ZAK bids farewell as coordinator and member of the German Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation. So far, the German ALF Network has been led by the Goethe Institut on behalf of the Federal Foreign Office and coordinated by ZAK. From 15 February 2022, the Goethe Institute will take over the coordination activities in addition to its leading function.

We would like to thank you for the trust you have placed in us, the enriching exchange with the network members and the opportunity to develop joint projects and activities.

About the Anna Lindh Foundation: The Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for Dialogue between Cultures is the first joint institution of the Barcelona Process, the "Euro-Mediterranean Partnership". The Anna Lindh Foundation sees itself as a network of networks that now brings together more than 4,000 member organisations in 42 Member States working on common programmes and issues. The German network currently has over 190 members. The thematic structuring of the German Network with the working clusters "Migration", "Art and Culture" and "Science" and the conception of the nationwide Network Activity were regarded by the General Secretariat in Alexandria as best practice and could serve as an orientation for other large networks within the ALF.

More about the Anna Lindh Foundation on the network website Website of the Goethe Institute

New contact:
Marc-André Schmachtel
Anna-Lindh-Stiftung∂goethe.de

Get-together of the ALF German Network 

On 31 January 2022, the coordination team of the German ALF Network invited from 16:00 - 17:30 new guests to the second edition of the new online conversation format, which was offered for the first time in September 2021. In this get-together series, members from other ALF networks share insights into their work, their organisation’s mission, and the current situation in their country.

While we hosted Pierre Haddad from the Lebanese Network as a guest in September, we were glad to welcome Lana Hisham from the Palestinian organisation ADWAR - Roles for Social Change Association and Nikos Chrysogelos from WELCOMMON Hostel in Greece as guests for the January meeting. They both were partners in previous activities of the German Network. Lana Hisham was a participant of the info tour to Berlin, which took place in autumn 2019 and in the framework of which also a capacity building for the international and German Network members took place. Nikos Chrysogelo was one of the EuroMed Citizen Reporters, the interview with him can still be watched on the site, as well as the video about his initiative, the Welcommon Hostel.

The coordination team at the ZAK | Centre for Cultural and General Studies at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology also took the opportunity of this meeting to personally say goodbye to the German Network. From now on, the coordination work will be taken over by the German Head of Network, the Goethe-Institut.

Get-together of the ALF German Network with a Lebanese guest

On Tuesday, 28 September 2021, an online meeting of the ALF German Network took place, where we tried out a new informal conversation format, the aim of which is to enable an exchange with member organisations from other networks of the Anna Lindh Foundation in direct conversation.

For this meeting we were glad to have Prof. Dr. Pierre Haddad from the Lebanese ALF Network member SEPT (Save Energy Plant Trees), who reported on the situation in Lebanon and introduced the organisation SEPT. All participants of the meeting commented positively on the first-hand information and the nature of the presentation, and also expressed their interest in participating in further editions of this new format.

After the presentation of our guest, general news from the German and international ALF network were shared with the participants, with a special focus on the deadline extension of the ALF Call Civil Society action for Intercultural Cities and Learning.

The coordination team from Karlsruhe would like to thank all members who contributed to this new format through their active participation. We especially thank our guest, Prof. Dr. Haddad, for his commitment and his openness to actively contributing to the session.

Congratulations to the new director Josep Ferré

Prof. Dr. Caroline Y. Robertson-von Trotha on the short list ex-aequo

The Board of Governors of the 42 EuroMed member states of the Anna Lindh Foundation (representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs) has appointed princess Rym Ali from Jordan as president and Mr. Josep Ferré, General Director at European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMED), as next Executive Director of the Anna Lindh Foundation. We thank HRH princess Rym Ali and congratulate Mr. Josep Ferré, and wish both of them all the best for these exciting, challenging and responsible positions.

Prof. Dr. Caroline Y. Robertson-von Trotha, who was honored to be on the short list of two in the last round of the application process: "It was a great honour to be presented to the Board of Governors set ex-aequo by the selection panel with Josep Ferré. It would of course have been a very special challenge to have been chosen as the first woman in this position and a very great honour to serve the Foundation of which together with my centre I have been an active member since 2006. We remain very confident that we can motivate, mobilize and structure the enormous potential of the Anna Lindh Foundation and its civil society network of networks of more than 4500 civil society organisations, developing the Foundation’s capacity to take on the challenges of deep change and transformation.”

The chairwoman of WIKA at ifa, coordinator of the German network and member of the Advisory Council of the Anna Lindh Foundation congratulates Ferré and wishes him well for a common future: "In these times of deep change and transition I wish the Anna Lindh Foundation with its huge potential of the network of networks all the very best in our common endeavors to bring the mission forward in the coming years."

Our very special thanks and appreciation also go to the outgoing President Élisabeth Guigou for her outstanding work for the Foundation.

"The Scene - Artists in the Mediterranean"

The innovative debate series "The Scene" shares visions and challenges and thereby fosters creative exchanges around the Mediterranean in three episodes on theatre, rap, graffities and cartoons.

The online sessions deliver food for thought during lunchtime and connect the Art Scene to stimulate the Euro-Mediterranean dialogue.

“Elan - new Ideas for Europe” is a unique debate series initiated by the Candid Foundation (Berlin) and Europa Nova (Paris) that aims to create ideas for cultural, social, and political innovation and a sustainable and inclusive forum for the creativity of young European citizens and those of Mediterranean countries. "The Scene" is the third season of Elan which is organised in cooperation with the German network of the Anna Lindh Foundation.

From Tragedy and Comedy to Young Theatre

Thursday, 24 June 2021, 12:30 CEST

Theatre was born in the Hellenic Mediterranean. Today all around the Mediterranean, new innovative forms of theatre are emerging promoting social progress and exchange.

You missed the event? Follow this link to watch the recorded debate:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8jaTBe9KPw

Colourful Expression - Comics, Cartoons and Graffiti

Wednesday, 30 June 2021, 12:30 CEST

Comics, cartoons, and graffiti build bridges from Athens to Istanbul, from Palermo to Alexandria. An expression of youth culture that illustrates the unifying elements of the societal struggles and transformation processes around the Mediterranean.

If you missed the debate with Fikos and Christian Guémy a.k.a. C215, moderated by Robert Chatterjee watch it here

Artistic Outrage - Rap and Young Music

Thursday, 8 July 2021, 12:30 CEST

Corruption, oppression and lack of opportunity - the themes of political rap transcend societies. Rap music channels the desire for chances of a youth under challenging circumstances.

Information can be found here: https://www.elan4europe.eu/

Registration: ALF-Koordination∂zak.kit.edu

COVID-19 as Societal Crises – Challenges and Chances. Research and Civil Society in Exchange

Tuesday, 29 June 2021 I 11 am – 12:30 pm CETI Online

The German network of the Anna Lindh Foundation (ALF) in cooperation with the International Scholars & Welcome Office (IScO) of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) will organise the event "COVID-19 as Societal Crises – Challenges and Chances. Research and Civil Society in Exchange" on Tuesday, 29 June 2021, 11 am – 12:30 pm CET.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to changes and challenges in the relationship between science, politics and (civil) society. The accelerated ‘infodemic‘ has fuelled the debate about (dis)trust in science and (dis)trust in politics. The event wants to give space to the perspective of a Postdoctoral Fellow at KIT and the civil society perspective of a EuroMed Citizen Reporter on the current pandemic-related challenges and discuss these perspectives together.

The event will be held in English and will take place online via the video conferencing tool Zoom.

Preliminary Programme

Tuesday, 29 June 2021 I 11 am – 12:30 pm CETI Online

11:00                                          Words of Welcome

                                                     Prof. Dr. Caroline Y. Robertson-von Trotha, Founding Director of ZAK | Centre for Cultural and General Studies

                                                     at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

11:10                                           Keynote 1: How to Rebuild our (Dis)trust in Science?

                                                    Dr. Ka Ho Lam, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

11:30 – 11:45                             Break

11:45 – 12:15                             Keynote 2: A Vibrant Civil Society and an Absent State: Lebanon Facing COVID-19 

                                                     Larissa Abou Harb, EuroMed Citizen Reporter

12:15 – 12:30                            Discussion and Closing Remarks       

                                                     Moderation: Prof. Dr. Caroline Y. Robertson-von Trotha

Date                            Tuesday, 29 June 2021, 11 am – 12:30 pm CET

Location                      Online, via Zoom

Language                    English

Contact                       alf-koordination∂zak.kit.edu

Registration

• The registration is free of charge and open for all interested parties.
• Please register by filling out this Google form. (Registration deadline: Sunday, 27 June 2021)
• Shortly prior to the event you will receive an access link to Zoom. (By registering for the event, you agree to the use of the video conferencing tool Zoom (see Zoom Privacy Statement)

"EuroMed Citizen Visions" is a short live show offering a wide range of insights into civil society initiatives in Europe and the Mediterranean region. „Citizen Reporters" from Libya, Egypt, Italy and Lebanon will present local activities and initiatives that convey hope, solidarity and visions of an active, diverse and agile international civil society. The "Long Night of Ideas 2021" is also the launch of the publication of a large number of civil society initiatives on the website.

This "best-of-show" of civil society initiatives in the Euro-Mediterranean region reflects how new creative forms of intercultural dialogue, active citizenship and social participation are initiated and shaped at the grassroots and local level – despite partially closed physical borders and limited opportunities for movement and encounter on the ground.

We are pleased to continue this year the “Learning Together” series of online workshops, this time with capacity building offers for all ALF Network members.  

Training on Project Management
“Projects from A to Z”
 

Date: Wednesdays, 05 May, 12 May, 19 May, 26 May and 02 June 2021, each from 4:30 to 7 pm (CET)

Trainer: Yasmin Ouberri Language: English
Location: Zoom   Cost: free of charge

You are a passionate civil society activist, and you want to implement a project together with other cultural actors? Then join the journey “Projects from A to Z”, a training led by the experienced trainer in the field of project management, Yasmin Ouberri. In this training, you will learn about project cycle management and fill each of its phases with your project idea. 

Let’s conceptualize, budget, and implement together.  

Within this five-part workshop series, you will have the opportunity to dive deeper into different project cycle phases and you will gain insights and knowledge about the most relevant steps in each phase. The idea is that you will follow the cycle and define together with the trainer a “prototype” that you hopefully implement together. 
Join and let the adventure begin!

About the trainer: 
Yasmin Ouberri is an experienced professional trainer in the field of international project development and project management, especially in the MENA region. She is passionate about unleashing the potential of young activists, social entrepreneurs and local communities. Therefore, she focuses on supporting cultural and civil society actors within changing societies to strengthen inclusive civic engagement, facilitate knowledge exchange, and build sustainable capacity in the field of financial literacy and project management.

ABOUT THE TRAINING: 

lntercultural competence is the ability to function effectively across cultures, to communicate and cooperate with people from varying cultural backgrounds - at home or abroad. Intercultural competence is a valuable asset in an increasingly globalized world where we are more likely to interact with people from different cultures and countries who have been shaped by different values, beliefs and experiences. (source: Monash University).

Part 1: How do we nurture our idea into a project concept? 

What is our idea about? Who would be interested and relevant stakeholders? With whom do we want to partner up? What do we need to shape it into a concept? In this part of the workshop series, we dive into the initial phase of the project cycle and see how to bring our initial project idea on paper and how to develop a prosperous project concept out of it. We will talk about the first steps of a project, from drafting a draft concept to conducting a stakeholder analysis and identifying potential funding oppor- tunities. 

Part 2: What do we need to turn our concept into a project? 

Assessing needs, risks, and opportunities to implement the project in order to place our project con- cept in the most promising funding context. In this part we evaluate what it needs to make our project a successful one; therefore, we identity activities and think about how to distribute the work packages within our project consortium, relate costs to those activities and plan the initial steps. 

Part 3: Bringing our project to life 

After successfully having connected project activities with financial and human resources to assess what kind of financial support we would need to implement our project, we will talk about the char- acteristics of funding applications. We will talk about the assessment of funding opportunities and how to place our project at the right spot. 

Part 4: Project management at its glance 

We worked out a project plan, we secured funding to implement our project, therefore it is time to shape processes. What does project management mean? What kind of processes are the right ones for your project? We will talk about different tools, standards, and administrative guidelines. We will talk about project management and its core function. Furthermore, we will dedicate some time to talk about communication. Both internal and external. Our guiding question will be “How to make the project visible and communicate meaningful about project activities and results. 

Part 5: It’s all about numbers 

In this last part of the workshop series, we will talk about the most relevant steps in budgeting, project accounting and reporting. What are necessary regulations that we need to follow? How can we nur- ture this into our internal processes? What are the lasts steps when we successfully implemented our project? 
 

Training on intercultural competences 

Trainer: Patrick Gruczkun
Wednesday, 21st April 2021, 9 – 12 am 
 ABOUT THE TRAINER - PATRICK GRUCZKUN (SWEDEN)
 
Patrick is a freelance trainer on intercultural competence and conflict resolution. 
His firm, Samarbetsbolaget is a member of the Anna Lindh Foundation Swedish network. 
He has long experience as intercultural projects manager and education leader and was in charge of the Anna Lindh Foundation network coordination for Sweden from 2011-2016.

ABOUT THE TRAINING: 
 
lntercultural competence is the ability to function effectively across cultures, to communicate and cooperate with people from varying cultural backgrounds - at home or abroad. Intercultural competence is a valuable asset in an increasingly globalized world where we are more likely to interact with people from different cultures and countries who have been shaped by different values, beliefs and experiences. (source: Monash University).
 
The trainer for this session is Patrick Gruczkun who will give an introduction to the concept of Intercultural competence. It will be a training session blending theoretical models with practical examples and storytelling. The basic assumption underpinning the presentation is that "You do not see the World as it is, you see it as you are" and from that assumption we will touch upon topics like migration, diversity, prejudice, value conflicts and human dignity. 
 
The training is structured around “the six steps model of intercultural competence”.  This model sets up a basic framework for intercultural competence. With this as a base we will look at the academic side of the concept and what research from different countries and universities can teach us and we will combine this with lived experiences from mainly Sweden, Germany and Tanzania. 

The training will be divided into three parts. In part one we will address step 1-3 of the model mentioned above. In part 2 we will go throw the remaining steps and in part 3 we will discuss together the topics most pressing to the group attending the training. 

This session will be interactive, if will be quite intense and at the end of it you will have a better understanding of intercultural competence plus a lot of ideas and thoughts to keep processing.   
 

TRAINING CONTENT

• Intercultural competence, what it is and how it works
• Identity and migration
• Culture and cultural differences - as a concept with benefits and limitations
• The danger of the single story – about stereotypes
• Dealing with value conflicts

 
METHODOLOGY
A good balance between theory and practice delivered in a 3hour- long online session via Zoom.

Language: English

Launch of the Intercultural Trends Survey 2020 and Public Policy Forum on Youth and Civil Society in the EuroMed

In the framework of the German EU Presidency on December 2^nd, the Anna Lindh Foundation presents two virtual activities: The Launch of the Intercultural Trends Survey 2020 and Anna Lindh Foundation Public Policy Forum on Youth and Civil Society in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

The latest research on Intercultural Trends will present valuable insights on citizens' appreciation on the new tools. The Survey is the scientific tool to gather the voices of thousands of people from Europe and the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean on their mutual perceptions, attitudes, fears, and aspirations.

Against the backdrop of the Covid19 crisis and new digital formats for cultural mobility and learning, the Public Policy Forum is to formulate concrete policy recommendations and identify good practices to be scaled up by youth and civil society for the future of cooperation in the Euro-Mediterranean region. Moderation by Mr. Jafaar AbdulKarim, Journalist and TV presenter, Deutsche Welle

At the end of the session the Launch of the citizens journalist campaign " “We are still here! EuroMed Citizen Reporters” will be presented. The campaign will be launched officially by Élisabeth Guigou, President of the Anna Lindh Foundation, in a virtual opening ceremony. The virtual storytelling project captures civil societies’ views on life in the Euro-Mediterranean region during and after the current COVID-19 pandemic in short video clips.

The Launch of the Intercultural Trends Survey will take place from 11:00 to 12:30 CET and the ALF Public Policy Forum will take place from 15:00 to 16:45 CET.

Join the event via Livestream here.

Learning Together: Online Workshops by and for the Members of the Anna Lindh Foundation - Organised by members of the German network

In the spirit of further promoting the cooperation, expert knowledge and learning exchange initiatives of our network, we are pleased to start a new series of interactive online workshops organised by members of the German ALF network for all members of the ALF network on topics of diversity and inclusion, intercultural and interdisciplinary skills and transnational cooperation.

The workshops are planned as follows:

Birgit Ellinghaus (alba KULTUR)
Wednesday, August 26^th, 2020 (5pm- 7p.m. CET)

© Birgit Ellinghaus, privat

The Tension between Intangible Cultural Heritage and Superdiversity of Urban Spaces,

In her workshop, Brigit Ellinghaus will cover four aspects: the importance of intangible cultural heritage for the ALF as an institution of intercultural dialogue; urban spaces as places of migration and cultural diversity; urban traditions as a paradoxical construction; and networking in super-diverse contexts.

Fabian Pianka (Deutsche Welle)
Thursday, September 10^th, 2020 (5pm- 7p.m. CET)

© Fabian Pianka, privat

Diversity Management in Times of New Work – Opportunities and Challenges

During this two-hour workshop Fabian Pianka will introduce initiatives for an efficient Diversity Management strategy and discuss the do’s and don’ts of diversity and inclusion in times of New Work realities in an interactive part of the workshop with the participants.

Anne Gueller-Frey (Tür an Tür Integrationsprojekte gGmbH)
Wednesday, October 14^th, 2020 (5pm- 7p.m. CET)

© Anne Gueller-Frey, privat

Presentation of the Network "Integration through Qualification (IQ)" and transnational activities

In Germany, numerous factors cause unemployment approximately twice as high among people with a migration background compared to people without. In recent years, immigration to Germany has risen significantly - coming from other EU countries and from war-torn regions around the world. Many of these people hold professional qualifications or other valuable credentials which are frequently not recognised in Germany. At the same time, skill shortages are becoming increasingly noticeable in Germany.

It is therefore essential to actively use every potential, particularly potential of people with a migration background. This session aims to present the approach of the Network IQ which works to to improve employment opportunities for people with a migration background.

Further information on each of the workshops can be found here.

The online workshops will be held in English. Participation is free of charge for all ALF members. For registration, please send an email with the name of workshop to: ALF-Koordination∂zak.kit.edu.

Now Open for Registration: 3rd Online Euro-Med Debate Competition in August 2020

What is it about?

In the framework of the European Commission’s project Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange, the third Online Euro-Med Debate Competition once again brings together Debate Teams from diverse backgrounds and students from higher education institutions to meet online and debate topics of their choice with the support of a resource network of Debate Team Leaders, Trainers and Adjudicators.

The competition’s dialectical debates will be framed around the current regional and international events such as: the pandemic and post-pandemic issues, online learning, regional security, climate change, human rights, democracy and more.

Why get involved?

Participants practice their dialogue and debate skills, such as active listening and rebutting, finding and formulating arguments, planning, structuring and presenting speeches, broaden their intercultural awareness and improve their English skills.
All Team Leaders and Debaters will be awarded an Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange Online Badge, certifying the skills that they acquire by participating in the competition debates.

Who?

The third Online Euro-Med Debate Competition is open to Debate Team Leaders from the Euro-Mediterranean region and their local Debate Teams.

To participate with your local Debate Team you should meet the following criteria:

• Aged between 18-30 years old and national or resident in one of the eligible countries of the project
• Proven experience as a debater, debate team leader or debate trainer
• Interest in contemporary Euro-Mediterranean issues
• Good English speaking skills
• Ability to train and lead a local debate team

*In case you have already participated previously in the activity as Debater or Team Leader:

• Ability to train and engage a new team in the August 2020 Competition

When?

The weekends August 22nd to 23rd and August 29th to 30th 2020.

How to get involved?:

In case you did NOT participate previously in an Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange Debate Team Leader Training:

1. Please register by July 19th 2020 for the Debate Team Leader Training and choose “English” and the “Competition” track. Select one of the available training sessions.
2. After completing your Debate Team Leader Training, you will be expected to train your Debate Team of 6 Debaters.
3. You will be contacted to register your Debate Team members for the Online Euro-Med Debate Competition by August 14th 2020.

In case you already are a trained Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange Debate Team Leader:

1. Please express your interest in participating in the Online Euro-Med Debate Competition with your Debate Team by July 19th 2020 at 23:59 CEST.
2. In case you haven’t put your Debate Team together yet: Ensure your local training and the registration of your Debate Team for the Online Euro-Med Debate Competition before August 12th 2020.

If you already have an account on the Exchange Portal and cannot log in/register for the Debate Team Leader Training, or if you have further questions about the project, please contact: debate-exchange∂zak.kit.edu.

The Online Euro-Med Debate Competition is organised by the Anna Lindh Foundation, member of the Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange consortium, composed by: Search for Common Ground, UNIMED, Sharing Perspectives Foundation, Soliya, UNICollaboration, Kiron Open Higher Education, and Migration Matters.

Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange is part of the Erasmus+ programme, providing an accessible, ground-breaking way for young people to engage in intercultural learning. Working with Youth Organisations and Universities, the project is open to any young person aged 18-30 national or resident in Europe and the Southern Mediterranean.

New Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange - Debate Exchange Cycles Starting on May 30 and June 6

Please find further information on Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange here 
Register as soon as possible.

What is it about?
Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange – Debate Exchange brings together young interested people between 18 and 30 years of age from diverse backgrounds to meet online and debate topics of their choice with the support of a resource network of debate Team Leaders, Trainers and Adjudicators.
Debate discussions will be framed around current social challenges and world events such as: the Arab Spring, democratic rights, education, climate change, immigration and power dynamics, amongst other topics

Participants are led through each cycle beginning with a Team Leader Training which provides a better understanding of the intercultural youth-led debate methodology and is equipping participants with debate and dialogue techniques.

When?
The newly added English Cycle begins with a Team Leader Training on 30th May 2020 from 10am to 4pm.
A new French Cycle begins with a Team Leader Training on 6th June 2020 from 10am to 4pm.

Participant’s Profile:
To participate in Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange – Debate Exchange, you should fulfil the following criteria:

• Aged between 18-30 years old and national or resident in one of the eligible countries of the project,
• Interest in contemporary political, social, cultural or economic issues,
• Good English speaking skills,
• Ability to train and lead a local debate team.

Please find further information on the Team Leader Trainings and registration links here:

https://europa.eu/youth/erasmusvirtual/activity/debate-team-leader-training_en
Contact
If you have any further questions to the program, please do not hesitate to send an email to debate-exchange∂zak.kit.edu.

This flag-ship initiative is established under a contract with the Education, Audiovisual, and Culture Executive Agency; Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange is part of the Erasmus+ programme and is financed by the European Union. The project is implemented by a consortium composed of Search for Common Ground, the Anna Lindh Foundation, UNIMED, the Sharing Perspectives Foundation, Soliya, UNICollaboration, Kiron Open Higher Education, and Migration Matters. Visit the Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange Hub on the European Youth Portal to learn more about this ground-breaking project.

21^st meeting of the German Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation

Thursday, 25 June 2020, online

The 21^st meeting of the German network of the Anna Lindh Foundation took place online due to the current measures against Covid-19.

In addition to news from the international and national network, a retrospective overview of the network activities in 2019 and forward-looking about planned projects and activities of the German network was provided.

In 2019, we were able to bring together organisations and people again, creating a wide range of opportunities for exchange and joint project ideas through several activities including: the co-organisation of the Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange programme; our information trip to Berlin (17^th-21^st of November 2019) with the topic "Strengthening Cross-border Approaches of Cooperation in Civil Society" and with workshops for the participating members of the German network such as IMPACT e.V., Kreisau-Initiative e.V. and Digital Arabic Network; the WIKA Workshop 2019, which took place in cooperation with the ifa (Institute for Foreign Relations) under the theme "The Role of Civil Society in Cultural Relations" in Stuttgart (26^th of November 2019) as well as a live debate organised by the Young Mediterranean Voices (YMV) as a preliminary event of the WIKA Workshop 2019, in which the role of "Youth as a central actor of civil society" was discussed together with the audience.

We are particularly pleased about the launch of the "Intercultural Dialogue Resource Centre" by the Anna Lindh Foundation. This hub serves as a platform to make visibility and accessibility of research, best practices, learning activities, experience and expertise as well as events on topics of intercultural dialogue, exchanges, civil society engagement and current trends and developments in the Euro-Mediterranean area. The platform also offers a variety of opportunities for exchange and networking with other – spatially and thematically close – national and international ALF members.

We are also looking forward to the third Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange Online Euro-Med Debate Competition (on the 22^nd, 23^rd, 29^th and 30^th of August 2020) and to our planned further (pilot) projects and events, which will further promote and make the experiences and expert knowledge as well as the cooperation and mutual learning of our network members even more visible.

For this purpose, online trainings for the members of the German ALF network, which will be provided by members of the network, are planned on topics such as diversity, inclusion and intercultural competence management. We are also looking forward to the activities of the Anna Lindh Foundation planned for December 2020 within the framework of the German Presidency, as well as the kick-off of a new series of our network activity "Mediterranean on the Spot" planned for spring 2021.

Following our review and outlook, we were also able to gain insights into current projects of our member organisations, of the Institute for Sustainable Education and Development (ISEDE), the Kreisau-Initiative e.V., the German Youth Hostel Association – Hauptverband für Jugendwandern und Jugendherbergen e.V. and the Positive Nett-Works e.V., under the program "We are Anna Lindh!".

We are pleased that we have again been able to win many new members for our German network and for the mission of the Anna Lindh Foundation and we would like to thank Elisa Gamberini (ISEDE), Paulina Jaskulska (Kreisau Initiative e.V.), Gunnar Grüttner (German Youth Hostel Association – Hauptverband für Jugendwandern und Jugendherbergen e.V.) and Heiner Benking (Positive Nett-Works e.V.) and all other participants for their dedicated participation in our online network meeting and the insights into their varied and inspiring work!

Online Euro-Med Debate Competition II on 18th/19th & 25th/26th April 2020

Please find the call for participation here
Register before 29th March  (or before 22nd March if you already are a trained Debate Team Leader)

What is it about?
Building up on the successful first edition in 2019, the activity will bring together debate teams from diverse backgrounds and students from higher education institutions to meet online and debate topics of their choice with the support of a resource network of debate Team Leaders, Trainers and Adjudicators.
Debate discussions will be framed around current social challenges and world events such as: the Arab Spring, democratic rights, education, climate change, immigration and power dynamics, amongst other topics

When?
During two week-ends in April: 18-19 and 25-26, participants will engage in intercultural online debates, and will practice the essentials of effective communication, building arguments, listening and rebutting, structuring and presenting of speeches, intercultural awareness, and will be able to enhance their English language skills.

Profile of participants:
Participation in the second Online Euro-Med Debate Competition is open to Debate Team Leaders from the Euro-Med region and their local teams.
To participate with your team in the competition, you should fulfil the following criteria:

• Aged between 18-30 years old and national or resident in one of the eligible countries of the project,
• Proven experience as a debater, debate team leader or debate trainer,
• Interest in contemporary Euro-Mediterranean issues,
• Good English speaking skills,
• Ability to train and lead a local debate team.

If you did NOT participate previously in an Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange Debate Team Leaders Training:  Register by 29th March 2020
If you already are a trained Debate Team Leader in the frame of Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange: Please express your interest to by 22nd March 2020

Please find further information and registration links here:

https://europa.eu/youth/erasmusvirtual/news/second-online-euro-med-debate-competition-18-19-25-26-april-2020_en

This flag-ship initiative is established under a contract with the Education, Audiovisual, and Culture Executive Agency; Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange is part of the Erasmus+ programme and is financed by the European Union. The project is implemented by a consortium composed of Search for Common Ground, the Anna Lindh Foundation, UNIMED, the Sharing Perspectives Foundation, Soliya, UNICollaboration, Kiron Open Higher Education, and Migration Matters. Visit the Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange Hub on the European Youth Portal to learn more about this ground-breaking project.

Anna Lindh MedForum 2020

Šibenik, Croatia, 2nd – 5th  April 2020

The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia and the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for Dialogue between Cultures have entered into a new phase of cooperation in promoting intercultural dialogue and public diplomacy in the Mediterranean. The two institutions, together with Croatia’s National Foundation for Civil Society Development, are co-organisers of the 4th Mediterranean Forum of the Anna Lindh Foundation (MedForum2020) from 2nd to 5th April 2020 in Šibenik, Croatia.

Further Information

Information Tour 

“Strengthening Cross-border Approaches of Cooperation in Civil Society” 
at the Invitation of the Federal Foreign Office

 Berlin, Germany, 17th – 21th November 2019

The Information Tour to Berlin for members of the Anna Lindh Foundation (ALF) from France, Germany, Israel, Jordan, Palestine and Poland aimed at fostering exchange among the members, connecting them to civil society actors as well as to state actors and private foundations in Germany. During their Information Tour, the guests have become acquainted with German experts and relevant discussion partners. Diverse encounters and interactions on the subjects “Cross-border Cooperation in Civil Society" and “Digital Civil Society"
did not only promote knowledge and mutual understanding – the tour also enabled networking to take place among the guests from civil society organisations, and members of the MENA-AG of the Federal Foreign Office, to develop long-term cross-border cooperation.
Initiated on the Invitation of the Federal Foreign Office and organised in close cooperation with the members of the MENA-AG, the Goethe Institut e.V. (German HoN for ALF) and ZAK | Centre for Cultural and General Studies at KIT (German ALF-coordinator), the tour took place from 17th to 21th November 2019.
The working group “Middle East North Africa (MENA)” is one of the bodies of the Strategic Dialogue between foundations and the Federal Foreign Office, aiming at supporting a “foreign policy of societies”. Members are representatives of the Federal Foreign Office and of foundations active in international affairs, especially in the MENA-region, such as: Berghof Foundation, Bertelsmann Foundation, BMW Foundation, Candid Foundation, Körber Foundation, Robert Bosch Foundation, Westerwelle Foundation and the network of the Anna Lindh Foundation in Germany. 
We are very grateful for the active participation of our international guests representing the following organisations:

• Les Têtes de L'Art (France) 
• Oranim Academic College of Education, Department of Civil Action (Israel)
• The Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (RIIFS) (Jordan)
• Jerusalem Center for Women (Palestine)
• Roles for Social Change Association - ADWAR (Palestine)
• "Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe" (Poland)
• The Baltic Sea Cultural Centre (Poland)

These members of the Anna Lindh Foundation made the four days a fruitful exchange of knowledge, opinions, ideas, inspirations and concrete projects to be developed in cross-border cooperation in the nearer future – we are looking forward to it!

detailed report for download (PDF ~ 1MB)
 

WIKA Workshop 2019 “The Role of Civil Society in Cultural Relations”

Stuttgart, Germany, 26th September 2019 

Civil society actors are gaining influence and are becoming political change makers. Their local embedding and engagement at the grassroot level and the strength of internationally working NGOs who use their cross-border cooperation as a means of empowerment make them attractive partners for state involved actors. The WIKA Workshop 2019 reflected on interdisciplinary topics such as “Cultural Cooperation and Shrinking Spaces”, “Youth as Civil Society Actors” and “Civil Society and Statehood” in order to relate them directly to fields of action of cultural relations and education policy. This year’s workshop took place in close collaboration of ALF-member ifa (Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations) and ZAK with the Foreign Office’s working group “Civil Society” and Goethe Institut e.V. in line with the Strategical Process 2020 of German Foreign Cultural Policy and the Anna Lindh Foundation, headed by the Chairwoman of WIKA, Prof. Dr. Caroline Y. Robertson-von Trotha.

Further Information

©bettinameister.com

ALF Pre-Event at WIKA Workshop 2019

Stuttgart, Germany, 25th September 2019

For the first time the annual WIKA Workshop at the ALF-member ifa (Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations) offered a public pre-event this year. In cooperation with the Anna Lindh Foundation young debaters from Morocco, Algeria, Germany, Tunisia and Poland with experience in Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange and YMV (Young Mediterranean Voices) presented a live debate involving the audience. The subject of the debate was seized in one of the panels at the WIKA Workshop the following day: “Youth as Central Actor of Civil Society”.

Further Information

Call for Debate Team Leaders –
Join the new Online Debate Programme!

Do you know about the new virtual version of Erasmus Plus? ERASMUS+ VIRTUAL EXCHANGE.* The pilot programme Advocacy Training – Intercultural Online Debate is a great opportunity to get in touch with young people from other countries and make meaningful intercultural experiences online. Learn the essentials of international communication and debate: structuring and presentation of arguments, intercultural awareness, diplomacy, and English language skills. As the programme proceeds online, it is not important from which city you are taking part, you only need access to a computer with valid internet connection. You can either participate as debater or as a debate team leader, no prior knowledge needed. Are you between 18 and 30 years old? Do you either live in the southern and eastern Mediterranean countries or the European Union? Are you interested in debating political and social topics with global scope? Enroll today with Advocacy Training – Intercultural Online Debates!

For the pilot phase, we are looking for young people who would like to develop not only rhetorical but also personality-building skills in the area of team building as debate team leader. All levels of debate experience are welcome – from beginners to advanced stage.

How to become Debate Team Leader?
After being registered, team leaders will be trained through the debate team leader training. In this 6-hours-session, you acquire important competences such as team leadership, empathy, rhetorical and diplomatic skills to strengthen your team building and moderation skills for the debate.

As team leader you are in charge of recruiting at least six to twelve debaters for your team (so-called debate club). You should prepare them for the online procedure and share the debating rules. During the online debate you have the opportunity to moderate one session. Team leaders will receive a certificate afterwards.

Members of your debate team don’t need to have any experience in debating. They also don’t have to be enrolled in a university programme. They just need to have the interest in joining a diverse team of young people, willingness to meet people from different backgrounds and cultures, learning to debate and express their own ideas, and commitment to the training dates of online debates.

DATES
On the following dates, we offer the debate team leader training and the online debates. After your registration, we will arrange the appointment for one training and for one debate.

REGISTRATION
Please register via the expression of interest form on the European Youth Portal.

CONTACT
If you are interested and curious to learn more about the programme or have any further questions, please contact debate-exchange∂zak.kit.edu !

We are also offering Online Debates in Arabic and in French. Please send us an email to debate-exchange∂zak.kit.edu if you are especially interested in these debates!

* This flag-ship initiative is established under a contract with the Education, Audiovisual, and Culture Executive Agency; Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange is part of the Erasmus+ programme and is financed by the European Union. The project is implemented by a consortium composed of Search for Common Ground, the Anna Lindh Foundation, UNIMED, the Sharing Perspectives Foundation, Soliya, UNICollaboration, Kiron Open Higher Education, and Migration Matters

Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange 

Along with a consortium of several organizations, we are partner in the pilot phase of the Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange project, established by the European Commission in 2018 as part of the Erasmus+ programme. This innovative project brings together young people from across the world and facilitates intercultural learning through Virtual Exchanges, which are technology-enabled people-to-people dialogues.

Virtual Exchanges are a ground-breaking way to create cross-cultural dialogue among youth worldwide. Through technology, Virtual Exchanges enable youth to have international experiences and engage in meaningful discussion, over extended periods of time, without ever having to leave their home countries.

Through a safe, online platform, Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange will connect young people, youth workers, students, and academics from Europe and the Southern Mediterranean through moderated discussions, transnational projects, and interactive online courses and advocacy trainings. Participants will come away with increased intercultural awareness and enriched 21st Century skills.

Erasmus+ Virtual Exchanges are open to all people between the ages of 18 and 30 living in Europe and the Southern Mediterranean, expanding the scope and reach of the Erasmus+ program. By partnering with organizations and universities, Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange complements both formal and non-formal education by enhancing critical thinking and media literacy skills while also offering an opportunity to practice foreign languages.

Established under a contract with the Education, Audiovisual, and Culture Executive Agency,Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange is financed by the European Union. The project is implemented by a consortium composed of Search for Common Ground, Anna Lindh Foundation, UNIMED, Sharing Perspectives Foundation, Soliya, UNICollaboration, Kiron Open Higher Education, and Migration Matters.

For more information about Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange, click here

For further questions please contact: alf-koordination∂zak.kit.edu
 

Intercultural Online Debate – Join the Pilot!

The new pilot program “Advocacy Training – Intercultural Online Debates” as a component of Erasmus+ -Virtual Exchange brings together young people from the European Union and Arab Countries (aged 18 - 30) to meet online and debate general topics, with the support of a regional resource network of trained facilitators.

The central component of the program is a parliamentary model of public debate whereby participants are first taught to listen, understand and absorb what others in the group are saying before responding to the messages being relayed, rather than reacting to the person, the situation or the assumed context of the arguments put forward. The core program will be complemented by resources for advocacy including evidence-based advocacy, cultural intelligence, and digital media campaigns.

You can take part in the program either as debater or as a facilitator:

    If you would like to learn more about the Advocacy Training get registered here.

ALF’s Networks In Action: Anna Lindh Network Days For Intercultural Citizenship Education

Connecting Networks members from Finland, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Morocco, Poland, Sweden, Tunisia and Turkey

From 26th to 31st of August 2017, 70 civil society actors, teachers, youth workers and educators from nine countries are gathered in Helsinki (Finland) to participate in the Anna Lindh Network Days For Intercultural Citizenship Education.

The event started with a Forum (26-27 August) were participants discussed the strategic results of the Anna Lindh MED FORUM 2016 in Malta including panel discussions on intersectional identities and education, and the role of civil society in fostering intercultural learning. In addition, interactive workshops were put in place to allow the participants to share their ideas and best practices on fighting hate speech and extremism, encouraging language learning as a tool for intercultural dialogue and highlighting the power of arts in education.

A training, taking place on 28-31 August, is dedicated to 22 actors from both formal and non-formal education sectors in the Euro-Med region. It is carried out by a pool of trainers who experts in the field of intercultural education. The training will rely on the capacity building methodology presented in the Anna Lindh Foundation Education Handbook on Intercultural Citizenship in the Euro-Med region.

Caroline Y. Robertson-von Trotha and Swenja Zaremba as coordinators, and five further members of the German Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation took part in the event. Caroline Y. Robertson-von Trotha hosted the panel discussion on “Education and the Role of Civil Society in Fostering Intercultural Learning”.

Programme

Anna Lindh Education Handbook

“Best Practice Social and Creative Enterprise Training”

This project believes in Entrepreneurship as an important tool to create job opportunities and foster integration across the society. It, through a research-based survey and a Social Enterprise Development Training of Trainers Programme, brings knowledge, skills and expertise in Social Enterprise Development to support members working with immigrants and refugees communities to work towards economic sustainability.

The event took place from 3rd to 9th of August in Athens and was organised by In place of War in cooperation with Goethe Institute and ZAK | Centre for Cultural and General Studies (Germany), Hellenic Foundation for Culture (Greece), The Museum for World Cultures (Sweden) and the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO (Lebanon).

Caroline Y. Robertson-von Trotha participated as coordinator of the German Network as well as three organisations from the Network which work in the field of migrant’s integration into the labour market.

Photos: Facebook / Dimitris Cavouras

World Science Café

The new format ‘World Science Café’ presented by the ZAK | Centre for Cultural and General Studies is part of the KIT’s activities within the framework of the Philipp Schwartz Initiative, which was launched by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation together with the German Federal Foreign Office. In the lecture series, fled and threatened scientists offer insights into their research. In line with the title-giving café concept, a brief outline will be followed by a discussion about the state of academia in the speakers’ country of origin, in dialogue with a partner who is familiar with the situation in the respective country. What are the consequences a society faces when scientists are unable to continue research in their own country? How can threatened scientists be enabled to continue their work in Germany? How do they enrich and amplify the academic world and German society?

The first three events took place in winter semester 2016/17 in cooperation with the International Scholars & Welcome Office (IScO) and the Anna Lindh Foundation with the following guests:

• Prof. Dr. Hussein Almohamad, anthropogeographer from Syria now working at the Justus Liebig University Giessen, talked about ‘Foreign Involvement in the Syrian Conflict: Status Quo and Prospects’.
• Prof. Dr. Ammar Abdulrahman, archaeologist from Syria now working at the Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, gave an extensive insight into ‘Syrian Cultural Heritage during the Crisis’.
• Prof. Dr. Hande Birkalan-Gedik, a Turkish anthropologist who now is working at the Institute of Sociology of Goethe-University Frankfurt, gave a lecture ‘On Refugee Lives, or A Note on Human Condition’.

Further lectures of ‘World Science Café’ will follow in summer semester 2017. Further information

Network Meeting of the German ALF Network

On the 25th and 26th of November, the German ALF Network organised a Network Meeting which was hosted by one of its member associations: ‘boat people projekt’. Boat people projekt, which is an award winning theatre company with a focus on topics such as displacement and migration, invited the German ALF Head of Network to organise the meeting in their stage area. Today, the building where the stage and office of boat people projekt is located is also used as accommodation for refugees, which gave the event a very unique and authentic atmosphere. The meeting focused on the following three topics: diaspora, interculturality, and integration.
After opening speeches by Prof. Dr. Caroline Y. Robertson-von Trotha and Swenja Zaremba, the members got the opportunity to find cooperation partners – national as well as international – and new project initiatives. Members presented their offers, projects, and ideas to potential partners. In preparation of the network meeting, the Head of Network initiated a new form of finding partners for cooperation among members across the ALF National Networks: they sent an inquiry, which included a matchmaking form in four languages, to the ALF National Networks and received a very positive feedback.
In addition to that, one of the ‘traditional’ elements of the German network meetings took place during the afternoon. Four member organisations introduced their organisations and presented their current projects. This was received as a great opportunity for members to get to know each other. In the evening, the participants visited boat people projekt’s recent play “HILFE! Ein Stück über Grenzwerte” (HELP! A play about boundary values). On the second day, fundraising expert Elisabeth Lenz offered a workshop on Capacity Building. The workshop familiarised members with methods and techniques to attract sponsors and supporters, a subject much in demand among members of the German ALF Network.

For the fifth time, the German Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation is organising the series of events “Mediterranean on the Spot” in many German cities.  
Many people that have arrived recently from the Mediterranean region or elsewhere contribute to the constantly changing culture of our cities. Therefore, since October 2015, these “New Neighbourships” are the focus of a nationwide series of events.
In form of exhibitions, film series, theatre projects as well as workshops, readings, and discussions, the series of events is dealing with the vivid, constantly changing culture of our cities, shaped by interactions between migrants and the host society.
The nationwide ‘Mediterranean on the Spot’ series takes place in cooperation with the members of the German Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation, who operate in the fields of “Arts and Culture”, “Migration”, and “Science”, supporting interreligious dialogue, youth work, and political education together with partners in the Mediterranean.
In the last four years, the topics were “Mediterranean on the Spot” (2011), “Migration and Flight” (2012), “Active Diversity – and its Limits” (2013), and “Spaces of Encounter” (2014).

For more information about the series of events, kindly visit our Network Intercultural Action

blog.
You can find the flyer with the whole programme here.

Network Meeting in Hannover

On the 15th and 16th of April 2016, the 18th Network Meeting of the German Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation took place in the Theaterwerkstatt Hannover. The event was hosted by the Anna Lindh member ‘Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Spiel und Theater’ ( BAG) and coincided with the “Palestinian-German Dialogue on Theatre and Theatre Pedagogy” of the BAG.
The BAG organised a workshop for the Anna Lindh members, in which the team members of the Ashtar Theatre introduced themselves and talked about their work and experiences in the refugee camps in Jordan. The Ashtar Theatre was founded in Jerusalem in 1991 and has been performing experimental theatre in Ramallah since 1995.

Pictures of the event

Anna Lindh Talk

The talk “Engagement without Limits – Dialogue Is Not Enough, Encounters Matter” marks the beginning of the annual series of events of the German Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation. The talk, which is organised by the ZAK | Centre for Cultural and General Studies, will take place in the garden of the Bellevue Palace in Berlin on the 6th of September 2014. Following the motto “dialogue is not enough, encounters matter” of former Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, members of the Anna Lindh Foundation and participants from the intercultural field will discuss the challenges and consequences of globalisation. Anna Lindh members will tell their own stories on stage. Whether they help refugees find a new home, train students to oppose “oppression in the name of honour”, or support Roma, Anna Lindh members always find their own ways to take responsibility in today’s world.

On the podium:
Deniz Ince (HEROES – gegen Unterdrückung im Namen der Ehre e.V.),  
Michael Müller-Verweyen (Goethe-Institut e.V., Head of the German Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation),  
Nina de la Chevallerie (boat people projekt),  
Mohammad Hasani, (heimaten e.V. – Netz für Chancengerechtigkeit).

Hosted by:
Prof. Dr. Caroline Y. Robertson-von Trotha (director of the ZAK).

Date and Location:
September 6th 2014, 5:00 pm at Bellevue Palace, Spreeweg 1, Berlin

For the fourth time, the German Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation is going to organise the series of events “Mediterranean on the Spot”. In September and October 2014, chances and challenges of Euro-Mediterranean encounters will be the focus of the event series. Projects, plays, lectures, discussions, seminars, readings, and more will help to reflect the diverse image of the Euro-Mediterranean area with all its profitable and challenging, aspects. Associations, foundations, and institutes are among the roughly 150 members of the German Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation. They operate in the fields of “Arts and Culture”, “Migration”, and “Science”, promoting interreligious dialogue, youth work, and political education in cooperation with partners in the Mediterranean.

Cluster Meeting ‘Migration’ and ‘Arts & Culture’ of the Anna Lindh Foundation

The challenges and opportunities of (inter-)cultural work were the focus of the cluster meeting ‘Migration’ and ‘Art & Culture’ on the 9th–10th of July 2015 in Leipzig. Due to the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean and the persistently high number of refugees in Germany, the members of the German Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation particularly focused on projects that currently deal with the topic “Refugees in Germany”. Given their long-standing work with and for refugees, members of the Munich Association “heimaten e.V.” attended the meeting as experts. Additionally, projects of the Heinrich Boell Foundation Schleswig-Holstein and its project office ‘radius of art’, the Kreisau-Initiative Berlin, and the Association of Social Vision were presented. The cluster meeting took place in cooperation with the Association for TransMediterranean Cultural Dialogue “eurient e.V.”.

Anna Lindh Report on Intercultural Trends 2014

With contributions by Prof. Dr. Caroline Y. Robertson-von Trotha (director of the ZAK), Swenja Zaremba (ZAK) and Marco Ianniello (ZAK), the “Anna Lindh Report on Intercultural Trends 2014” is based on surveys conducted by Gallup Europe, which were carried out in 13 member countries of the Mediterranean area in the years 2012/2013.  
Attitudes and values ​​relating to intercultural coexistence and intercultural cooperation in the Euro-Mediterranean area were queried. One development was significantly characterised in the polls: Citizens in the Euro-Mediterranean region have an increasing need to know more about each other. At the same time, they are confronted with an alarming increase of xenophobic and radicalising tendencies.

Experts from the European and South Mediterranean countries analyse these results in the light of their specialised science.

The report is the most important instrument of the Anna Lindh Foundation in issuing recommendations of action,  on policy level and for the ALF networks. For this purpose, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle explains: “This new edition of the Anna Lindh Report, the first since the historic Arab uprisings, is an invaluable tool as we continue to adapt our strategies and programmes to take into account new regional realities”

To the Report

We are pleased to announce the launch of the 6th edition of the Sea of Words organised by the IeMed, the Head of Network institution in Spain, in collaboration with the Anna Lindh Foundation. This year the Sea of Words theme is in the framework of the Council of Europe campaign "Young People Combating Hate Speech Online", not only to reflect on the existence of speech that encourages racism and discrimination in Euro-Mediterranean countries but also to propose ways of opposing these narratives. The competition is open to young people between 18 and 30 years, citizens of one of the 43 countries of the Euro-Mediterranean area. The deadline to send the stories is on the 15th of June 2014, midnight.

Further Information on annalindhfoundation.org
Further information on iemed.org

About 20 members and organisations of the German Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation took part in the annual meeting of the Anna Lindh Foundation at the Centre for Mediterranean Studies at the Ruhr-University Bochum on the 10th and 11th of March 2014. The Network members put a focus on searching for new project partners as well as presenting new members and outstanding projects of the German Network. Using a ‘Matchmaking Wall’, project ideas were presented and concrete cooperation was developed. In addition, important impulses for the work of the German network 2014 as well as the thematic orientation of the coming network activity “Mediterranean on the Spot (autumn 2014)” were developed and discussed. The network meeting was followed by the Cluster meeting “Science”, where concrete tasks were planned.

Pictures

The annual meeting of the German Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation will be held from 10th–11th of March 2014 at the Centre of Mediterranean Studies at the Ruhr-University Bochum. Immediately afterwards, the Cluster Meeting “Science” will take place.

As requested, the programme will put particular focus on the projects and cooperation of members.

In addition to the presentation of outstanding projects of our members, there will be a matchmaking slot to exchange project ideas.

Another focus will be put on planning the network’s activities in 2014/2015 and, most importantly, the appearance of the German Network at the Citizens Festival of the German Federal President in September 2014.

Pictures

On 30 and 31 August 2013, the German Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation has the oppportunity to present itself, among 24 selected organisations, at the Citizens Festival of the German Federal President in Berlin.

From political NGOs over small theatre groups to large foundations and science institutions – more than 150 members are now part of the German Network of Anna Lindh Foundation.

Overall, the intergovernmental organisation includes 42 member states with approximately 4,000 civil society organisations.
 
The extremely rich diversity of the Euro-Mediterranean region and its current challenges are the focus of the (inter)-actions of the Anna Lindh Foundation at the Citizens Festival at the end of August: An instrumental treasure chest of the Mediterranean Sea and compelling stories of Arab poets, the Anna Lindh Talk ‘Migration – Integration – Racism’, mini-workshops, and interactive performances will be part of the Anna Lindh programme at the Festival.

Currently, the German Network of Anna Lindh Foundation is headed by Goethe Institut e.V. in cooperation with the ZAK. The German Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation is kindly inviting you to let yourself be surprised by the diversity of the Anna Lindh Foundation and other organisations on the 31st of August at the Festival in Berlin.

(Photos: Bundesregierung / Henning Schacht)

Since March 2012, the ZAK | Centre for Cultural and General Studies is the new coordinator of the German Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation for dialogue between cultures.
In the autumn of 2013, the next Common Action of the German Network will take place focusing on “The Mediterranean on the Spot: Diversity in Practice – and Its Limits”.
The Citizens Festival in Berlin at the end of August (in which the German Network of the Foundation is presented) will mark the beginning of this year’s series of events. From mid-September, more events will critically explore the issue “Diversity in the Euro-Mediterranean Area” and its various facets. The members of the German Network are expected to provide contributions to this year’s Common Action until the middle of December.

We would like to invite you to the events!

Further Information

“Migration and Flight” will be the focus of a series of 20 events that will be presented by members of the German network of the Anna Lindh Foundation nation-wide in October and November 2012. The events include artistic and scientific as well as political formats and will allow for the discussion of current issues of migration in their depth and complexity.
The starting point of Common Action will be an expert workshop of the German network on media and migration on the 18th of October, which will take place in the course of the awarding of the prestigious Anna Lindh Mediterranean Journalist Award by the General Secretariat of the foundation in cooperation the Allianz Kulturstiftung in Berlin.
The public science forum with the title “The Luggage Home. Migration in times of medial globalisation” on the 1st of December will be the ceremonial closing event of the series. As part of the 10 year anniversary of the ZAK, the forum will invite international experts to discuss the relationship between the media and migration in the context of the rapid developments of the new media.
 
We would like to invite you to the events!

Further Information

The Anna Lindh Foundation was founded in Alexandria in 2005 with the goal of fostering cooperation and exchange in the cultural field, following the motto of the former Swedish foreign minister Anna Lindh: “Dialogue is not enough, encounters matter.” The Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the dialogue between cultures is the first joint institution of the Barcelona Process, the “Euro-Mediterranean Partnership”. The Foundation sees itself as a network of networks, which by now incorporates over 4.000 member organisations in 43 member nations. The German network contains about 150 members: societies, foundations, institutes, media, project spaces, and others that operate in the fields of art and culture, migration, interreligious dialogue, youth work, and political education in cooperation with partners in the Mediterranean.

The ZAK has been a member of the German Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation since 2006. In March 2012, Prof. Dr. Caroline Y. Robertson-von Trotha and Swenja Zaremba were elected as the new coordinators of the network for the dialogue between cultures.

As the network coordinator, the ZAK is working for one rotation phase with the management of the network at the Goethe Institute (Head of Network) and the member organisations on subjects of cultural politics of the intercultural dialogue between EU states and the Mediterranean, and on strengthening the visibility of European-Arabic issues in public discourse. In October and November 2012, a nationwide event series, titled “Mediterranean on the Spot”, will take place in Germany that focuses thematically on displacement and migration and is coordinated by the ZAK.

Banner: Francesca Schellhaas / photocase.de