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Victoria Solomina
Through Debating to Action: Tolerance among us! [0] - 02.02.2025
If you had been in Volgograd on the 16th of May, you could meet 20 young people promoting ideas of tolerance in the streets using all of possible ways.The most exciting is the fact that three days before some of them hadn’t thought about organizing a street action at all. How could it happen? There were two reasons: personal motivation and participation in the Workshop “Through Debating to Action” which was held on the 14-16th of May in Volgograd. During three days 20 students of various Volgograd Universities had been discussing a challenging and up-to-date topic of tolerance, developing and implementing mini-projects. Mini-projects as a kind of civic engagement were elaborated and implemented after intensive debating on such themes as e.g. borders of tolerance, causes and roots of intolerance in the society.
Street action of the participants of the Workshop “Through Debating to Action” in Volgograd
“Through Debating to Action” is a project in the Theodor-Heuss-Kolleg, a Programme of the Robert Bosch Foundation and the MitOst e.V. which was initiated by Olga Bondarenko a student of Volgograd State University and Theodor-Heuss-Kolleg fellow and put in to action with assistance of a project team composed of volunteers.
Olga Bondarenko a Theodor-Heuss-Kolleg fellow
“The Theodor-Heuss-Kolleg (www.theodor-heuss-kolleg.de) supports young people who want to contribute as volunteers to shaping their environment, to facilitating change in society. In individually developed projects, they have the opportunity to be active, develop friendships and gain important experiences.” “Project scholarships are subsequently awarded to the students submitting the best ideas.”
As a participant of this 3-days Workshop dealing with the topic “Tolerance among us” I would like to share my experiences. I’m very glad that nowadays more and more people, especially young begin to say about this problem and understand that it’s burning. Unfortunately, very often we forget about the fact that all we are different, have different culture, traditions and habits, speak different languages and live in different countries, we’re different but all of us have the right to live!
The problem is that out of the chipped stereotypes which impose to us we lose the habit of thinking and distinguish lie and the truth. It’s much easer just follow samples and not to delve in problems. That’s why as a result many people afford themselves not to withhold from saying rude things and even acting bad towards the people they do not understand or just do not like. The extent of aggressive in our society is increasing every day and that’s a pity.
At my end I’d like to say that it’s just the time to change the situation, this problem catches me on the raw therefore I’ve made up my mind to take part in the Workshop. I was pleased when I met 20 young boys and girls with their active vital positions, who’re ready to act. No one stood indifferent; all the participants took active part in the work. I was all ears when they said their ideas and opinions, especially it was very hot while debate. Very burning problems were touched upon, for instance, “can tolerance have a border?” Both groups found so many facts proving their positions and really it was difficult to choose who was right.
Also I can’t but say about our project work when we realize our mini-projects in the streets. We saw that average citizens amicably perceive our ideas and many of them left their drawings or wishes on our posters for the support the projects.
The purpose of our project called “Tolerance in the masses” was to say citizens about an urgency of the problem therefore we tried to involve as many people as possible. First of all we people passing by to write their wishes on the poster. Some of them just signed showing that they supported the project, others drew some pretty pictures. After that every person involved got a balloon with the inscription “tolerance among us” and was asked to transfer it further in order to spread the idea “in the masses”. For children there was an opportunity to write or draw something on the balloon and they took it. Besides we gave people the flowers serving the same purpose as balloons. We saw that average citizens amicably perceive our ideas and were very glad to take such gifts.
To tot up, I want to thank the organizers and participants for those interesting days and their noble purposes. We’ve started great work! It does not mater that there were only 20 people but these people are tolerant and patient and try to spread this idea.
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