Team of the Research Center at Volunteer Training in Haus Johannisthal

At the invitation of the Integration Guidance Office of the Diaconal Work of Oberpfalz Central-North, our research center participated -with a team of four staff members- in a training session for volunteers involved in refugee aid on July 12 and 13, 2025, at the Conference House Johannisthal near Windischeschenbach.

Our team designed the afternoon session of the first day of the event, under the theme “Homeland and Identity”. In the morning, Dr. Daniela Sandner from the Bavarian State Association for Heritage Preservation introduced several facets of this complex topic.

Building on this, Dr. Antonia Öksüzoğlu expanded the concept of home in the afternoon session, emphasizing the religious and spiritual dimensions. After a practical exercise, Dr. Dr. Doru Constantin Doroftei illustrated how deeply rooted the themes of ‘flight’ and ‘displacement’ are in the identity of the Jewish people by discussing several key events in their history. Following the coffee break, Dr. Ghassan El Masri gave participants a sense of what individuals of Palestinian or Syrian descent currently associate with the term “homeland”. In the closing round, moderated by Dr. Katja Thörner, there was a Q&A session about the situation in the Middle East. Pressing questions were discussed with the nearly 20 participants from diverse migratory backgrounds.

We thank all participants, especially Ms. Stefanie Wildenrother, the integration guide for the city of Weiden, who initiated the event, as well as Ms. Eva Bräuer from the Regional Catholic Adult Education Center Neustadt-Weiden for their support.

The participation of the research center took place as part of the project “Keep the Dialogue, Despite the Conflict,” which is funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior, for Sports, and Integration.

We were particularly pleased that Mr. Wolfgang Klink, who has been supporting our project from the government of Middle Franconia, took the time to visit the event in Johannisthal and engage in a conversation with the team.