Accompanied by the Eastern Europe team, consisting of Markus Leimbach, Alwin Becker and Sandra Stiel, 24 scholars from twelve countries met in Bonn to gain experience in the efficient design of a public administration involving important social groups and minorities in democratic decision-making. This was made possible by a political simulation in which the participants were asked to contribute their political actions.
Under the guidance of Professor Dr. Stefan Rappenglück from the Catholic University of Applied Sciences Berlin, the group developed two scenarios for two fictitious countries. In the group discussions, the participants first had to agree on basic structures and the form of government of the country. This led to the groups first looking at the different systems of government. In the end, one group chose a system of parliamentary monarchy, while the second group developed a grassroots democratic scenario. Based on these two scenarios, the seminar continued in two groups under the guidance of Stefan Rappenglück and Markus Leimbach. In both, the participants developed the roles necessary for the state and divided them among themselves.
The adoption of the roles of political actors by the participants and their shaping were then decisive for the following discussions, in which declarations as a basis for a constitution for the two countries were discussed in smaller working groups. This was done on the basis of the following topics: state system, citizen participation, justice and transparency, as well as media and social justice, some of which were discussed controversially. As is usual in most political systems, the discussion from the working group was then brought to the plenary session of the respective fictitious countries in order to find a consensus for a joint declaration. Finally, the two groups presented the results to each other.
The goal of the seminar was to experience one's own political action and to gain experience with political processes, to see and experience how difficult they can be and what the framework conditions are. Thus, political participation was in the center of this seminar, so that the participants could gain valuable experience for their own actions.
The seminar was framed by morning meditations, which were arranged by individual participants and a joint church service, which P. Prof. Dr. Thomas Eggensperger OP, one of the two spiritual advisers of KAAD, celebrated with the group.
Overall, it was a very intensive seminar with many discussions, in which the participants were able to try out their own political actions and experience political processes in an intensive exchange.
