His solution at a glance: Families with young children particularly face multiple challenges during the Coronavirus crisis. Volker Baisch launched a new platform to support families and fathers around the topic of reconciliation of family and work during Corona times. This platform collects information, tools, webinars, and podcasts on how to actively shape and overcome the current private and professional challenges. It also provides free counselling services for fathers.

The mission of the social enterprise before Corona:

Building a society in which working men can live in a lively relationship with their children: A society where children and careers are no longer in competition with each other – neither for women nor for men. 

What changed with Corona?

With all the measures and the situation of lockdown, family life faces many challenges. New routines and home schooling need to be established within a very short amount of time. This can turn family life and work-life-balance upside down. 

Working from home and home schooling is particularly challenging for families with young children during the lockdown situation. Balancing work and family is now even more difficult to achieve. Additionally, families are dealing with high levels of uncertainty during this time and need support to avoid traumatic experiences such as partnership conflict or burnout.  

The Väter gGmbH is strengthening fathers and their families so that they don’t feel completely overwhelmed and isolated and find a good way on how to distribute childcare equally so they don’t fall back on traditional role models. Therefore, Volker and his team launched a support platform for families and fathers offering concrete help. The platform offers information, tools, webinars, podcasts, and free counselling services. The goal: Actively shape and overcome the current private and professional challenges. 

Ashoka: “How are you dealing with the situation and what is your biggest personal worry?” 

Volker: “Conflicts in families and relationships – including partnership violence – increase massively during lockdown – that’s what the data from China shows. Many are afraid that the same will happen in Germany, too. Our aim is to reach fathers in order to offer solutions on how to keep the stress level down and create a healthy family environment – even in times of lockdown and many uncertainties.”  

Ashoka: “What is inspiring you and giving you hope that we can overcome this crisis?” 

Volker: “One thing that gives me hope is how fast ideas and initiatives on how to support families during this crisis are emerging. Also, the fact that we have a strong, active network that comes up with creative ideas and keeps a positive spirt is inspiring. 
During the last 10 years we built up a large company network, that helps us to have access to hundreds of fathers. This network consists of cooperation partners on different levels and good connections to politics. Together with our network of highly qualified consultants we set up the website, pro-bono webinars, expert podcasts and consulting for fathers in no time. 

There are many organizations in the field of combining work and family life that join forces, launch online petitions and develop new digital networking spaces. We help to push forward many of these initiatives and we are currently experiencing a new level of activism, social transformation and community, to strengthen families in this crisis.”