FIFE team attended the 2026 Democracy Conference

On 12 May 2026, members of the FIFE team attended the 2026 Democracy Conference on “Democracy in Jerichower Land: Have your say, get involved, help shape the future” at the Evangelisches Gemeindehaus in Burg. FIFE was represented by Dr Kwaku Arhin-Sam, Prof Dr Ulrike Schultz, Dr Jill Blau, and Thandi Klingbeil. Dr Arhin-Sam and Prof Dr Schultz were also invited to contribute to the panel discussion, “Our Jerichower Land – Our Democracy.”

Other panel participants included Steffi Schünemann, Board Member of AWO Landesverband Sachsen-Anhalt e.V.; Alina Eva Nicklas, Educational Director of Landesjugendwerk der AWO; Karina Kleve, Equal Opportunities and Disability Officer for the Jerichower Land district; and Sebastian Kroll, a social studies teacher at a school in Tangermünde.

For FIFE, the event provided an important opportunity to validate and present key findings from the situation and resource analysis of Jerichower Land. The analysis was conducted on behalf of AWO as part of the federal programme “Live Democracy!”

The discussion highlighted that democracy at local level depends on trust, meaningful opportunities for participation, and reliable structures. Particular emphasis was placed on youth participation, accessible points of contact, democratic education in schools, and the strengthening of existing networks. At the same time, participants underlined that civic engagement requires clear framework conditions and visible support.

The conference demonstrated the importance of exchange between public administration, education, youth and social work, and research in order to further strengthen democratic participation in Jerichower Land.