Creating Participation
2024, DüsseldorfAs part of the „Creating Participation“ program by the Fritz Henkel Foundation in cooperation with Social Impact gGmbH, eight outstanding social startups had the opportunity to present their projects live in front of a jury and an audience for the second time this year, following 2022. The program supports both new and established initiatives that strengthen societal participation for people with migration and/or refugee backgrounds through art and culture, and drive social innovations forward. The goal is to help these projects take off successfully so that they can make a sustainable contribution to society. To achieve this, the best initiatives are supported with prize money totaling €100,000.
The Program
The application process for this year’s program began in May 2024. From the applications received, the jury selected eight teams to enter an intensive development phase. In online workshops, coaching sessions, and with support from the Social Impact learning platform, the teams were able to further develop their projects and prepare for the grand finale—the pitch for the three main prizes. The finale took place on December 3, 2024, in Düsseldorf, where the eight teams presented their projects and future plans to a high-profile jury and an audience, accompanied by an extensive social media campaign. In addition to the three jury prizes, a public prize was also awarded, determined in advance through an online voting by the community.
1st Place: Spoken Word Akademie
The Winning Teams 2024
1st Place: Spoken Word AkademieSpoken Word Akademie empowers young people in rural East Germany and promotes cultural participation through spoken word poetry to actively combat right-wing extremism.
A special focus of the project is on the culture and language of the Sorbian minorities in East Saxony.
2nd Place: Art AsylThis project contributes to children and young people experiencing participation in art and culture through cultural education from a post-migrant perspective.
Long-term, the team plans to establish a center for post-migrant cultural education.
3rd Place: much cooler than yoursSelf-Empowerment made by migrants – much cooler than yours develops products for empathetic dialogues in migrant families. In doing so, they not only strengthen intergenerational dialogue but also amplify migrant voices in the public sphere.
Public Prize: Give Something Back To BerlinThis initiative connects migrants, refugees, and locals through cultural offerings.
In addition to the winners, the following projects were also part of the program:
ExilmuseumBecome a curator and shape your exile museum! On the way to the future exile museum, we invite people in exile to provide critical impulses and develop their own content for the new museum.
Humans of StuttgartAt Humans of Stuttgart, young people with migration and refugee backgrounds collect photos and stories of people from Stuttgart. The project bridges gaps between people and promotes the diversity and inclusion of the city.
JoblingeThe campaign „Begegnung schafft Zusammenhalt“ (Encounters Create Solidarity) gives a voice to disadvantaged young people, integrates them into public discourse, and raises awareness of their challenges in accessing the labor market.
Magazin of ColorMagazin of Color gUG is the anti-racist platform for representation and empowerment of Bi_PoC in the cultural and creative industries, addressing the lack of representation and structural access.
A big thank you also to the distinguished jury of the pitch:
- Sylvie Nicol (Board member of Henkel Management AG and the Fritz Henkel Foundation)
- Thorsten Jahnke (Managing Director and Co-Founder Social Impact gGmbH)
- Cornelia Röper (Managing Director and Founder of Wefugees gUG, expert in startups and migration)
- Dr. Andreas Rickert (Board member and Co-founder Phineo gAG)
- Reza Solhi (Board member and Founder of # DemokratieLautstark, expert in cultural education)
We congratulate the awardees wholeheartedly and look forward to watching and experiencing their continued development!
