On behalf of the district administration of Teltow-Fläming (Brandenburg), we tried to strengthen cooperation in refugee work through stronger networking of the actors in this district. We already went through a similar process in 2021 in a small community in this district. We first examined the situation of the refugees currently living in transitional homes. Based on the findings, we then brought stakeholders together on a regular basis to discuss how to improve the situation. Participants in the discussions included the shelter managers, social workers, volunteers, political decision-makers from municipalities, the district administration and Brandenburg, representatives of civil society organizations, the job center, the immigration authorities and representatives of the refugees. This exchange was an attempt to promote the desired coordination and cooperation. In the discussions, we dealt with various topics one after the other: Housing, work, German language skills, education and vocational training, children and daycare centers, health and psycho-social problems, and counseling and motivation. The Future Conference was quite successful, which is why the district administration wanted to implement the process with interested communities throughout Teltow-Fläming. On our first project we published an end report here. The project in Teltow-Fläming inspired the publication Migration Policy on the Run (November 2023) Information on this book and the research that informed it, is here.

Social Science Works participated in the Erasmus+ KA2 project ”Building Inclusive Societies” (2020-3-PT02-KA205-007427). Project holder was Agora Aveiro, based in Portugal and specialized in citizens empowerment. Other partners were Psychosocial Innovation Network from Serbia and Mentor from Croatia. PIN is specialized in psychological interventions and counseling, as well as research and advocacy. The NGO Mentor is active in education.

The general objective of this strategic partnership was the exchange of good practices aimed to enhance the social inclusion of migrants and refugees in the receiving countries. Goals were capacity building of partners; exchanging theoretical and practical knowledge, and raising awareness of the local communities about the difficulties and challenges newcomers face.

The project run for almost two years and also included many young people active in the field of migration and integration. An example is here.

In Germany, people are excluded, threatened or attacked because of their origin or other characteristics. This ranges from everyday discrimination to hate speech on the Internet to violent attacks and murder. Not only schools are affected. Public agencies such as job centers, social welfare offices, residents’ registration offices and civil society organizations are also confronted with “Group-related misanthropy”. Employees and volunteers must be enabled to react adequately and to question their own unconscious mechanisms.

But what exactly are the mechanisms behind such behaviors and thought patterns?  How do prejudices arise? How do we recognize discrimination? What can we learn from historical examples and their reappraisal? As in the previous years, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) supported in 2023 and 2022 our two-day training sessions on discrimination and racism. We implemented the project in Magdeburg, Berlin and Potsdam. The training aims to inform educators, employees in institutions and organizations and volunteers in civil society organizations in detail about racism and discrimination as well as other forms of group-related hostility towards people and to educate them about the socio-psychological, historical and sociological backgrounds. Furthermore, we want to impart skills and conversation strategies in order to be able to deal with it better in everyday professional life, but also in private and in civil society. The discussion strategies should help to change perspectives, to expose mechanisms and inconsistent argumentation, and to provide arguments to refute group-related misanthropy.

In this project, facilitated by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, citizens discuss Europe. We aim to foster a deeper understanding of the foundations of democratic participation and the values of the European Union among our participants and to promote a dialogue between them and decision-makers. There will be eight two-hour deliberative workshops with different target groups to discuss the European Union, another meeting with elected representatives from the eight workshops, and another deliberative workshop with EU parliamentarians and these representatives. In this last meeting at the Foreign Office in Berlin the suggestions, questions and ideas of the citizens will be discussed.

The overall goal of our project is to address the lack of discussion and insight regarding the European Union while creating a space for people to make their voices heard and engage with decision makers. We aim to encourage people from Berlin and Brandenburg to think about the European Union, democracy and their role and responsibility as citizens and to promote political participation through deliberative exchange with others as well as EU decision makers. The democratic involvement of people from Berlin and Brandenburg is not only beneficial for them, but would also give EU parliamentarians and other decision makers a valuable insight into people’s hopes, concerns and ideas about democracy and the European Union.

Social Science Works joined forces with Instytut Przeciwdziałania Wykluczeniom (Institute for Counteracting Exclusions) in Toruń, Poland, and Social Hub in Sofia, Bulgaria. Together we implemented the project “Equality University” which was made possible by the Erasmus + program of the European Union. The aim was to build a strategic partnership with non-governmental organizations from Poland, Bulgaria and Germany, through the exchange of good practices and experiences in the field of counteracting the exclusion of non-heteronormative and refugee people. The culmination of the project was the organization of an International Youth Exchange in Poland in 2023. A report on this is here.

After successfully implementing a children’s project in 2022 with support from the Deutschen Kinderhilfswerk, we significantly expanded our activities in this area in 2023. The original project in Rangsdorf was first extended with the support of the Kinderhilfswerk, and then continued with the support of the Municipality of Rangsdorf. Reports of this can be found here and here. In addition, the Deutsche Postcode Lottery (FA-11408) supported the formation of four similar groups in Teltow Stadt (2), Ludwigsfelde and Werder. The ideas behind the project are that refugee and trauma experiences, language deficits, living conditions in shelters and non-attendance at day care centers lead to significantly lower educational opportunities and future prospects for refugee children. Groups of 10 children each aged 5 to 10 were therefore formed with children from transitional homes. For six months, they are supervised for 2-3 hours a week by two social pedagogues. The focus is on strengthening self-determination, self-control and language skills, creative play and getting to know the outside world.

“OUR EUROPE FOR ALL – Youth discuss Europe amongst each other and with EU parliamentarians” is a deliberative dialogue project involving twenty schools in Berlin and Brandenburg aligned with the guiding themes of the 8th cycle of Erasmus+ Youth Dialogue: space for democracy and participation. The project’s aim is to encourage democratic participation among young Europeans by providing them with the space to deliberate on the European Union and on their civic responsibilities, to reflect on the outcome of these exchanges and to bring forward their findings and discuss them with EU Parliamentarians. The project’s initial phase of workshops conducted in each school will involve 500 students overall, between the ages of 15 and 18. They will participate in deliberations on the ideas that underlie the European ideal and project, reflecting together on their role and responsibilities as citizens. Following these exchanges, twenty elected student representatives will meet to prepare a report on the outcomes of the workshops. This report will serve in a deliberative conference organised with EU Parliamentarians where the student representatives will discuss their peers’ ideas, concerns, and reflections on the European Union with decision makers. The project will have local, regional and European impacts: youth in Berlin and Brandenburg will be engaged in political participation and will connect and dialogue amongst themselves and with EU Parliamentarians. EU Parliamentarians will gain insight into youth reflections on and concerns about the European Union. Following the project, a report on encouraging civic participation among young people will be written and it will compile best practices on leading deliberation workshops with youth. This has been made available for all here.

Social Science Works is beginning a series of workshops by women for women in a Rangsdorf refugee accommodation. The innovative aspect of this workshop is the interweaving of deliberative discussion with approaches from theater pedagogy to promote inner mobility. Deliberation means an open exchange of opinions aimed at better understanding one’s ideas and views, putting them into context, and enriching them with alternative perspectives. Often, however, cognitive exploration alone has its limits especially when participants have little experience with such rounds of discussion. Approaches from theatre can help to make the topics and questions  affectively perceptible and to communicate playfully what would otherwise have remained unspoken. Through theater one promotes the ability to concentrate, as well as to become aware of one’s own body and voice.

We aim to make women more aware of their strengths and to encourage them to reflect on their role in our society. We would like to encourage women to reflect on themselves; strengthen their body awareness, and thus, their self-perception; inform them about their rights and possibilities for shaping their lives in Germany; understand and reflect on role-patterns together; jointly process experiences of discrimination; and talk about values like freedom, equality, and respect.

The series starts with 12 meetings. It is important to us that the meetings and discussions take place at eye-level and in a protected space. We do not want to teach from above and are convinced that we will learn a lot as well. This social gathering exclusively among women is intended to create an atmosphere of trust in which deeper conversations are possible. Accordingly, we will provide a cozy atmosphere with coffee and delicious food. For a blog-article about the previous project in Potsdam, click here.

Despite a consistently high approval of the democratic model, more and more young people appear to be dissatisfied with it. Due to a lack of trust, they provide little support for existing democratic structures and are difficult to mobilize politically. Through targeted educational  programs this group must be familiarized with different forms of political participation. These programs should be geared to the lifestyles of the young people concerned: more practice-oriented, time-sensitive, more focused on concrete events, more interactive and with increased use of social media.

The aim of this project is the activation, motivation and empowerment of young people for common social and political engagement. Building on our deliberative democracy and integration projects of recent years, we are expanding our deliberative approach. Together with our participants we will organize deliberative events to discuss pregnant social issues.

We will form four groups of 10 to 15 young people between 16 and 25 years old in the rural regions of Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt. We offer the participants training to reflect on the fundamental values that hold our societies together, as well as training in the functions and workings of civil organizations and activities. We also discuss how social media can be used for civil society activities. Following this training, the groups will explore and discuss an issue of their own choice over a period of six months. After this period, there will be a deliberative event on the chosen issue, independently organized by the group.

More information about the project can be found here. An end report is available in Dutch and in German.

In 2021, we again implement series of workshops with refugees. As in previous years, we will discuss themes like democracy, freedom, pluralism, civil society, identity, discrimination, racism, gender equality and homosexuality. With the support of the Partnerschaft für Demokratie in Teltow-Fläming and the German Red Cross we will implement a dozen workshops with recently arrived refugees in Wünsdorf (Brandenburg). For an interview about the previous project in 2020 click here. A short report on this project is here. In 2021, with the support of the municipality of Rangsdorf (Brandenburg), we will also implement a dozen workshops with people living already for some years in the two local refugee homes. For an overview of our deliberative approach, click here.

In 2020, we again implemented series of workshops with refugees. With the support of the German Red Cross and the Partnerschaft für Demokratie in the Landkreis Teltow-Fläming we continued our deliberations in the refugee home in Wünsdorf, Brandenburg. The refugees living in this home most of the time arrived no longer than one year ago in Germany. This year we visited the home ten times and discussed themes like democracy, freedom, pluralism, civil society, identity, discrimination, racism, gender equality, homosexuality and German culture. For an interview about the project click here. A short report on the project is here. For an overview of our deliberative approach, click here.

Social Science Works implemented in 2020 a series of workshops by women for women in a Potsdam refugee accommodation. The innovative aspect of this workshop is the interweaving of deliberative discussion with approaches from theater pedagogy to promote inner mobility. Deliberation means an open exchange of opinions aimed at better understanding one’s ideas and views, putting them into context, and enriching them with alternative perspectives. Often, however, cognitive exploration alone has its limits especially when participants have little experience with such rounds of discussion. Approaches from theatre can help to make the topics and questions affectively perceptible and to communicate playfully what would otherwise have remained unspoken.

We aim to make women more aware of their strengths and to encourage them to reflect on their role in our society. We would like to encourage women to reflect on themselves; strengthen their body awareness, and thus, their self-perception; inform them about their rights and possibilities for shaping their lives in Germany; understand and reflect on role-patterns together; jointly process experiences of discrimination; and talk about values like freedom, equality, and respect.

The series encompassed 12 meetings. It is important to us that the meetings and discussions take place at eye-level and in a protected space. We do not want to teach from above and are convinced that we will learn a lot as well. This social gathering exclusively among women is intended to create an atmosphere of trust in which deeper conversations are possible. Accordingly, we will provide a cozy atmosphere, as well as coffee and delicious food. For a blog-article about this project, click here.

Social Science Works adopted in 2019 a school in Hamburg. Instead of one time three days, as we did before, we were present in the school for almost half a year, interacting about two days per month with two groups of adolescents, with different ages. We talked over fundamental values and ideas that keep our societies and communities together and all sorts of discrimination, including racism, anti-Semitism, sexism, and homophobia.

We also had a “Dark Tourism Deliberation Day” in Berlin. Together with our fellow and specialist Asaf Leshem we visited five memorial sites: The Memorial for the Murdered Members of the Reichstag; The Memorial to the Sinti and Roma Victims of National Socialism; The Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe; The Memorial for Homosexuals persecuted under Nazism; and the Memorial and Information Point for the Victims of National Socialist “Euthanasia” Killings (the so called Aktion T4).

In each of the memorials we engaged in discussions on topics of democracy, freedom, discrimination, xenophobia and racism, antisemitism and others. We deliberated these topics through examination of the memorial sites, and through answering such questions as What do they mean to the students? Why were they built? Who were they built for? Why do we commemorate? Why do we commemorate via memorial sites?

The project had been made possible by IN VIA Hamburg (www.invia-hamburg.de) and the Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend. We evaluated the workings of the project via repeated surveys and interviews. The report can be found here.

In 2019, in cooperation with local partners, we organized deliberative workshops in several different schools. The themes were chosen together with teachers and students, depending on the needs and interests of the people involved. Popular were democracy, identity, radicalization, discrimination, racism, sex equality, and homosexuality. This year we cooperated, among others, with schools in Harburg (Hamburg) and Fürstenwalde (Brandenburg). These blog-articles give an impression: Harburg and Fürstenwalde.

Round tables about emancipation in Germany

Salaries, promotion prospects, education, political participation or equal division of domestic work and childcare: the gap between men and women in Germany is still large. Women earn less, suffer more due to their triple duties of family, caring and profession, are more affected by old-age poverty and are underrepresented in politics, economy and science. At the same time, men are under pressure to be the sole provider of the family income. The men’s aspiration to have more time with their children often fails, because of a father-unfriendly company culture or legal practice in divorce and family matters, that still perceives the mother as the main person responsible for children.

Throughout Germany, we organize workshops in order to deliberate with citizens of all societal milieus about gender equality. We invite our participants to talk about equal employment opportunities, equal division of domestic work and new flexible working hours models. We ask among other things about the possible differences between both main sexes, about the personal, social, political and economic costs of gender inequality, as well as what emancipation means for the whole of society, what we could do in order to promote equality and what kind of support we expect from the state.

We present our participants up-to-date information about gender in Germany and other countries. In good deliberative fashion we poll the participants at the beginning as well as at the end of the talks about their ideas and views. In this way we can get an impression of the beliefs present in the German population and whether these beliefs change under the influence of information and discussion. The second poll would give us an indication of what the German population would have had for preferences, when they first had had an informed discussion on the topic of gender equality.

Most of the laws needed for gender equality are installed in Germany, but women and men are still treated unequally. So obviously, the awareness of the problem and the costs of not acknowledging the problem, is low. Therefore, of main importance for the project is to find out how the issue of gender equality could be successfully communicated with the German citizenry

For more information about the project, visit the German pages of this website. For an article about our previous experiences with deliberations on this topic, click here. For the further education we offer on gender equality, click here. An article about our experiences since the autumn of 2019 regarding this project will be published soon.

With the support of the town of Potsdam, we organized and mediated in 2019 ten deliberations of about three hours each with Muslim and non-Muslim citizens of Potsdam. We met twice or once a month and discussed together themes like freedom (of expression, religion, and association), autonomy, emancipation, pluralism, democracy, identity, discrimination, respect, sex equality, our mutual fears, and how we can prevent and counter possible radicalization on both sides. A report on the project can be found here.

Further education for Multiplicators

In cooperation with local partners we implemented in 2019 many two-day deliberative workshops for volunteers, social workers and civil servants involved in democratization, deradicalization, anti-discrimination and integration. We cooperated, among others, with Arbeit und Leben (Fachstelle Migration und Vielfalt – Hamburg), Haus am Maiberg (Politische & Soziale Bildung – Hessen), Flüchtlingshilfe Babelsberg (Brandenburg), Landesjugendring (Brandenburg) and the Kreisverwaltung Mayen-Koblenz (Rheinland-Pfalz). For the current offerings in further education, visit the page Weiterbildung on the German pages.

In 2016, 2017 and 2018 we implemented in total 22 rows of workshops, each with six sessions of about two hours, in which we have discussed with different groups of refugees and locals the ideas, perspectives and values, ​​that many consider constitutive of European culture and identity. The yearly projects were made possible by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, and the Integration Commissioner of the state Brandenburg. The topics of the workshops included: ethical, cultural and political pluralism, humanism, democracy, religious freedom, gender, gender equality, (homo-) sexuality, fears of migrants, and fears for migrants in the German population. For more information about the project and, especially, an overview of our deliberative approach, click here.