Tuesday, February 18, 2020
9:00-17:00
Barenboim-Said Akademie
Program booklet available as PDF.
Hier klicken für deutsche Fassung
6 Degrees is the global forum for inclusion and a project of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship. Through annual gatherings in Toronto, Berlin, and Mexico City, 6 Degrees challenges our unsettled age, and works to counter growing divisions in society by providing forums for conversations and action on inclusion, diversity, and citizenship.
Questions of citizenship and inclusion continue to be at the forefront of a divided European political and social landscape. Building on the momentum and ideas of our inaugural edition of 6 Degrees Berlin in 2018, 6 Degrees Berlin 2020 will bring together leaders from all sectors – arts, civil society, academia, government, activism, and business – to break down barriers and build collective solutions to these challenges. In 2018, we showcased international best practices for diversity and inclusion, and for finding common ground in our communities. We continue this work in 2020, with the aim of empowering citizens to activate positive change in policy, workplaces, communities, and in public attitudes. As the European hub for the global forum for inclusion, Berlin is at the centre of that work, serving as the foundation for our on the ground learning, and connecting Germany to a global coalition advocating for inclusion.
6 Degrees Berlin 2020 is our 14th edition globally and our second in Berlin.
What you can expect at this year’s forum:
– Unique, transformative conversations in our signature 360 in-the-round sessions
– Tactical change-making opportunities in multidisciplinary small-group exchanges
– More than 15 featured speakers, including influential international voices and high-profile local leaders
– Ample opportunities to contribute and influence the conversation
– Coalition and capacity building with grassroots activists, artists, change-makers, and leaders from governments and businesses from around the world
– Cultural and artistic interventions and performances
– Real tools and action on the most pressing issues of our time
– Simultaneous German-English interpretation will be provided for sessions that take place on the main stage
09:00 – 09:30
Opening Circle
09:30 – 11:00
360: Where We Stand
What does it mean to be a member of a community in Berlin, in Germany, in Europe, or elsewhere? We’re confronted – politically and socially – with movements that seek to narrow our identities, and undermine the strength of our diversity. What’s feeding xenophobia, the erosion of political alliances, and populist nationalism? How can each of us defend plurality, equality, and each other in the face of polarization?
Host
Jaafar Abdul Karim, journalist and talk show host (Lebanon/Germany)
With
Sally Armstrong, author and journalist (Canada)
Wadah Khanfar, chairman of the Common Action Forum & former director general of Al Jazeera (Palestine)
Düzen Tekkal, human rights activist, journalist, filmmaker (Germany)
Åsa Wikforss, professor of theoretical philosophy and member of the Swedish Academy (Sweden)
11:00 – 11:30
Break
11:30 – 12:45 - Exchanges
A. Coffeehouse
The engine of 6 Degrees is deep conversation. The Coffeehouse is where we take our dialogue as far as we can - exploring the ideas that bring us together, and the fault lines that divide us. For centuries, coffeehouses have been engines for innovation and gathering spaces where culture, politics, and current events are debated. Join this session for a deep dive into embracing diversity, socio-economic inclusion, and building resilient communities.
Host
Abdul-Rehman Malik, lecturer, Yale Divinity School; journalist and cultural organizer (Canada)
With
Amer Alqadi, Community Builder (Palestine/Germany)
Nabila Munawar, Project manager, Inclusive Curriculum Project, London School of Economics (Canada/UK)
Elizabeth Renzetti, Columnist and author of Shrewed: A Wry and Closely Observed Look at the Lives of Women and Girls (Canada)
Yaniv Sagee, executive director, Givat Haviva (Israel)
Doug Saunders, Journalist, author of Arrival City and The Myth of the Muslim Tide, and fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin (Canada)
Antje Scheidler, educator and connector, Humanity in Action (Germany)
Luisa Seiler, co-founder of SINGA Deutschland (Germany)
Astrid Ziebarth, senior migration fellow and head of strategy, Europe Program, German Marshall Fund of the United States (Germany)
B. Art and Activism
Art, in its many forms, serves more than mere aesthetics. It represents identity and community, dreams and ideals, activism and protest. It captures the spirit and struggles of a time and place, and the fight for freedom of expression, common ground, and human rights. By sharing stories, raising questions, and bearing witness to life and its injustices, artists reflect the times they live in to bridge divides.
Join this interactive conversation with creators on the power of art to inspire, stimulate, and activate social change.
Host
Martin Katz, founder and president of Prospero Pictures, and chair of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. (Canada)
With
Leila El-Amaire, co-founder of i,Slam and project manager for Artists at Risk at the Allianz Cultural Foundation (Germany)
Bianca Monroy, expressive artist and creative change agent (Mexico)
Armando Perla, curator and activist (El Salvador/Canada)
Heike Steinweg, photographer (Germany)
C. Living Together
in partnership with Bertelsmann Stiftung
Living together is complex. On one hand are the opportunities and insights presented by increased cultural diversity, and a greater plurality of values and lifestyles. On the other, we’re confronted with a rise in populism, polarization, and many communities voicing feelings of underrepresentation. Against this background, a number of questions present themselves: What holds society together? Where are our blind spots? What must we do today to build the society we want to live in tomorrow?
Join this workshop hosted by Bertelsmann Stiftung to explore the specific challenges, opportunities, and solutions surrounding social cohesion, cultural diversity, and civic participation.
Host
Andreas Grau, project manager, Bertelsmann Stiftung (Germany)
12:45 – 13:45
Lunch
13:45 – 14:00
6 Degrees Presents: Sarah Kivi
14:00 – 15:30
360: Where We Go
Many of our systems, structures, and policies weren’t built with social equality in mind, but there are opportunities for reinvention. Change happens with pressure from the outside, as well as important advocacy from the inside. What successes and failures – from government, the private sector, or civil society – can we learn from in rebuilding our institutions and policies? How can they be remade to create truly inclusive societies? What can the future look like when we make these changes?
Host
Ali Aslan, TV presenter and journalist (Germany/Turkey/US)
With
Sawsan Chebli, State of Berlin Delegate to the Federation, Permanent Secretary for Active Citizenship and International Relations (Germany)
Max FineDay, executive director, Canadian Roots Exchange (Sweetgrass First Nation)
Georgios Kaminis, former mayor of Athens, Greece; special envoy for Mayors Migration Council and C40 Cities (Greece)
Katarina Niewiedzial, Commissioner of the Senate of Berlin for Integration and co-founder of Das Progressive Zentrum (Poland/Germany)
15:30 – 16:00
6 Degrees Presents: KDV Dance Ensemble
16:00 – 17:00
What’s Next
How do conversations, and the ideas emerging from them, become concrete solutions and calls to action?
For our final 360, we leave the circle open and invite everyone in the space to work together to frame what we’ve learned, and what next steps should be.
Host
Abdul-Rehman Malik, lecturer, Yale Divinity School; journalist and cultural organizer (Canada)
With
Adrienne Clarkson, 26th Governor General of Canada, author, and co-chair of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (Canada)
John Ralston Saul, essayist, novelist, president emeritus of PEN International, and co-chair of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship(Canada)
Yasir Naqvi, CEO of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship
17:00
6 Degrees Presents: Naile Tuncer and Robert Gromotka
17:15
Reception
About the Institute for Canadian Citizenship
Powered by a passionate national network, the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) encourages active citizenship and inclusion, creates opportunities for Canadians from different backgrounds to connect, and develops research and advocacy to move those goals forward. Our community-focused programming blends tech and arts and culture to deliver our Canoo app that gives new Canadian citizens free access to more than 1400 cultural sites during their first year of citizenship. 6 Degrees extends the reach of the ICC’s work through a global conversation on inclusion and citizenship in the 21st century. The ICC is a national charity co-founded by the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul.
