Your Space Sachsen

We have been successfully implementing our dialogue-based educational program, “Narrative Discussion Groups in Schools and Their Communities,” for many years in various German states. With “Your Space Saxony”—funded by the state program “Weltoffenes Sachsen”—we are now introducing this approach to schools in Saxony and their local communities from June 2026 through December 2028. The goal is to establish a sustainable approach at selected locations in the Leipzig and North Saxony districts that will strengthen democratic dialogue and decision-making skills over the long term and prevent all forms of group-focused hostility and threats to democracy.

Establishing local structures and professional networks on the ground is a key step toward knowledge transfer and sustainability. Only in this way can an intensive educational approach—such as the narrative discussion groups—organically integrate into the local mainstream structures of schools, education, and child-rearing and have a lasting impact beyond the project’s duration.

Local ties to the school and the community

Your Space Sachsen does not view schools in isolation, but rather as part of their social environment. For this reason, over the course of the three-year project, four to six schools and their local communities will be engaged and involved. The relationship between each school and its local community and the surrounding civil society is strengthened—because that is where key contacts and resources come from, such as youth and family services or psychosocial services, which can provide effective support in individual cases.

Cultures Interactive is responsible for establishing and coordinating this community network, as well as providing expert guidance to the local discussion groups. Collaboration with existing structures, such as the Partnerships for Democracy and the “School Without Racism – School With Courage” network, further anchors this work within the community. At the same time, links are established with subject-specific instruction and local youth services, enabling the development of a sustainable and scalable approach.

Improving Communication Skills, Resolving Conflicts

The discussion groups are aimed at adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18 who have special needs in terms of democratic character development. Each year, discussion groups are held at two schools, each involving two classes, over a period of ten to twelve weeks—facilitated by a team of four discussion leaders, a supervisor for the “break room,” and a contact person from the school.

These groups foster one of the most important basic personal skills: the ability to talk to one another. In a vibrant and sustainable democracy, it is essential that people from different backgrounds engage in conversation with one another—about personal concerns as well as social issues. This is challenging, but worthwhile: conversations foster understanding and strengthen social cohesion. Schools have significant, as yet untapped potential in this area for teaching democracy, conflict resolution, and communication skills.

Empower Professionals, Engage the Community

Schools are often severely overburdened and need additional support. Extracurricular professionals from the local community—who are trained and supported to facilitate confidential group discussions in schools as a local team—can provide this support and enrich the work of the schools. In addition, teachers and school social workers receive professional development training in initial response and dialogue skills so that they can respond confidently and in a way that promotes democracy in challenging conversational situations.

Over the course of the three-year project, a growing network of qualified professionals is taking shape: approximately 100 students participate in the discussion groups as early as the first year, supplemented by annual professional development sessions for teachers and dedicated community members. Through outreach-based secondary prevention and advocacy in Saxony’s education policy, the project also works to shape the conditions under which a democratic culture of dialogue can flourish in schools.

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