Press releases of Europa-Universität Flensburg (EUF)

The German-Danish border region is unique: majorities and minorities have lived side by side for generations, languages and cultures meet in everyday life. Schools in particular show how important an open understanding of belonging is - for good coexistence today and for the democratic society of tomorrow.

In the “BiZu - Bildung für Zugehörigkeit” project, the researchers are now focusing on how belonging to majorities or minorities is perceived in schools in the Sønderjylland-Schleswig region. The region is special with its minority schools.

Researchers from the Europa-Universität Flensburg (EUF) and the ‘Center for Minority Education’ at University College Syddanmark (UC SYD) want to promote an open and inclusive understanding of belonging in everyday school life and thus strengthen intercultural and democratic skills among pupils and teachers. They are funded by ‘Interreg Denmark/Germany’. Prof. Dr. Jürgen Budde, head of the project, emphasizes: "Belonging is a central experience for young people. By making exclusion mechanisms visible and creating spaces for exchange, we are contributing to a shared, inclusive educational space in the border region."

Young people from majority and minority schools come together in two cross-border workshop rounds. They exchange ideas, work together creatively and reflect on their own experiences - developing new perspectives together and strengthening their democratic skills. At the same time, the EUF project team is investigating how belonging is perceived and practiced in schools in the region. To this end, the researchers are conducting interviews with pupils, teachers and school administrators and evaluating their findings with the help of a SWOT analysis.

The special thing about BiZu is that the results do not remain in science. Teachers receive handouts with practical materials, short videos make it easier to address the topic in the classroom and the findings are presented to the public. This means that schools, parents, children and young people benefit directly from the project experience.