Shaping
participation

A project with
Berlin Senate

Overview

This workshop series conducted in cooperation with the Commissioner of the Berlin Senate for Integration and Migration, «Shaping Participation. Impulse Workshops for Our Life Together in Berlin», aims to sustainably improve communal life in Berlin for all residents — whether with or without a migration background.

Projectpartner

Commissioner for Integration and Migration of the Berlin Senate, Berlin Senate Department for Integration, Labor, and Social Affairs

Participants

20–25 people per workshop with perspectives from administration, initiatives, civil society, organizations, and those affected

Digital Tools

Webex, GoogleDocs, Mentimeter

Period

2020–2021

BI Lead Coaching

Design Thinking
Digital Facilitation
Citizen-centered Co-creation

Impulses for community in Berlin

In December 2018, the Berlin Senate adopted the overall concept for the participation and integration of refugees. One component of this is the workshop series «Shaping Participation. Impulse Workshops for Our Life Together in Berlin». The aim is to work in cooperation with the Commissioner of the Berlin Senate for Integration and Migration and numerous actors from public administration, civil society, service providers, initiatives, and affected communities to provide concrete impulses on key issues related to refugee policy, gain new insights, and develop fresh approaches to existing challenges.

Project overview

Each workshop focused on a specific theme and lasted 4.5 hours. The workshops were designed to be participatory, bringing together a diverse range of actors at one table. Perspectives from public administration, civil society, service providers, initiatives, and affected communities were heard and discussed in order to illuminate the topics from multiple angles. In addition to developing solution approaches and impulses that feed into the further development of existing measures, the workshops placed particular emphasis on building cooperation as well as strengthening trust and mutual appreciation.

The conceptual development of the co‑creative format was supported thematically by a designated topic mentor. In preparation for each workshop, we worked together with the topic mentor to define the thematic focus, formulate the task, and organize the composition of participants. As facilitators, we then guided participants through the workshop using co‑creative methods from Design Thinking, while the topic mentor provided short inputs to frame and contextualize the theme.

Each workshop centered on a specific theme and a related «How might we…?» question that inspired early concepts and sparked active discussion.

Results and reflections

Each workshop was unique in terms of the diverse actors involved, the perspectives represented, and the specific thematic focus. Together, we developed new impulses and solution approaches in every session to strengthen communal life in Berlin. The ideas generated feed into the work of the Senate, where they in turn inform new strategic actions. What makes the series particularly special for us is the energy that emerges, the growing appreciation for one another’s work, and the new collaborations that formed in every workshop.

Christof Rambke:

»What I appreciated most — and from my perspective this may well be the most important aspect — is that a genuine sense of community emerged, along with an awareness that we are all pulling in the same direction.«