brave Spaces for the Democratic Participation of Women* and Girls* with Migration and Refugee Backgrounds in Berlin
- Space2groW
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
6. September, 09:30–16:30 Uhr, im Familienzentrum Adalbertstraße, Adalbertstraße 23 b, 10997 Berlin (Ecke Bethaniendamm, siehe unten).
Democracy depends on participation. Yet many people who live, work, and contribute to society continue to be excluded from political decision-making. This is especially true for women* and girls* with migrant and refugee backgrounds, who often face multiple forms of discrimination, including racism, gender inequality, legal barriers, and social exclusion.
“Brave Spaces for the Democratic Participation of Women and Girls with Migrant and Refugee Backgrounds in Berlin”** seeks to create spaces where these voices are not only heard, but recognized as essential to a stronger and more just democracy.
We understand democracy as an everyday practice: free from racism and discrimination, free from hate speech, and built through dialogue, participation, voting rights for migrants, and collective action.
That is why our event on September 6 is based on the concept of “Brave Spaces”, which goes beyond the idea of safe spaces. We are talking about places where participants can speak openly about difficult experiences, challenge existing power structures, and learn from one another in a horizontal environment based on respect and mutual support.
We especially want to strengthen the participation of women* and girls* in Berlin. Their experiences of migration, displacement, resilience, and community organizing represent valuable knowledge that can strengthen democratic culture and social cohesion.
We want to think beyond the restrictive framework imposed on us by migration laws. Democracy is not sustained solely through elections or political institutions. It flourishes wherever people come together to listen, reflect, organize, and act collectively.
Through Brave Spaces, we aspire to contribute to a more inclusive, participatory, and democratic society: a society in which every voice has the opportunity to shape our shared future.
We welcome everyone who is part of this gathering: migrant organizations, researchers, community leaders, and all those committed to democracy, equality, and human rights.
Event
We will open the event with an input from three women activists*. We want to hear about their experiences of self-organization and learn how their organizing creates change and impacts society.
We will then facilitate four workshops, where participants will be able to identify barriers to democratic participation, develop concrete policy recommendations based on their wishes and visions for society, and explore real ways to participate in society—even when voting rights are not available.
Finally, we will come together in a plenary session to produce material that will be delivered the following week to the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin, the Berlin House of Representatives.
We want our demands to be heard and taken into account! We want, and believe in, the voting rights of migrants.
Thank you to everyone who will make this possible
See you on September 6!
P.S. To make participation easier, we will provide childcare, translation, lunch, and transportation support where necessary.
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