Inter-/multiculturalism

• Sending and receiving of international volunteers
• partners in more than 30 countries
• training events on education policy for incoming and outgoing volunteers

Additional course of studies: German as a second language/intercultural educational theory

The OeVA - Oecumenical Planing-Comittee for the Intercultural Week in Germany (ÖVA - Ökumenische Vorbereitungsausschuss) prepares the annual intercultural week (IKW) which is taking place all over the country. It recommends content focuses, suggests a theme, carries out the annual, nationwide preparatory conference  offers materials available for the preparatory groups and organizes a central nationwide inaugural event.In the EPC 15 members are appointed from the churches. Up to six additional members are coopted from institutions, organizations and socially important areas.

What is the intercultural week?
The annual intercultural week (IKW) is an initiative of the German bishops' conference (DBK - Deutschen Bischofskonferenz), the Protestant church in Germany (EKD - Evangelischen Kirche in Deutschland) and the Greek-orthodox Metropolie that takes place throughout all Germany. The intercultural week is held ince 1975 at the end of September and is supported by churches, local authority districts, welfare associations, trade unions, integration advisory boards and commissioned, migrant's organizations and initiative groups. In 2016 about 5,000 events were carried out in more than 500 towns and municipalities. The Refugee Day is a component of the intercultural week.

TheInformation, Documentation and Action Center Against Xenophobia For a Multicultural Future (IDA) serves as a nationwide central contact point for youth associations, organizations, initiatives and professionals involved in youth welfare and educational work. It provides them with information material on (anti-)racism, right-wing extremism, intercultural relations and migration. IDA focuses on anti-racist and intercultural methods and approaches; it initiates projects related to youth welfare and links people working in this domain. IDA is a service center focusing on information, documentation, counseling, training, cooperation, networking, and public relations work.

IDA´s main points are:

• Providing information and counseling
• Publishing registries of speakers, movies, videos and educational material
• Creating readers and flyers for professionals involved in youth welfare and educational work, e.g. concerning tolerance, integration, training, gender mainstreaming and international youth meetings.
• Publishing a regular newsletter including the latest information on anti-racism and youth association work.
• Organizing symposia and workshops
• Provide training for young people active in (im)migrant organizations

The IDA-NRW is a state-run project associated with the organization. The IDA links theory and practice and serves as an intermediary between science & research and educational & youth welfare work. You will find the IDA represented in various German networks. When creating and setting up events, the IDA cooperates with related organizations, sometimes it even plans and arranges whole events for its cooperation partners.