“Spreading the Cheer”

The Migros Club School dates back to 1944, when language courses were offered in Zurich to members of the cooperative for the first time ever. Today, it is the biggest institution for adult education in Switzerland and receives about half the budget of the Migros Culture Percentage.

What began modestly in 1944 with language courses developed into comprehensive further education programmes under the Migros Club Schools label. In line with the idea of «meaningful leisure time», other artistic disciplines were added in the first year, ranging from painting and modelling, to carving and weaving. As Migros explained, «the Swiss musical soul, hiding in fear of convention and sobriety, should be freed to vibrate and bloom.»
All kinds of practical lessons for daily life soon followed, such as cooking classes for bachelors, dance lessons for the young at heart, cosmetology for women, driving lessons in a virtual driver’s cockpit, as well as «typing for the home». Sports on offer became increasingly popular – especially horseback riding, fencing, sailing and water sports that had, up until then, been beyond members’ financial means.
Today, in about fifty Club School centres, some 7000 teachers give approximately 600 courses to about 450,000 course participants. Since their inception, the language courses alone have grown to include thirty different languages.