The motto of the November conference was "Open society - open change? What topics and structures are needed for sustainable structural change in Lusatia?" was itself confronted with the challenge of change this year: Due to the pandemic conditions, only some of the originally planned events were feasible. The panel "Structural change - closed society?" was moved to the digital space and took place as a video conference on November 14 from 10:00 to 12:30. Our aim was to explore and discuss the importance of gender-sensitive and intergenerational participation in Lusatian structural change with a view to the development of an open society. We assume a variety of problems and challenges that - contrary to hegemonic political discourses - cannot be reduced to the coal phase-out and the creation of new jobs. In the course of the panel, the extent to which structural change in Lusatia is a closed process and what premises should be set for opening it up were examined. The aim of the presentations and discussions was to make visible those who are not or not yet sufficiently seen and, in particular, to ask how their perspectives can be successfully integrated.
Viktoria Luh from the Institute For Advanced Sustainability Studies e.V. (IASS) Potsdam, Anikó Popella from the German Children and Youth Foundation (DKJS) Dresden and Pauline Voigt from the project "F wie Kraft" (Zukunftswerkstatt Lausitz and TRAWOS Institute) provided input. This was followed by three virtual table discussions on various aspects of structural change. The event was moderated by Dr. Hanna Haag, Katrin Treffkorn, Marie Melzer and Susanne Lerche (all from the TRAWOS Institute).
Victoria Luh: "Learning from absence. Reflections on good participation in times of change" (IASS, Potsdam)
Victoria Luh's introductory lecture made it impressively clear why it is worthwhile to understand "structural change" in the sense of broad and diverse participation as a democratic negotiation process in the best sense of the word. From her experiences in IASS workshops with trainees in the Lusatian lignite industry and the evaluation of the (lack of) citizen participation in model development processes, she was able to identify important key points of failure and at the same time present important solutions for more integrative participation concepts. You can find the presentation here.
Anikó Popella: "Youth participation and structural change" (DKJS, Dresden)
Anikó Popella from the German Children and Youth Foundation Dresden then spoke on the topic of youth participation in structural change. The ecological, social and economic scope and dimensions of decisions made in the present have a particular impact on the future and therefore on those generations that are young today. This is why children and young people must be involved in all issues that affect them. Although the legal basis for this exists, it is not happening enough. Contrary to popular belief that young people are difficult to reach, Anikó Popella was able to report on very successful examples of youth participation. You can find the presentation here.
Pauline Voigt: "Women in structural change in Lusatia" (TRAWOS, Görlitz)
Pauline Voigt presented the third input as a summary of the research and practical project "F wie Kraft - Frauen als Wirtschaftsfaktor in der Lausitz" (F for strength - women as an economic factor in Lusatia) and illustrated that the official committees on structural change in Lusatia also essentially take place as a "group picture without women" (Tomke Böhnisch, 2003). In a status paper, the project staff therefore formulated measures to make female perspectives and achievements in the region more visible. You can find the presentation here. You can read the position paper here .
In the discussions that followed, the participants made it clear that there is a great need for exchange and networking to address the ongoing structural change processes and the issues of participation by civil society, young people and women in the region. A summary of the aspects discussed in the three table discussions on (1) factors for participation; (2) mechanisms of exclusion and inclusion and (3) the question of problem definition and interpretative sovereignty in structural change can be found here.
Free State of Saxony
Civil society
Youth
Women