Dialogue forum for European twin cities

Let's talk about our differences

The European Twin City Frankfurt (Oder)-Słubice together with the European University Viadrina invites you to the 1st Dialogue Forum of the Twin Cities on June 2 and 3, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Collegium Polonicum Słubice. The topic is the challenges and opportunities in dealing with differences.

The motto: dealing with differences

Differences in personalities as well as differences in the sense of different opinions, values and attitudes are omnipresent.

"For us, the term 'difference' has two sides. On the one hand, differences can be a source of uncertainty or even a threat in times of crisis. On the other hand, they are a resource for overcoming social challenges in urban societies," says Sören Bollmann from the Frankfurt-Słubice Cooperation Center of the City of Frankfurt (Oder).

Paul Emtsev, associate researcher at the Institute for Conflict Management at the European University Viadrina adds: "We believe that the ability to deal with differences is crucial when it comes to overcoming the diverse challenges of living together today. Especially in times when the culture of public dialog is becoming increasingly confrontational and it seems to be more and more difficult to actually talk to each other about differences and disagreements in a respectful way."

Participants wanted

Ten plus ten participants from Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice are wanted, representing three different areas of society:

• Citizens who are interested in sharing their personal experiences in dealing with differences and who want to get in touch with people from other twin cities.
• Associations: Representatives of organized groups that are active in civil society in the twin city, such as associations, initiatives or other organizations, who would like to share their experiences.
• Politics: Representatives from politics and administration who have gained experience in public cross-border cooperation - including the differences in approaches and interests - through existing projects in their own working environment and are open to dialogue with colleagues and citizens from other cities.

The common language is English. The dialog forum will be professionally moderated. If you are interested in taking part in the two-day forum, please register at the Frankfurt-Słubice Cooperation Center by Friday, March 7. Contact: Sören Bollmann, City of Frankfurt (Oder), E: soeren.bollmann@frankfurt-oder.de

If the number of registrations is higher than the number of free places, a selection will be made with regard to the widest possible diversity (age, experience) or a draw will be made.