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Since 2006, ICfC has consistently been involved in initiatives fostering social cohesion and empathic understanding in the increasingly diverse populations of Western Europe. In recent years, particularly following the "War on Terror," tensions are growing between the majority populations and groups of immigrants or of immigrant descent. There is often palpable fear, mistrust, and a sense of insecurity on one side, and a sense of alienation, victimization, and segregation on the other.
ICfC is working with those who are devoted to resolving these tensions - community leaders, municipal experts on social cohesion, community development activists, educators, and others. From the initiative of the ICfC Executive Board member Ulrich Michel and with funding support from the German Foundation of Remembrance, Responsibility and Future, ICfC brought its expertise to Berlin in 2008.

In November/December 2008, ICfC brought experts and facilitators from Israel, the Netherlands, U.S., and Slovakia to share their international experience and insight with mediators, educators, and others in two Berlin workshops.

Workshop for conflict resolution and social cohesion professionals

November 29, Berlin, Germany ICfC staff and fellows offered a workshop to advanced conflict resolution professionals from the Berlin area on the methodology and techniques of historical conciliation. The group consisted of practicing mediators and lawyers, conflict resolution professionals, and others engaged in resolving community tensions. Many of the participants are actively engaged in resolving disputes between diverse groups of people and daily face the obstacles and challenges brought into their work by identity based conflicts. The ICfC team shared insights on how to address issues of identity, deeply rooted in our collective memories, in the conciliation process.

This introductory workshop is a beginning of what we hope will be a fruitful cooperation with local leaders in municipal and business communities to foster dialogue and social cohesion among the many ethnic communities of Berlin.

Wannsee workshop for community workers and volunteers

December 1 , The House of the Wannsee Conference; Memorial and Educational Site

The House of the Wannsee Conference is an educational museum on the site where the conference on "The Final Solution" of Nazi Germany took place. The House itself still carries a heavy and gloomy burden of its own history. In this house, many docents and educators teach the message of the Holocaust to the upcoming generation. Increasingly, they are running into difficulties when their young visitors include first or second generation Muslim immigrants. The ICfC workshop responded to the direct needs of these educators and activists to find a way to communicate and engage with immigrant youth.

The workshop focused on emphatic learning about “the other,” carried out through introspective as well as role playing exercises and case studies from the participants' work. There was a lot of learning and sharing throughout the day. Kher Albaz introduced the approaches to community dialogues used in diverse communities within Israel, and Mark Boekwijt led a case study based on a situation from the Netherlands, familiar to the participants from Berlin. The group of educators and community development activists left the workshop newly empowered and ready to develop programs that take the complex identities of all young German citizens into account.

ICfC continues to work with Berlin partners, connecting them with the growing network of experts on social cohesion established through ICfC involvement in previous years. Through these workshops and exchanges, much knowledge and experience is shared and professionals devoted to resolving social conflicts and tension become more effective.