Between departure and farewell: VHS launches new series of events

On Friday, 24 October 2025, the Bocholt-Rhede-Isselburg Adult Education Centre (VHS) is launching a varied series of events entitled "Between Departure and Farewell", which will run for a good two weeks. The programme is aimed at anyone interested in the topics of new beginnings and farewells, becoming and passing away, mourning and reorientation.

Life and death - two inseparable poles that affect everyone, regardless of age, origin or life situation. An existential field full of questions spans between birth and farewell: Why is the so-called "Golden Hour" - the beginning of our life's journey - so significant?

How do we face the finiteness of life? What ways of coping with grief are open to us, and where do we find new strength in difficult times? What ideas about death exist in different cultures, religions and eras? And how do medical progress, social change and personal experiences influence the way we deal with parting and new beginnings?

These and many other questions are at the centre of a total of twelve events that examine the topic from different perspectives. The programme offers a multifaceted selection: From classic lectures and the "Special Film" to interactive workshops, an interdisciplinary panel discussion and a literary evening with music.

The focus is not always on people: the multivision "Lost Places" (on 8 November, 7:30 pm) takes viewers to forgotten places that have been abandoned to decay for years - a visual journey through melancholy, change and the quiet beauty of the ephemeral.

Experts from the fields of medicine, theology, psychology, law, sociology and cultural studies organise the events. They open up new perspectives and offer space for dialogue, personal reflection and collective thought.

A special service: four of the events take place in accessible rooms with inductive hearing systems. This means that people with hearing impairments can also attend without hearing stress - a hearing aid or CI with T-coil is required.

The series is organised by the VHS in cooperation with Omega Bocholt e.V. and the self-help group for the hearing impaired in the Borken district. Some of the events are free of charge; some can be attended spontaneously, others require prior registration. Reduced or discounted admission fees are made possible by a subsidy in accordance with the NRW Continuing Education Act.

Detailed information on all dates, venues and conditions of participation can be found in the current VHS programme or online at: www.vhs-bocholt.de. The flyer for the series is available at LernWerk Bocholt, Industriestr. 1.