Network meeting of ‘Schools without Racism, Schools with Courage’ in the district
In early November, 40 pupils, teachers, school social workers and other volunteers from various schools in the Waldeck-Frankenberg district gathered at the district administration building in Korbach. The participating schools are part of the ‘School without Racism – School with Courage’ initiative and met as part of their network. The event was organised by the DEXT specialist centre in Waldeck-Frankenberg.
Under the theme ‘For a strong democracy in our schools’, participants discussed participation, protection against discrimination and democratic engagement. Following the keynote talk ‘From Powerlessness to Effectiveness – Psychological Insights for Democratic Schools’, discussions took place at three themed round tables focusing on ‘Having a Say and Shaping the Future’, ‘Being Vigilant and Protecting’, and ‘Taking a Stand and Living Democracy’. Experiences from everyday school life were shared during the discussions, and ideas for future activities were developed.
Among other things, proposals were put forward for cross-school democracy projects, moderated discussion sessions on different political positions, and simulation exercises designed to give participants a hands-on experience of democratic decision-making processes. The teachers also expressed a desire for more professional development opportunities for the entire teaching staff, for example as part of staff development days.
“We want to encourage young people to realise that they themselves can make a difference. Democracy comes to life when pupils have a say, take on responsibility and see that their commitment makes a difference,” emphasises Kea Brahms from the DEXT specialist unit. The event was also attended by representatives from schools not yet part of the Courage network. Ahmed Selcuk Özkan, the Hessian regional coordinator for ‘Schule ohne Rassismus – Schule mit Courage’, ran a workshop for them and answered questions about the process of becoming a Courage school.
A key concern for the participants was to strengthen the links between the schools – both at the level of teachers and educational staff, and specifically amongst the pupils involved. As a result, alongside numerous project ideas, concrete suggestions were also put forward for further collaboration and the schools’ support needs. The DEXT specialist unit will incorporate these ideas into its work for the coming year and, together with the schools, examine how the ideas developed can be pursued and implemented. A continuation of the cross-school exchange is also planned.