Workshop at Villa Schöpflin | Photo: Cathrine Stukhard
If you ask our founder Hans Schöpflin about the reason for his philanthropic commitment, he says: "It's about democracy." This makes sense when you look at our supra-regional grantmaking activities: Here, we support non-profit organizations that are working to advance democracy, restrict corporate power or are committed to a free and independent press. In terms of the Schöpflin Foundation's activities in Lörrach, however, this goal does not necessarily come to mind at first glance. The foundation started its local commitment with the "Villa Schöpflin" addiction prevention center in Lörrach-Brombach. This was followed by the Werkraum Schöpflin cultural and event venue, the "FABRIC" urban planning project and, most recently, the Schöpflin School. In order to understand what links local and supra-regional commitment, it helps to take a look at our understanding of democracy - and how it is currently faring worldwide.
In Europe, but also in the USA and elsewhere in the world, we are seeing increasing democratic fatigue, which is particularly evident in the rise of right-wing populism. One of the main reasons why people are turning away from the freedoms and values that a democratic system promises them is disenchantment with politics. The question of the causes of and possible ways out of this development is the subject of intense debate in politics, academia and the media.
We believe that everyone should experience democracy in their everyday interactions. This is not primarily about uniform values or standards, but rather about the "rules of the game": It is about the way we shape our society. Democracy needs the active participation of people who are willing and able to take responsibility - for themselves, but also for society as a whole. It needs people who are aware that our society can only function as a community and that this community does not consist of like-minded people coming together, but of coexistence in diversity. However, in order to perceive diversity as an enrichment and not a threat, spaces and structures are needed in which negotiation processes can take place, the ability to engage in dialog is practiced and the experience of self-efficacy and participation is lived. Creating such spaces and structures is a central concern of the Schöpflin Foundation.
Such a space can be an addiction prevention center. Villa Schöpflin in Lörrach enables young people to acquire risk skills for dealing with addictive substances and addictive behavior. This is not about prohibitions, moralizing or lecturing, but about supporting young people in setting their own realistic goals and then implementing them. By learning that they are able to free themselves from a difficult situation, they experience personal responsibility and self-determination. They also experience that they are not left alone with their problems and that they are part of a community for which they count.
A cultural and event venue like the Werkraum Schöpflin can also be such a space, because culture opens up new perspectives; it can change the view of the unfamiliar and provide food for thought. Such a space can also be created in urban planning if, as in the "FABRIC" project in Lörrach-Brombach, local people are asked what they would like to see in a new neighborhood.
However, school is one such space in particular. As an institution that every young person goes through, it has an important socialization function for a democratic community. It is the place to learn responsibility. A central element of this is the promotion of participation and voice, because "responsibility can only be learned by those who take responsibility". At the Schöpflin School, children are actively asked which questions and topics concern them; they themselves determine how to navigate through the curriculum. The children also learn that participation is not limited to asserting individual interests, but also means reconciling different needs and wishes and negotiating decisions.
We are convinced that if democracy is in danger of abolishing itself, this is not because it has failed as a political system. Rather, this crisis is an expression of the fact that democracy is not anchored deeply enough in the everyday life and practical experience of a society. If people repeatedly experience that their commitment makes no difference, frustration and resignation are imminent. Democracy therefore needs permanent structures that enable participation. According to historian Till van Rahden, democracy is "a fragile order" that must be constantly redesigned and continuously practised.
This text (author: Larissa Wegner, Schöpflin Foundation) was also published in a longer version in the Stadtbuch Lörrach 2023 and in this version in our newsletter of February 2024.
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