For Democracy!

At the invitation of Dean Jochen Wilde, Katharina Schulze, member of the state parliament and parliamentary group leader of the Greens in the Bavarian state parliament, will give a pulpit speech in the Passau parish church of St. Matthäus. Her topic: “Creating the good. How change can succeed together.”
Basically, the “pulpit speech” is somewhere between a sermon and a lecture. It takes place in the church, but is not a church service. Members of the public and committed laypeople are invited to speak for around 30 minutes on a topic of their choice. Afterwards, there will be an opportunity for discussion in the neighboring Protestant Center. The aim of this series in the Passau parish church is to talk to each other instead of about each other.

Partner: Evangelical-Lutheran Deanery Passau
Date: 17.11.2024
Location: St. Matthew’s parish church
Time: 10.00 am
Admission: free

Our company is a work in progress. It is an invitation to join in. And there are many ways to contribute to a democratic world: in politics, as a social entrepreneur, in a meaningful job, as a volunteer or through effective donations. If you are still looking for the most effective way for you to get involved, you are in good company! We are convinced that you will make an even bigger difference if you find the right and most effective way for you to contribute your talents, your passion and your time to society. Of course, because not every form of commitment suits your talents and your everyday life. Together, we will find out which impact path suits you best and which less so, in order to make the best use of your time and talents and avoid frustration. In this workshop, we will combine interactive elements, impulses and moments of self-reflection.

The Zukunftswerft as part of the Changemaker Academy was founded in 2015 to help people (especially young people) find a way to get involved. Since then, many hundreds of participants have been able to see for themselves that tried-and-tested methods are used in these workshops to achieve this goal.

Date Workshop 1: 08.11.2024, afternoon (time to be announced)
Date Workshop 2: 09.11.2024, morning (time to be announced)
Duration: 2.5 to 3 hours incl. 15 min break
Location: Passau city ev. deanery or Passau country (to be announced

Slogans have become part of our everyday lives. We encounter them among friends, at work and even within our own families. The fronts between supporters and opponents are hardening. Differing opinions are intensifying and the tone is becoming more aggressive. But how do you react appropriately? People are often stunned, angry or helpless.

Perdita Wingerter and Franz Hauber want to provide support and therefore offer their argumentation training. They show how to deal confidently with regulars’ table slogans and give tips on how not to remain silent in certain situations. Approaches are shown for making statements against clumsy phrases.

Silence strengthens both radicals and populists. The aim is for us to seek out and discuss with each other – and to clearly distance ourselves when red lines are crossed.

Partner: Living and learning in Europe
Date: 11.11.24
Location: Lederergasse 1 common room, 94032 Passau
Time: 18:00-20:00
Admission: for a donation
Registration: Until 10.11.24 under 0851-2132738 or projekt@gemeinsam-in-europa.de

The cultural scientists Dr. Branka Schaller-Fornoff and PD Dr. Roger Fornoff (both Berlin) will present their book “Hedonistic Asceticism” from 2023 as a basis for discussion – renegotiating meaning and consumption in the 21st century.

This anthology is conceptually aimed at those interested in ecology and politics. It focuses on the question of whether or not a series of consumption-critical, nature-sensitive, individually pleasurable behaviors that have recently emerged are suitable for implementing a socio-ecological transformation for society as a whole.
The sense or nonsense of yoga, forest bathing, urban escape/retreat, etc. will be discussed – together with the audience, of course.

Link to the book 
Information about the publishers

Moderation: Dr. Florian Wobser, Akadem. Councilor at the Chair of Philosophy at the University of Passau.

Date: 12.11.24 6-8 p.m.
Location: probably “Unilive”-Raum/Ludwigstraße
Time: 12.11.24 6-8 p.m.

Songs can be a powerful means of getting a message out into the world. To convey socio-critical accents through music, you need lyrics that stick in your head. The workshop with Passau songwriter and linguist Philipp Heidepeter, alias Emil Bach, teaches the important basics of the craft. Using case studies as well as individual and group exercises, participants will work on topics such as
– Rhythm and meter
– rhyme structure and song structure
– techniques for successfully conveying content
– possible objectives of the song in the context of social criticism
– the love of language
The language-led approach of the workshop enables participants to implement their ideas for socially critical songs aesthetically and effectively using helpful techniques. As the workshop focuses primarily on lyrics rather than music, participants of all musical levels are welcome. Previous songwriting experience is also not necessary – just an interest in using language to make an impact on the world. Please bring your own writing utensils – and if you already have your own lyrics in the drawer, you are of course welcome to bring them too!

Date: 13.11.24
Location: Café Museum
Time: 2-6 p.m. (workshop)
8 pm (concert)
Admission: box office
Registration: advisable, as the maximum number of participants is 8-10 people

In the mid-1930s, the ambitious Irmina travels to London to begin training as a foreign language secretary. Pressured by the political situation, she returns to Berlin. In National Socialist Germany, she is faced with the opportunity to finally achieve the prosperity she has been striving for, provided she does not question the regime’s criminal ideology. And the political events escalate further and further…

Barbara Yelin is one of Germany’s best-known comic artists. With “Irmina”, she presents her masterpiece: a gripping drama about the decision between personal freedom and the drive for social advancement. Based on a true story, she uses atmospherically dense images to trace a career full of ruptures, which can also serve as an example of the complicity of many in National Socialism by looking the other way and taking advantage.

On this evening, Barbara Yelin will tell the story of “Irmina”, provide insights into the creation of the pictures and open up the space for a discussion on this poignant topic.

“A graphic novel about an extraordinary, uncomfortable topic by one of the most important comic artists of her generation.” – Thomas von Steinaecker, Süddeutsche Zeitung

Venue: Evangelisches Zentrum St. Matthäus, Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Platz, Passau
Time: Thursday, 14.11.2024, time to be announced
Admission: free, donations welcom

They see themselves as a movement for truth and enlightenment, appear at lateral thinking demonstrations and fill social networks with their alarming messages. They live on self-sufficient farms and work as natural healers. In these uncertain times, their messages are falling on fertile ground and finding more and more believers.

Dr. Matthias Pöhlmann, a worldview expert from the Evangelical Church of Bavaria, is an excellent expert on this scene. He shows that what is initially seen as the harmless spinning of a minority contains enormous social explosives.

About the speaker:
PD Dr. theol. habil. Matthias Pöhlmann, Church Councillor and Commissioner for Sectarian and Worldview Issues of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, religious scholar at the LMU Munich and publicist. Numerous publications on religious and ideological issues, most recently: Rechte Esoterik. Wenn sich alternatives Denken und Extremismus gefährlich vermischen, Freiburg/Breisgau: Verlag Herder 2021.

Date: Saturday, 16.11.2024
Time: 16.00 – 18.00 hrs
Place: House of Generations, Heiliggeistgasse 3

Photo: ©ELKB, McKee