a very extensively equipped locksmith and metalworking store with generous mechanical equipment.

The company also has its own forge and a department for sheet metal working.

We attach particular importance to personal consultation and individually designed cooperation with our clients.

The offer includes all metal construction works such as stairs, railings, passerelles, doors and gates, canopies and winter gardens, metal furniture such as tables and stools, window grilles, containers and the like.

Our blacksmith shop specializes in restoration work and also produces decorative artistic wrought iron work in both classic and modern designs. Our specialties also include custom-made items of any kind, especially in the combination of glass and metal.

Apprenticeship opportunities Metalworker (apprenticeship) Metalworker (certificate)

Carpentry

Due to the good mechanical equipment of the Erlenhof carpenter's workshop we are able to do all carpenter's work ourselves - with the exception of window construction.

In our company we attach great importance to individual and personal customer service.

The offer of our joinery includes all general joinery works. This includes semi-finished products for industry, integrated interior furnishings in public and private buildings, market stalls for municipalities and private individuals, kitchen fixtures as well as all kinds of custom-made products according to individual wishes.

Apprenticeship opportunities Carpenter (apprenticeship) Carpenter (certificate)

Technical service

The Technical Service at Erlenhof is responsible for the smooth functioning of infrastructure facilities on the entire Erlenhof premises.

We monitor and maintain complex systems such as the fire alarm systems and heating systems of the various buildings.

In addition to building services, our varied field of work also includes the maintenance of buildings and equipment. We carry out simple maintenance and repair work on machines, equipment and buildings.

Very important for us are basic knowledge about environmental protection and recycling.

Apprenticeship opportunities Maintenance specialist (apprenticeship) Caretaker (apprenticeship)

**School

Regular class - Factory school** Our goal is to enable the young person to return to school. The young person should experience that he is accepted with all his strengths and weaknesses. A school assessment at the beginning shows him where he stands, what he can do and where he still has gaps. We take a resource-oriented approach, pick up the young person where he stands and build on what he can do. The school level (regular class - factory school) and the workload for starting school are determined. The subject matter taught is based on the curricula of the canton of Baselland.

A young person entering Erlenhof usually spends the first period in the training workshop. This gives him the opportunity to settle in at Erlenhof, and the subsequent program (school - training workshop - finding a profession - working in the companies) is initiated.