Is the work for democracy coming to an end?
180 organizations write an open letter to the Chancellor and members of parliament.
As part of the alliance " Right now. For everyone." , we endorse the open letter to the German Federal Government. It can be found here: Open Letter
The press release from the alliance:
"Budget negotiations are in full swing, and the outlook for democratic engagement is bleak: If Christian Lindner pushes through his austerity measures, the work for democracy and participation in Germany is doomed. 180 civil society organizations are therefore demanding in an open letter to the Chancellor and members of parliament: Don't abandon us, but advocate in the budget negotiations that funding for political education, children's and youth work, volunteer services, and the promotion of democracy is not cut, but rather made permanent. Especially now, when the AfD is threatening our democracy like never before.".
What the cuts would mean: Fire brigades and sports clubs would have to discontinue their democracy projects, prevention projects at schools would be cut, counselling centers for dealing with right-wing extremism for activists, victims of violence and those wishing to leave the movement would have to close, voluntary services, youth associations, migrant organizations and innovative approaches in memorial site work would face extinction.
“Civil society will be weakened for decades, democratic culture will erode,” the alliance writes in an open letter – and appeals to Chancellor Scholz and the members of the Bundestag: “The current budget negotiations must not lead to a slash-and-burn approach! We need these programs more than ever. Therefore, the funding for the Federal Children and Youth Plan, voluntary service programs, political education, and the major funding programs ‘Democracy Live!’ (Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth) and ‘Social Cohesion through Participation’ (Federal Ministry of the Interior) must be secured and expanded in the coming years – especially now, for everyone.”
The alliance comprises 180 non-profit organizations committed to democracy and participation. These include large associations such as the German Firefighters Association, the German Federal Youth Council, the Association of German Educational Institutions, and the German Child Protection Association; networks such as the Federal Association of Volunteer Agencies and the Federal Conference of Migrant Organizations; as well as numerous local advice centers and project sponsors. In addition to the open letter, the alliance launched a petition a few weeks ago. Within a very short time, over 75,000 signatures were collected