How history continues to shape the present, and what this has to do with racism
Learning Objectives
Excerpts from German colonial history
How do colonial structures continue to shape our lives today?
Forms of protest and ways to take action
Building a community based on solidarity
Research
Workshop conceptualization
Learning design (content, text, visuals and space)
Workshop facilitation and moderation
This workshop was developed at the Lernort Demokratie (Democracy Learning Centre) run by the Jugendring Düsseldorf. It is aimed at school classes in Years 8–12.
In the workshop, participants recognise how colonial history continues to influence their lives today. They learn what colonialism means and how power structures emerge in society. They discover traces of colonialism in the city of Düsseldorf and delve into the history of people, places and relationships. They then learn how racism shows up in everyday life, hearing real-life accounts and political voices from those affected.
In the process, they learn about different forms of resistance. Anyone who wishes to do so can also share their own experiences. At the end of the workshop, everyone reflects together: What can we do to live in solidarity with one another?
The workshop can be booked at any time through the Jugendring’s Lernort Demokratie!
In collaboration with Jugendring Düsseldorf; Katharina Schunck (Education Officer at Jugendring), Ida Tolle (Social Work/ Social Pedagogy B.A. at Hochschule Düsseldorf), Liz Wolke (Media and Culture Analysis M.A. at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf) and Myriam Courrèges (M.A. Empowerment Studies), Yvonne Yeboah (M.A. Eco-Social Design)
Participants' voices
"It did me good to talk about it"
students, 8th grade
Project Kick-Off: October 2025