Anti Bias and Intercultural Learning in Context of Youth Work and Informal Education

Contact / Impressum

Anti-Bias Project

• Project Description
• Anti-Bias Approach
• Activities / Timetable
• Report Int. Training

Partner Organisation

• RAA Brandenburg
• Vimio Vukovar
• bbjshare.it Palermo
• Civilitas and ODN Zielona Gora

International conferences

• Initial Conference Germany / Ludwigsfelde
• Second Conference Italy / Palermo
• Third Conference Croatia / Vukovar
• Fourth Conference Poland / Zielona Gora
• Final Conference Potsdam

Youth meeting

• First Meeting (Croatia-Italy)
• Second Meeting (Poland-Germany)

Publications

English German Croatian Italian Polish

Initial Conference

A symposium entitled "Thinking Outside the Box: Intercultural Learning in Youth and Youth Meeting Organising Work" followed the training on September 13, 2007 in the Berlin-Brandenburg Regional Institute for Schools and Media (LISUM).The goal was to bring people together for an exchange of intercultural education methodologies from various specializations, as well as to make the Anti-Bias approach (prejudice-conscious learning) known in the Brandenburg region and beyond. The symposium was developed in the scope of the regional government's action plan entitled “Tolerant Brandenburg.”

The symposium was aimed at specialised staff and interested people from youth education and organisers of student meetings, as well as participants from the RAA initiated EU model project “Anti Bias and intercultural learning in context of youth work and informal edu­cation.” The experience and approach coming out of Brandenburg was central to the seminar. The invitations were sent to 60 interested schools and youth facilities. 

The introductory lecture by Anne Winkelmann entitled, “Intercultural Learning in Youth Meeting Organising” clearly thematized the challenges that exist with diversity in a society with large immigrant communities. Following this, Rainer Spangenberg provided practical insight into RAA Brandenburg’s Anti-Bias approach. Insight beyond Brandenburg was provided by Patrizia Christofori in her lecture on the creation of an intercultural school in Italy. Afterwards there was a presentation by the partner organizations taking part in the EU model project; ODN and Civilitas from Zielona Gora, VIMIO from Vukovar and bbjshare.it from Palermo. There were three workshops offered in the afternoon: “Working with the Anti-Bias approach – Practical Interactions” (Rainer Spangenberg), “Fostering possibilities for the international youth meetings” (Doreen Frenz) and “Antidiscrimination work and intercultural learning” (Anke Zwink). A further internal workshop entitled “Quality in the International Youth Meeting Organising” focused on participants in the EU model project (Angela Fleischer-Wetzel). All talks were received very well and resulted in a wealth of discussion and rich exchange. 

An analysis of the symposium followed, based on the World Cafe Method during the last coffee break: all participants were asked to write down or draw their impressions of the seminar on the paper table cloths. The following is a selection of what came out of this exercise:

• “This seminar provided the key aspects I need in order to design my project week. A big thank-you…”
• “great approach!“
• „interesting ideas, helpful handouts“
• “culture; a concept – many interpretations…”
• “I love irritation!”
• „As an outsider, I would have preferred another structure: first the project’s scope, then a view of the content. Partner profiles with contact addresses would be good!”
• “…it would be interesting to hear about the problems in other countries”
• “It was a hard job but I take a lot of experience and very positive feelings away with me”
• “make the relationship to schools clearer”
• “unfortunately there was too little concrete transfer. I’d like to have more time for that next time!!!”
• „It was interesting, but time was too short for the workshops”
• “Thank you for the fascinating project conception, helpful details and the possibility of establishing supportive contacts…”
• “an all round successful seminar! Many thanks for the view into the partner's work. The financing workshop helped me especially…”