After completing her Masters in American Studies at the University of Iowa, USA, and working as a horse trainer and shepherdess in Iceland, Jennifer Busch was a teacher at an elementary school in inner-city Hamburg, Germany. There, she learned that kids love learning; and that our schools do not always meet this goal. Thus in 2012, Jennifer and her friends Charlotte and Hannah started climb-Lernferien, a program for disadvantaged elementary school kids. The NGO’s mindset of strength-orientation as a way to help people discover their skills and confidence gives kids and aspiring teachers the tools to overcome systemic roadblocks in the educational system. Today, the climb is a growing social business that reaches over 3,500 kids per year.
After creating the pedagogical concept of climb-Lernferien, Jennifer built the project management, and raised over 3 million Euro for scaling the climb-Lernferien to more than 10 German cities. She lives in Hamburg with her husband and son (5) and loves swimming, reading, and spending time with family and friends.
