Our society is becoming more diverse. That is a fact. In 2019, around 100,000 people with a migration background lived in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. This diversity is a great opportunity and leads to sustainable new solutions in all parts of society. However, diversity also leads to conflicts due to the interaction of different cultures. That is why it is important to communicate with each other openly, tolerantly and without bias.

The ability to work well together in an increasingly diverse society and to listen carefully to each other helps to avoid or solve conflicts that may arise. This is exactly why Wir sind Paten Schwerin, together with the Diakonisches Werk in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Verbund für soziale Projekte Schwerin, organised a training course on intercultural competence.

The content of the seminar was to practise proper listening. Only when the receiver, i.e. the listener in a conversation, has really perceived what the other person is saying and not just heard it, can he/she understand it. Many people think that listening is easy. In a way passive, they just have to sit and listen. Yet, it is more than that. Listening requires openness and sometimes it requires effort until we understand the other person. We, therefore, learned and practised how to actively listen to each other in the group. One of the goals of the seminar was to find out how important active listening is for a good conversation between two people and how exactly active listening works.

In line with the theme, the training offer was open to all people and as, always, regardless of their gender, origin or age as well as their religion.