Franziska Stölzel

Franziska Stölzel collaborates with the Research Group “Regional Sustainability Transformations” (RNT) at RIFS on questions of child and youth participation in socially polarized contexts shaped by anti-democratic and far-right tendencies. The collaboration focuses on how practitioners in child and youth participation describe the potentials, limits, and conditions of participation as a democratic learning and experience space. The empirical basis consists of qualitative interviews with practitioners from Brandenburg and other regions in Germany. The cooperation includes the completion and submission of a joint scientific article to an English-language peer-reviewed journal.

In addition, Franziska Stölzel supports the finalization and dissemination of a workbook on child and youth participation in Brandenburg that has been developed together with young people. The workbook addresses adolescents and young adults and provides accessible information on participation rights, opportunities for civic engagement, and practical ways of shaping political processes at the local and state level. Further exchange and workshop formats with young people and practitioners are planned.

Another focus of the cooperation is the preparation and support of an internal RIFS excursion format in Lusatia. The excursion aims to highlight different perspectives on regional transformation processes, participation, and local societal conflicts.