Cultural Participation and Voluntary Engagement as Key
to Integration for People with Refugee Backgrounds and Disabilities
5–7 December 2025
Hotel Aquino – Conference Centre Catholic Academy
Hannoversche Str. 5, 10115 Berlin-Mitte
Foreword
Cultural participation and voluntary engagement create spaces for encounter and exchange for people with and without refugee or migration backgrounds. They strengthen belonging, promote self-efficacy, and open new perspectives for joint design opportunities. In the face of growing societal challenges, it is more important than ever to bring science, practice, and politics into an open dialogue about pathways to living together, participation, and social cohesion.
For 15 years, KulturLeben Berlin – Schlüssel zur Kultur e.V. has been committed to enabling cultural participation for people with low incomes. Since 2016, our association has established a central coordination and networking office for refugees and migrants and has since launched numerous projects to promote engagement and inclusion.
Our current project Engaged Instead of Isolated (funded by the BAMF and co-funded by the European Union) builds on these experiences. Through the project, we open new pathways to cultural participation and active involvement in volunteering for people with refugee or migration backgrounds and disabilities – thereby sending a powerful signal for an inclusive society.
As part of the project and the events marking the association’s 15th anniversary, KulturLeben Berlin – Schlüssel zur Kultur e.V. is organising from 5–7 December 2025 at the Hotel Aquino – Conference Centre Catholic Academy in Berlin-Mitte the symposium “Engaged. Inclusive. Arriving: Cultural Participation and Voluntary Engagement as Key to Integration for People with Refugee Backgrounds and Disabilities”.
With this symposium, we aim to bring together stakeholders from science, politics, culture, the social sector, civil society, and self-advocacy groups to jointly develop perspectives on how cultural and social participation as well as voluntary engagement for people with refugee and migration backgrounds can be sustainably strengthened.
A central theme of the symposium is the equal participation of people with refugee or migration backgrounds and disabilities.
The Programme
You can find the live programme of the symposium here ⇒ Symposium Programme 2025 ⇐
Please note: minor changes are possible until the end of the conference and will be continuously updated in our online programme.
Your voice matters – Participation survey
How do people with disabilities experience culture and volunteering in Berlin?
What barriers exist? What are your wishes?
We want to make it even better together – that’s why we’re asking for your opinion!
The survey takes only 8–10 minutes and is 100 % anonymous.
Take part directly: ⇒ Participation survey ⇐
Every response helps us make culture and participation more inclusive.
Press conference & keynote speech – Live stream
Due to high demand, we will broadcast the press conference and the subsequent keynote live on the internet on Friday from 1 pm onwards.
You can find the link to the live video here: ⇒ Press conference & keynote speech ⇐
Registration Process
Due to limited space, the number of participants is restricted. To ensure that as many different organisations and institutions as possible can be represented, we kindly ask you to limit registration to one person per organisation.
Further Information
Costs
- Participation in the symposium is free of charge.
- Travel and accommodation costs are to be covered by the participants themselves.
International & Accessible
- The symposium has an international orientation and invites local as well as international institutions to an open dialogue.
- The entire event is fully accessible for people with disabilities.
- Simultaneous interpretation into English, live captioning, and sign language interpretation will be provided.
You can find the venue and room descriptions here
Team and Contact
Majd Kashkash
Project Manager, Project Engaged Instead of Isolated – Pathways into Volunteering for Third-Country Nationals with and without Disabilities
Email: kashkash@kulturleben-berlin.de
Mariia Kara
Project Assistant, Project Engaged Instead of Isolated – Pathways into Volunteering for Third-Country Nationals with and without Disabilities
Email: m.kara@kulturleben-berlin.de
Organiser
The symposium is organised by KulturLeben Berlin – Schlüssel zur Kultur e.V. within the framework of the project Engaged Instead of Isolated – Pathways into Volunteering for Third-Country Nationals with and without Disabilities. The project is funded by the BAMF and co-funded by the European Union.
