ANNA DAŃKOWSKA

Diversity and difference of opinions can be very enriching for a group. Anyhow, they are not easy to handle as they can provoke conflict and obstruct cooperation. Deep Democracy is an approach which wants to foster a deeper level of dialogue and inclusiveness that makes space for all people, as well as all competing views, tensions, and interests - in a way that supports awareness of power, and privilege, and the potential of these forces to marginalize other views, individuals, and groups.

About "What can civil society do": ... a lot! Regardless of whether they are fighting poverty, injustice, environmental protection or human rights: Civil society initiatives have become increasingly important worldwide in recent years. Their goals are as diverse as the conditions under which they operate. What they all have in common is that they see themselves as co-creators of social change and often form a constructively critical counterpart to the state and business. Depending on the context, their work is supported, hindered or even criminalized. This series of events presents examples from Syria, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. We will ask the actors about the preconditions for their work, their successes and setbacks and how they got to where they are today. We want to discuss this with you and them.