Already in 2021, we were able to encourage the political participation of people with a migration history in Leipzig through the project Leipzig: diversity rules! We discussed opportunities and problems in political participation in Leipzig.

In February, we received the great news: the project will continue! There will be two project rounds this year, in which we will do workshops on democracy and political participation, visit parliaments together and talk about current issues in politics. The project is funded by the Department of Migration and Integration of the City of Leipzig.

The aim is to make the voice of migrants be heard in the political arena and to empower them to actively participate in the policy-making process. This requires a fundamental knowledge base, which we develop together in two open and participatory workshops. Among other things, we will discuss Germany’s federal system and the differentiation between the various levels and instances in local, state and federal politics. To make politics at various levels real and experienceable, we will visit the city council in Leipzig together during the first round of the project, starting in May, and take a closer look at the work of the city councillors. We then discuss the impressions gained there at a follow-up meeting. To gain our own experience of democratic decision-making, we play the QUARARO simulation game. In this way, we get to know different voting procedures and methods for finding compromises.

After the direct contact with local politics, the participants will also get the chance to experience state politics in Saxony first hand. Together, we are getting a guided tour through the Saxon parliament in Dresden and experience a parliamentary session. After the tour, we will be able to ask members of parliament the questions we had worked out in the workshops. 

We will discuss all impressions, experiences, questions and insights gained during the first and the second round of the project, which will start in autumn, in a panel discussion with various politicians and anyone else who is interested. We are excited about the exchange with the participants and all the exciting discussions that await us during the entire duration of the project, which will last until the end of the year.