Increasing numbers of people feel neither heard nor addressed by politics and are indifferent or ambivalent towards democracy. When people's trust in institutions and processes diminishes, their expectations of participation and justice are not met, and they do not feel adequately represented in the political discourse, this can reinforce divisive tendencies and populist solutions. The program "Everyday Spaces. Making a bigger impact, together" aims to counter these tendencies in a positive way and to give people the opportunity to experience the added value of democracy and community for themselves. Projects and activities should take place in places where people like to spend a lot of time: in everyday or leisure places. These can be the premises of civil society clubs and associations such as fire brigades, football and shooting clubs, allotment gardens, rural women's and parents' groups, but also commercial public places such as corner pubs, shopping centres, gyms, shisha bars and petrol stations.
Access through everyday and leisure spaces requires credible bridge-builders who can open up new spaces for democracy work in their contexts. For this reason, the program gives venue operators and actors in political and socio-cultural education the opportunity to develop and test innovative ideas for democracy work in the tridem.
The program is implemented in cooperation with the Bundesverband Soziokultur. In terms of content, the association focuses on political and cultural education that encourages active participation and helps to shape local society. The socio-cultural centres, which are very familiar with local conditions, contribute to strengthening local democracy and enable the work to continue after the program period.
Robert Bosch Stiftung