Immigrant Education Center in the State Parliament, called the 'Democracy School for Immigrants'
Refugees from various North Rhine-Westphalia towns visited the state parliament last week for a democratization program. The participants, from Hagen, Rheda-Wiedenbrück, Düsseldorf, and the Ennepe-Ruhr district, took part in lessons about the workings of democracy and the role of the parliament.
André Kuper, president of the state parliament, hosted the attendees, who were enrolled in integration courses. He discussed the duties of the parliament and political participation opportunities with them. According to Kuper, the aim is to instill democratic values in immigrants living in North Rhine-Westphalia. He highlighted the importance of political education, explaining that it forms the basis for societal participation.
Kuper launched this program in 2019, which merges democracy education with an inside look at parliamentary processes. The initiative targets migrants from language, integration, and orientation courses.
The state parliament, in collaboration with the Ministry for Children, Youth, Family, Equality, Refugees, and Integration, as well as with municipal integration centers, offers this program.
The initiates hailed from the following integration courses: Municipal Integration Center Ennepe-Ruhr district, Cuno-Berufskolleg 2 (Hagen), Pro Arbeit (Rheda-Wiedenbrück), and Studyon Institut Garath.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, the term "Democracy School" encompasses a variety of educational initiatives focusing on fostering democracy and civic engagement among young people within the school system. These initiatives often incorporate research-based approaches to prepare youth for active participation in democratic society by integrating democratic principles, political education, and engagement into school curricula and extracurricular activities.
Relevant partners in these efforts include the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia, university researchers, the Gerda Henkel Stiftung, and education unions. Schools in North Rhine-Westphalia also participate in research and pilot projects on democracy education.
- The participants, who were enrolled in integration courses, were introduced to the importance of political education as part of the democracy program led by André Kuper, president of the North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament.
- The general news also covers the Democracy School initiatives in North Rhine-Westphalia schools, which aim to instill democratic values and encourage civic engagement among young people, alongside the state parliament's democratization program for migrants.
