Vietnam – the third time

For the third time in 12 months, planpolitik went to Vietnam on commission by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES). This trip started with a moderation workshop in Hanoi for members of the Climate Change Working Group. The network of NGOs in the climate field is supported by the German Society for International Cooperation (giz) and FES. We trained about 20 of their members in effective moderation and the use of interactive methods, mainly through practical exercises and feedback.

The second part of the trip took us to Hoi An in the middle of the country, to moderate a three-day strategy workshop with representatives from FES Vietnam, Vietnamese trade union officials from the national and provincial levels as well as international experts. Together they worked on strategies and project plans for different cooperation projects with FES and the Vietnamese unions. Due to language barriers and different backgrounds and expectations, this wasn’t always easy. But in the end the workshop produced good results and strong incentives for future collaboration. The only problem about this short trip was that there was only one hour for a trip to the nearby beach (see photo) – but that with 25 degrees and sunshine.

Publication of the first German version of the „Charter for All“ of the Council of Europe

We are happy to announce the publication of the first German version of the „Charter for All“ on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education as well as the Guidelines for Educators. In the context of the EU-funded project „EDC for All“ we coordinated the production of the German version, and did the proofreading as well as the graphic design. It is the first product of the project and many others will follow in the coming months. We are happy to provide the PDF of the German version of the charter as well as the guidelines for educators for downloading. Additionally, you can order the printed version directly with us – please contact us under info@planpolitik.de

Act qualified – Refugees in the community

On behalf of the Protestant Academy Berlin (EAB) and the Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb) planpolitik led a two-day conference on the question of how communities deal with the reception and integration of refugees and how the coexistence can be improved. Using fictitious simulation scenarios, the organization and integration of refugees in urban and rural areas were debated. In addition, a simulation game dealt with the question of how society responds to potentially racist statements and actions. The great relevance of the topic became clear after the simulations: In small groups the 56 participants – representatives of governments, civil society and police – discussed their first-hand experiences and the weaknesses of the existing legal framework and administrative processes. At the same time, they exchanged good practice examples and more than once took on a new perspective. The documentation of the conference’s results will be made available in March on the website of the bpb.

An introduction into simulation games for the theater group Rimini Protokoll

A rather particular target group: The Swiss-German theater group Rimini Protokoll invited us to facilitate the simulation game „Election Fraud in Fontania“ with a select group of theater directors and artists – in preparation to their new project „Home Visit Europe“ in which 15 guests will be gathered around a table in a private flat and simulate Europe. The guests will discuss the future of Europe and investigate processes for making and coordinating decisions. We very much hope that the directors of this new project got some inspiration from our simulation game concepts. It would be nice to contribute to this interesting project!

Book chapter published on simulation games on the European Union

A few days ago, the book „Die Europäische Union erfolgreich vermitteln“ (Ed. Monika Oberle) has been published by Springer VS. It contains an article by us on simulation games on European issues. The article’s aim is to underline the added value of simulation games in educating youth about the European Union.

Online simulation games at schools in Lower Saxony

The European Information Center (EIZ) of the German State of Lower Saxony has commissioned us with the implementation of seven online simulation games on the European parliament at schools in Lower Saxony. The games will be scientifically analysed by Prof. Dr. Monika Oberle from the University of Göttingen. We look forward to this analysis as well as to the feedback from the students. Additional information on our online simulation games you can find here.