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Institute for Canadian Citizenship presents 6 Degrees Berlin on November 12

Toronto/Berlin, November 7, 2018—The Institute for Canadian Citizenship is pleased to announce 6 Degrees Berlin, a full day of conversation and action on immigration, refugees, belonging, and building inclusive societies, supported by the Embassy of Canada, the Robert Bosch Foundation, the BMW Foundation, and the Barenboim-Said Akademie. Taking place at the Barenboim-Said Akademie’s Pierre Boulez Saal on Monday, November 12 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. this unique public forum is part of an ongoing series of global conversations on citizenship and inclusion presented by the Institute, an independent civil society organization co-founded by The Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul.

Speakers at 6 Degrees Berlin will include Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei; 26th Governor General of Canada, the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson; award-winning essayist and novelist John Ralston Saul; Mayor of Athens Giorgos Kaminis; Director of the German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM) Naika Foroutan; jurist and award-winning author of The Reader Bernhard Schlink; and many more. 6 Degrees is a global conversation about inclusion. We involve the brightest minds and the boldest methods, bringing thinkers, doers, artists, politicians, and civil society together in a unique forum. A full list of speakers and the complete programme are available here. Tickets to 6 Degrees Berlin are available via the Pierre Boulez Saal here.

QUOTES

“We’re bringing critical questions about how societies deal with fundamental questions of belonging, inclusion, and social resilience to Berlin—a city at the centre of the mass movement of people in Europe. What’s the difference between ‘integration’ and ‘inclusion’? How do we help increasingly diverse populations to live and work better together? Part of the answers lie in creating better language, inspiring better thinking, and driving better policy—and that’s exactly what we’ll be doing at 6 Degrees Berlin.”

—Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul, Co-founders and Co-chairs, Institute for Canadian Citizenship

“Over the last few years, Germany has undertaken enormous efforts and achieved notable successes in receiving and integrating not only many refugees, but also migrants from the EU and other countries. It has truly become a country of immigration. But integration is not just about shelter, work and learning the German language—it’s about a sense of belonging and true participation in German society. We know from our work that it takes both the many actors in civil society, business, administration and politics at the local level, as well as the political will and commitment to welcome and include newcomers to our society. That is why we need to talk about common values, shared identities and how we want to live together as a society in all its diversity.”

—Ottilie Bälz, Robert Bosch Stiftung

“I am delighted to welcome the 6 Degrees forum to Berlin. The Institute for Canadian Citizenship will bring an impressive group of individuals from Canada, Germany, and other parts of Europe to the Barenboim-Said Akademie for a discussion on building inclusive societies. We will engage in a conversation on issues of migration and belonging that embraces our diversity as strength. I am looking forward to a fruitful exchange of ideas and perspectives and I am confident that the unique format of 6 Degrees can drive positive change.”

—The Honourable Stéphane Dion, Ambassador of Canada to Germany and Special Envoy to the European Union and Europe

“There is an increasing and very unfortunate tendency in large parts of the world today to replace attempts of finding common ground with erecting physical and mental borders. ‘There are no insulated cultures or civilisations,’ Edward Said writes in Reflections on Exile. ‘The more insistent we are on separation, the more inaccurate we are about ourselves and others.’ The mass movement of people due to war, suppression, economic inequality, climate change and a host of other reasons is a fact. Denial is not an option, but there are no easy solutions. 6 Degrees is an attempt to make us reflect on what unites us and what makes us different, and as such it is an antidote to the inaccuracies we have to overcome to act with humanity and realism to the challenges of migration and integration.”

— Michael Naumann, Rector, Barenboim-Said Akademie

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About 6 Degrees
6 Degrees drives a global conversation on citizenship and inclusion. Presented by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, it includes an immersive annual three-day event in Toronto, as well as a series of one-day pop-ups across Canada and around the world. 6 Degrees is about the power of bringing people together. Using conversation, artistic representation, and action, 6 Degrees counters rising nativism and exclusion, and invites everyone to find a place in our circle. Berlin is the third European city to host 6 Degrees, following St. Gallen, Switzerland (May 2018) and The Hague (April 2017).

About the Institute for Canadian Citizenship
Powered by a passionate and committed national network, the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) is an independent civil society organization co-founded by The Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul. The ICC delivers programs and special projects that inspire Canadians to be inclusive, create opportunities to connect, and encourage active citizenship. The Cultural Access Pass is unique in the world, offering new citizens free access to more than 1400 cultural attractions during their first year of citizenship. Partnering with community volunteers and iconic cultural institutions, the ICC celebrates new Canadian citizens at more than 75 community citizenship ceremonies each year. Ideas & Insights is a leading source of research on citizenship and inclusion — social, cultural, political, and economic. 6 Degrees extends the reach of the ICC’s work through a global conversation on inclusion and belonging in the 21st century.

CONTACTS

Toronto

Leon Mar
Senior Director, Communications
Institute for Canadian Citizenship
[email protected]
+1 416 708-9017

Berlin

June Chua
Outreach Manager, 6 Degrees Berlin
Institute for Canadian Citizenship
[email protected]
+49 (0) 176 37340 597

Thilo Lenz
Press Relations and Social Media Coordinator
Embassy of Canada
[email protected]
+49 (0) 30 20312-265