The FollowYourTalent Foundation wants to encourage people in all stages of their lives to identify their own needs, strengths and weaknesses. In contrast to the classical talent promotion, which often involves individual excellence, the Foundation supports and promotes people to take unusual paths in life, against inner and outer elements of resistance.
We are absolutely convinced: everybody has his or her own skills and talents. But these are not always obvious and easily identifiable. Many young people leave school without ever asking themselves the question: What do I really want? What interests ME? What is right for ME and what are MY strengths and weaknesses? The FollowYourTalent Foundation would like to help by means of a variety of projects in identifying and using your own talents in an optimal and targeted-oriented manner. In this process, supportive supervision is at the forefront of our activities. We illuminate the life paths of known and unknown figures who have discovered their talents (often in a roundabout way) and organize lectures and workshops with them. In addition, we provide support on both a non-material and material level for individual projects to develop your own talents.
The charitable foundation is fully funded by its own funds as well as donations and endowments.
In 2022, the FollowYourTalent Foundation provided free character strengths workshops to more than 2,300 youth in five German states.
find out more >
The well-known Benedictine priest and best-selling author Dr. Anselm Grün in dialogue with the Foundation founders on the great questions of life.
find out more >With the support of the foundation, the surgical clinic SEDEGO became a reality in Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries in the world. A clinic with a completely free treatment option.
find out more >Jenni, a 2019 high school graduate, would like to use her passions in her career choice, but how? For FollowYourTalent she talks about how she wants to go about it, her experiences, and where life is taking her.
find out more >Three students and their mentor had a vision: “Gedanken, die bewegen” (Ideas that Move) or “Lassen sich Rollstühle tatsächlich nur mit Gehirnströmen lenken?” (Can Wheelchairs Really Be Moved with Brainwaves?)
find out more >As part of a weekend bursary organized by the Foundation in Munich, three entrepreneurs reported in detail in a small circle how they made their dream their profession.
find out more >The FollowYourTalent Foundation was founded by Thomas Falkenstein and Martin Behrens in 2013.
“Again and again, we both met people during the course of our life who have fascinated us to an extraordinary extent . People that have conveyed, with their actions, their charisma or simply their view of life, that they have “achieved” something in the truest sense of the word. At ease with themselves, close to their ideals, and full of energy and the joy of life. Although in many different fields, these people always had one thing in common: their passion! Passion for an idea, for a project, for a company, for voluntary work. All of them used their individual strengths to drive “what’s important to them” forward. And what we also noticed: usually, these people were not exactly the classic “straight-A students” during their years of schooling. Rather, they were individualists, often “oddballs” or even those who were often dismissed by their classmates as “wackos”.
With our Foundation, we would like to encourage young people in particular to go their own way by helping them to become aware of their individual strengths, but also their weaknesses. We want to create meeting places, where people who have found their way share personal experiences, and thus inspire and motivate others.”
You can also support the work of the FollowYourTalent Foundation by donating time or money.
If you want to encourage young people and pass on valuable experiences from your own life or career history, then we are looking forward to hearing from you, as well as to your suggestions and ideas concerning the Foundation’s work.