IHEYO

Programme Germany

Report from the campaign in Germany:

Campaign in Germany

IHEYO was organizing the campaign in Germany together with the Humanist Freethinker Association 

Havelland, who is one of the founder members of IHEYO. Starting point of all involved activities was an 

intercultural week in the end of September, which got attention through lots of events in the whole State of 

Brandenburg. In between that week there were different event in cooperation with several organisations 

like for example an Indian evening in a restaurant called „India house“ in our office town Nauen together 

with the Mikado-organisation or a discussion round about homosexuality with Andersartig e.V. (Being 

different). While autumn time the Humanist Freethinker Association offered different workshops, discussion 

rounds, movie-time, which could be booked and ordered free in costs by schools, youth clubs or interested

 youngsters. The results of orders from the side of the youngsters were immensely and surprisingly really

 high that the autumn schedule was busy from October till December with at least one activity per week. 

The offers included theatre workshops, workshops about media and tolerance, theme movie evenings 

with following discussion rounds, plan games with attention to the communication  between two groups 

and historical workshops about the two World Wars, right tendencies of extremism, their roots and actual 

situation in Germany and especially in our State Brandenburg. 

Tolerance-Event/ Final Activity

On Saturday 8th December, the HFH was celebrating on the occasion of the day of human rights (10th Dec.) 

its final event of the tolerance campaign in the cultural house in Rathenow. As main point of the campaign, 

that event was opened and published to everybody in our district Havelland to raise awareness among the 

youngsters, neighbours and people on the streets, to get attention for the actual situation and problems in 

our area and to raise our voice as a sign of action. The official opening of that event was supported by 

„concentus alius“, a homophilharmonic orchestra from Berlin-Schöneberg and was further supported by 

regional artists from Rathenow like the dance ensembles „Fantasia“ of the music- and art school, a Big 

Band, one Chansontrio „Chantrois“, two Bands „Purple People Eaters“ and „Ferromon“ from Potsdam 

and last but not least with a song poem project called „zwischenFall“ (incident) from Leipzig. The programme

 was mixed up with several offers for each age and everybody, not only for listening, but also lots of 

possibilities in all of the surrounding rooms. Guiding tours through the actual photo exhibition 

“Faces of India”, information to HFH, IHEYO, their work and projects, information desks and personal 

contact to Amnesty International and their Mersi-group, which is specialist for human rights and sexual i

dentity, the organisation Andersartig e.V., an  Indian bazaar, a children street for playing, painting and 

also an information desk for the musicians.

As to the same time a Christmas market was located before the cultural house, the event could raise 

attention to lot more people from the outside that around 150-200 visitors were part of that event.

Conclusion

Looking back as the coordinator of the campaign, IHEYO and HFH can be satisfied with the 

results through the actual number of interested and involved youngsters which showed us the high 

consciousness and interest for issues like that. Youngsters are interested in political and social actions, 

they react on actual situations and some of them respond actively in further activities.

Silvana Uhlrich

Coordinator of the tolerance campaign,

2nd Vice-President IHEYO