Past Civic Engagement Projects

Baynatna Arabic Library is the first library with Arabic books in Berlin and opened on the BCB campus. The space uses literature, readings and music event to convey cross-cultural experiences and to foster an inclusive environment, discussions and integration. The project is now housed at the Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin. 
 

In regular sessions Bard College Berlin opened its doors to students, neighbors, and visitors from the local community to join in on Campus Conversations. The aim of the project was to share campus resources and provide a platform where all members of the community can freely and equally engage in discussions, learning, and cultural exchange.

The project trained student participants to be medical clowns in order to work with children in refugee camps, hospitals or marginal communities. The workshops focus on developing personal awareness, sense of empathy and ways of improvisation to provide children with a moment of joy and a feeling of personal agency.
 

The Emancipe Initiative created a non-formal education circle where students took the role of educators in activities pertaining to ethics, social issues, philosophy, politics, art, identity, and different subjects in their scope of interest. These issues were explored through different methodologies, interactive plays, and discussions.

The film project Homesick Between Death and Death is a documentary film that shows people from Iraq living in a refugee camp in Germany. The film captures their stories of flight and their hopeless situations in a country assumed to be a safe place.

 

Lingo 101 facilitated opportunities to learn and teach foreign languages on the Bard College Berlin campus.
Volunteer students offered regular get-togethers and tutoring in their native languages that were open to all on-campus and external participants. Languages offered were Arabic, Turkish, Spanish, and Russian.

Pankumenta is a multidisciplinary festival that brings young artists the opportunity to present their work in dialogue with Pankow. It presents theatre, concerts, dance, performances, and films. In Spring 2018, Pankumenta was first hosted on the Bard College Berlin campus and it was open to the entire Pankow community.

Prost to Compost was a hands-on project that worked within the BCB community to implement changes regarding food waste, recycling, and environmental awareness. It promoted environmentally friendly habits on and off campus, encouraged sustainable practices, and brought awareness to the impact that the BCB community has on the environment.