In this project we organized two deliberative events with German radicalizing citizens that on the internet had shown sympathy for right wing populist standpoints. The prime goal of the project was to find new ways to get into contact with citizens that see themselves as political alienated or unrepresented, and to reengage them in the democratic discourse. We particularly explored the possibilities of social media, also trying to counter the much discussed “filter bubbles” or “echo chambers” where people predominantly receive messages that reaffirm and strengthen their pre-existing opinions. Together with the participants, we wanted to examine their take on contemporary society – which problems, challenges, opportunities and perspectives they see, and how these hang together. More information on this project can be found here. A summary of the project is available here.

As in 2016, in 2017 we organized six series of workshops for volunteers and social workers involved in integration work in Brandenburg, Berlin, Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia. In these workshops, we illustrated the ideas and methods of deliberation and explained how constructive issues such as democracy, freedom, tolerance, identity, gender equality, or (homosexual) sexuality can be deliberatively discussed with citizens from other cultures. This project was made possible by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). A description of the project (in German) is available here.. For more information about a part of the project in Potsdam, click here.

Our first project, "Understanding Germany", was funded by the Integration Commissioner of the State of Brandenburg and the Brandenburg State Center for Civic Education. In this pilot project, we have organized several workshops in which we deliberately discussed the values, ideas and perspectives that many consider constitutive of European cultural tradition and identity with refugees arriving in 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 of migrants in the German population.

The young men, who participated in the project, regularly met with "buddys" (slightly older German or German-speaking men) for more than 6 months to gain better insights and understanding, contacts and implicit knowledge of the local society. The entire project description can be provided upon request. A short version is available here.

In a third project that we carried out in 2016, we taught volunteers and social workers involved in integration work in the methodology of deliberation and discussed together the normative values ​​that are important in the context of integration. Accordingly, we build examples of the deliberation course to focus on discussing the core issues of integration such as equality, tolerance or freedom. In this course we wanted to eliminate the uncertainties shared by many European citizens when it comes to justifying and articulating the values ​​of society. These ambiguities and uncertainties often cause unclear impressions for newcomers and therefore hinder integration. The project was funded by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. A description of the project in German is available here.