ifak - Institut für angewandte Kulturforschung e.V.

In Lower Saxony a new network has been established which aims to strengthen anti-discrimination educational work in schools in the region and make it more visible. The “Netzwerk Diskriminierungskritische Schule Niedersachsen (NDS²) / Network of Schools Critical of Discrimination in Lower Saxony” wants to turn schools into places of respectful coexistence, which requires a clear stance against anti-democratic tendencies and the development of tools for actively confronting discrimination.
A dynamick Kick-Off: Voices united against dicrimination
On April 22, 2025, Ifak (Participa City partner from Göttingen, Germany) participated in the kick-off event of NDS² in Hanover where around 100 people from the education sector and civil society came together to network and share ideas. The event was a great opportunity to present our Erasmus+ project "Participa City", which aims to foster inclusion and participation of ethnic and cultural minorities in Europe, and to get impulses for its further development. The participants joined different workshops and underlined the necessity for systemic approaches regarding discrimination in schools and shared best practices.
For Lower Saxony a variety of needs at different levels was identified. The participants would like to see clear guidelines from the Ministry of Education, such as teaching materials that are critical of discrimination and mandatory further training for the entire teaching staff. At school level, the expansion of multi-professional teams and long-term anti-discrimination programs across all year groups were called for to be able to better support affected students.
Looking ahead: Building a movement
The kick-off event of NDS² was a highly interesting and fruitful meeting that brought together many people from different backgrounds who want to jointly provide impetus for anti-discriminatory school practices. For the future, the network intends to intensify its collaboration and to offer more and more information on its website: https://ndshochzwei.de/
Stay tuned to their website for updates, resources, and opportunities to get involved. Together, we’re building communities - where everyone belongs.

On the 23rd and 24th of January 2025, our network of experts from Bulgaria, France, Portugal, Sweden and Germany met in person for the first time in Göttingen to discuss the development of our multinational Participa City Erasmus+-project that aims to enhance inclusion and participation of ethnic and cultural minorities in Europe through gamified learning.

After we got to know each other better, we dived into the dynamics of the game and were able to gain valuable insights through the practical application of different role-play situations. By sharing personal reflections and engaging in discussions about the adaptation of the simulation game to the respective circumstances of racism prevention in the partner countries we created the basis for the further development of the game material.

We are looking forward to the time ahead in our project and are happy that we are able to collaborate with so many committed people from all over Europe. Our next steps are the conducting of a transnational analysis on racism prevention in Europe and developing a train-the-trainer course on the game’s methodology.

Discrimination happens in our allday-life as well as in institutions. People are excluded from equal participation for various reasons at school and authorities, in organisations and economy, in the neighbourhood and society. Discriminative structure are deeply anchored in our societies, have historical reasons and can only be reduced if people get conscious about these structures and get open to reflect their own perceptions and activities. The role game „Participa City“ invites people to think about their understanding of discrimination, to question it critically, to perceive discriminating behaviour in allday life and to look for different ways of action.

In allday life situations such as at the railway station, on the sport yard, on the playingground, or in the job center of the fictitious town „participa city“, the players take the roles of different persons with various backgrounds and from different origins. They meet in short playing situations and are concerned by discriminating statements or behaviour as well as actions. By reflecting these situations, the participants can come up with alternative options. The game adresses employees and decision makers in administrations, in job centers, education institutions and other organisations that act as multipliers into society. By acting and deciding more sensitive concerning discrimination, they can improve the chances for participation in society.

With the collaboration of six experienced partners from five countries, we are exploring the challenges in the prevention of racism and discrimination of ethnic and cultural minorities in Europe, identifying competence gaps of adult education providers and key persons in the field of racism prevention, educating Adult Education trainers and gate keepers on how to avoid racism and discrimination and providing the Participa City game in a European version as a gamified digital tool to contribute to the prevention of racism and discrimination.

These are the partners in our ERASMUS+-project:

Know & Can Ltd. / Bulgaria, Storytellme / Portugal, SwIdeas AB / Sweden, GRDR Migration – Citoyenneté – DéveloppementGRDR Migration – Citoyenneté – Développement / France and blinc eG / Germany.

On the basis of the German version of the game, we adapt in to the situation in our European partner countries.

We aim at preventing racism and discrimination of ethnic and cultural minorities in Europe, developing prevention strategies to reduce the negative consequences of discrimination, strengthening participation of ethnic and cultural minorities in European society, sensitising decision makers to avoid discriminatory structures and practices and fostering a diversity-friendly climate and inclusive society in Europe.

Follow our activities on the project website.