BERLIN PRESENTATION

The following text is an adaptation of the transcription of the audio CDs of the Conference 2005.

From Berlin there have been present: Mr. Philipp Harpain, Theatre teacher from the Grips Theatre Berlin, Mr. Ben Khumalo-Seegelken, PhD, Project leader from MILES – The Center for Migrants, Gay Women and Men of LSVD Berlin-Brandenburg e.V., Mr. Claus Nachtwey, Head of the Department for homosexual way of life from the Senate Administration for Education, Youth and Sport, and Mr. Philipp Mühlberg, Head of the Department “Social City” from the Senate Administration for Urban Development.

Mr. Harpain defined the work of the Grips Theatre as „an emancipated children and youth theatre”. In practice, it deals with the current problems and worries of youth, and these are presented to a broad public during a staging. The current action program of the Grips Theatre bears the title “Hier geblieben“ (Stayed here) and takes as its theme the problems of refugees that affect especially the youth.

Mr. Khumalo-Seegelken reported about the project “Kai is gay – Murad, too”, project that deals with the multiple exclusion of migrant gay women and men. Multiple, because the migrants are exposed to discrimination and because there can be discrimination in a group of migrants that affects gay migrants. For example, when migrant children become aware of the fact that they lean towards homosexuality, it usually comes to regular exclusions within the family. Thus the support of youth groups in this field is very important. The youth groups share the democratic basic values and carry them in the school and family. The participating youth persons act as disseminators and contribute to the increase of the problem awareness. Only in this societal atmosphere of a constructive discussion of values is possible to have educational work and to support democracy.

Mr. Nachtwey informed about the fact that the Senate Administration for Education, Youth and Sport supports and finances the action “Kai is gay – Murad, too”. The project is one of the numerous other initiatives with a comparable theme, since the problem policy of multiple discrimination has a high standing.

Mr. Mühlberg presented subsequently the project “Madonna”. It is an open youth leisure institution that offers especially Muslim girls and young women help with homework and active leisure activities. The background for grounding this youth meeting is the program “Quarter’s Management” within the framework of “the Social City” measures strategy of Berlin.

In Berlin there are in the meanwhile 30 areas of quarter’s management; they are areas of so called “disadvantaged neighbourhood”. The girls’ meeting “Madonna” is firstly an attempt to bring societal and specific religious differences together in an open dialogue. On the level of the everyday working and living together there is an informal ideological confrontation, which tries to encounter a developing Islamism in these quarters. The standards of living together of the Berlin society like freedom of religion, tolerance and rule of law etc. are being passed on undogmatically.

Trainer: Andreas Karsten is German; he lives in Berlin, and is a freelance trainer.

Fields of possible cooperation: Participation ideas