European Areas of Solidarity
Collage mit mehreren Gesichtern und dem Titel "Solidarität mit Gesicht". Die Gesichter fragen sich "Wann bist du (un)sichtbar? und "Was bedeutet Europa für dich?" und "Wer hat Angst vor Rassismus(-kritik)?" und "Was müsste man deiner Meinung nach tun, um die Menschen besser zusammenzubringen?"
Collage mit mehreren Gesichtern und dem Titel "Solidarität mit Gesicht". Die Gesichter fragen sich "Wann bist du (un)sichtbar? und "Was bedeutet Europa für dich?" und "Wer hat Angst vor Rassismus(-kritik)?" und "Was müsste man deiner Meinung nach tun, um die Menschen besser zusammenzubringen?"
How solidary is city life and what is a solidary city? The "European Areas of Solidarity" (EASY) project looks at solidarity-based urban concepts in Europe. From a solidarity theory perspective, the focus is particularly on the lighthouse project "Züri City Card" in Switzerland. Using a participatory approach, both the needs and ideas of irregularised migrants with regard to a city of solidarity and the strategies and models of urban solidarity alliances are examined. The transnational cooperation with practice partners from the fields of diaconal action and education, social work as well as non-partisan platforms and independent associations should be emphasised. In addition, we discuss solidarity and diversity in our teaching and regularly hold research events where we can share our knowledge about solidarity-based urban concepts and generate new knowledge. The project team also uses art-based research methods to gain knowledge (here, for example, in the image "Collage of Solidarity") and in this way initiates a public exchange on the project topic.
Funding: The EASY project is funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation as part of the funding priority "Flight".
Duration: March 2023 - February 2026
Management team: Prof Dr Caroline Schmitt (Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences), Prof Dr Marc Hill (University of Innsbruck)
Research assistants: Songül Can, Johanna Hofmann
Student support: Joanna Kuper, Nadja Shkirat
Practice partners: Christoph Johannsen / Marian Laue (Ev.-Luth. Kirchenkreis Hamburg-Ost), Bettina Pirker (Kärnten andas), Bea Schwager (Verein Züri City Card & Sans-Papiers Anlaufstelle Zürich (SPAZ)), Birgit Tognella-Geertsen (Secondas Zürich)
About the locations: The EASY project is a co-operation between the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences and the University of Innsbruck. You can find more information about the location in Frankfurt here: EASY Frankfurt(external link)
Gerda Henkel Foundation: The project presentation from the foundation can be found here: European Areas of Solidarity (EASY) | Gerda Henkel Foundation (external link)