Coping with and shaping the consequences of demographic change is a major challenge for the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania that encompasses all political fields of action. For this reason, the state parliament set up an enquiry commission on “Ageing in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern” in February 2012. On behalf of the commission, the nexus Institute in cooperation with the Centre for Civil Society Development, Freiburg, is developing a basic expertise in the field of “Civic Engagement and Social Participation”. The expertise comprises the following parts:

  • The presentation of the current state of civic engagement by and for older people and the social participation of older people as well as the framework conditions and infrastructures for engagement and participation in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on the basis of existing statistical data.
  • An integrated analysis in two magnifying glass regions on civic engagement and social participation.
  • An analysis of the most important problem areas and challenges for civic engagement in the fields of action of demographic change, as well as
  • concrete recommendations for action to promote and steer civic engagement.

According to the project team, engagement is multifaceted and also includes the informal engagement of neighbourhood help, family work and local support. The fact that the municipalities, with their specific engagement structures, should be at the centre of the promotion of engagement is another substantive approach of the work.

Duration: 06/2015 – 10/2015
Client: Landtag Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Enquete-Kommission “Älter werden in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern”
Team: Dr. Christine von Blanckenburg (Project manager), Daphne Reim
Project partner: Zentrum für zivilgesellschaftliche Entwicklung (ZZE)

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