End of the SeitenWechsel programme
Our sponsor, the SSCG, will bring the SeitenWechsel programme to an end within one year. At the same time, it is set to examine how the key issues and experiences obtained from the programme can be incorporated into future projects.
For more than 30 years, SeitenWechsel has made it possible for people to meet each other and gain new experiences that would otherwise have rarely happened. During our assignments, people from the worlds of business, administration and social institutions came together for a week and shared what they did in their day-to-day work. For many of those involved, these experiences were formative because they gained new perspectives and enabled experiences that have an impact outside of the assignments.
SeitenWechsel was founded in 1994 by the Swiss Society for the Common Good (SSCG) and has arranged around 4000 assignments since then. As part of the strategic further development of the SSCG, all of the programmes were reviewed to determine what role they would play in the future. The Central Commission and Executive Board of the SSCG has decided to bring SeitenWechsel to an end within one year. Over many years, the programme has achieved its purpose. The key factor in this decision is that the fixed assignment format implemented by SeitenWechsel will only be able to be reconciled with the SSCG’s more project-oriented working methods to a limited extent in future.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the many partners that have supported SeitenWechsel: the social institutions, the companies and the people who have taken part in these assignments. This teamwork has made SeitenWechsel successful.
During the transitional phase, SeitenWechsel will continue to be able to work and the employees will remain part of the SSCG. The key issue addressed by SeitenWechsel—enabling a change of perspective and making social realities visible— remains relevant. The SSCG is examining the form in which such issues can be addressed in other projects in the future.
Although we regret this decision, we are delighted that the issues addressed and experiences gained as part of the SeitenWechsel programme will also be taken up in the future work of the SSCG.
Further information on the new strategic focus of the SSCG is available on the SSCG website.