Our society is diverse. The arrival of people from all around the globe has always led to ethnic, religious, cultural, and linguistic diversity in Germany. Equally important, our community is shaped by people of different genders, ages, and sexual orientations, with or without disabilities, from all social backgrounds and with different approaches to life. Nevertheless, diversity is often considered a challenge to social cohesion, and uncertainty in dealing with it is a common phenomenon. So, it is all the more important to develop diversity skills in local environments, both urban neighborhoods and rural communities. After all, diversity happens right where we live. With its two-year pilot program, “Die Vielfaltsgestalter - Lokale Bündnisse für Zusammenhalt in Vielfalt” (Designing Diversity – Local Alliances for Cohesion and Diversity), the Robert Bosch Stiftung together with Open Society Initiative for Europe (OSIFE)will support the setting up of six local alliances comprised of representatives of civil society, politics, administration, business, and the arts, who want to do more than just talk about diversity. The idea behind the program is to find partners to join forces and shape diversity on a local level.
Fotolia