Back in 2021, we were able to promote political participation among people with a migration background in Leipzig as part of the project Leipzig: Vielfalt bestimmt! and discuss both opportunities and challenges in political participation with them.

Then, in February, we received great news: The project continues! This year, we are running two new rounds of the project rounds in which we will hold workshops on democracy and political participation, visit parliaments together, and talk about current political issues. The project is funded by the Migration and Integration Department of the City of Leipzig (Referat Migration und Integration der Stadt Leipzig).

Our goal is to amplify the voices of migrants in politics and to empower them to actively shape political processes. To do this, we will build a shared foundation of knowledge in two open, participatory workshops, which we will immediately put into practice. Among other things, we will discuss Germany’s federal system and clarify the roles and responsibilities of municipal, state and federal levels of government.

To bring politics closer and make it tangible, we will begin the first round of the project in May with a visit to the Leipzig City Council. We’ll take a close look at the work of city council members and reflect on what we’ve observed in a follow-up session. To experience democratic decision-making firsthand, we will then run the simulation game QUARARO, where participants will explore different voting systems and methods of finding compromises.

After getting a taste of local politics, participants will also have the chance to experience state politics up close. In early June, we will go on a guided tour of the Saxon State Parliament (Sächsischer Landtag) in Dresden, where we will attend a live parliamentary session. Afterwards, there will be an opportunity to ask the members of parliament our own questions developed during the workshops.

All the insights, questions, experiences, and takeaways from both project rounds — the first in spring and the second starting in autumn — will come together in a final panel discussion with various politicians and anyone interested in joining the conversation.

We are really looking forward to engaging with the participants and to all the exciting discussions that await us throughout the project, running until the end of the year.