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Cologne. First prize goes to the “Inclusive Education NRW” project
The Cologne Innovation Prize for Disabled Policy (KIB) was also awarded this year. On this occasion, for the tenth time, people with and without disabilities were honored with a prize who campaign for an improvement in their living situation and the equal participation of people with disabilities in Cologne.
The award ceremony originally planned for December 2, 2021 had to be canceled due to the pandemic. For this reason, the prizes were awarded to the winners on December 21, 2021 by Mayor Henriette Reker in the Muschelsaal of the historic town hall as part of separate dates.
The first prize went to the “Inclusive Education NRW” project of the Institute for Inclusive Education NRW. This prize is endowed with 2,000 euros. In the “Inclusive Education NRW” project, seven people with disabilities are being trained in Cologne for educational work at the universities of North Rhine-Westphalia. The worlds of life and perspectives of people with disabilities should be conveyed in the degree programs by experts in their own field and give educational specialists the opportunity to pursue a career on the primary labor market. The project will run until March 2022.
The second prize was awarded twice: once to the project “Social participation of adolescents and young adults with FASD in Cologne” – FASD peer group “Anders Anders”. These group meetings are a special offer for adolescents and young adults between 14 and 20 years of age with FASD. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are among the most common congenital disabilities in Germany. The participants exchange ideas about their topics and their life situations, strengthen each other and set their own impulses.
Another second prize went to the project “Creating encounters – building bridges together”, the “Rimon” puppet theater run by the Chorweiler meeting center of the Cologne synagogue community. “Rimon” offers people who have experienced discriminatory treatment due to a disability the chance to process their experiences in stories and to perform them with a puppet theater for all age groups.
“Rimon” particularly strengthens the encounters between people with and without disabilities. Both second prizes are endowed with 1,500 euros each.
In addition, the jury members recognized the following projects:
- Digital participation for a more self-determined life (PIKSL Labor Cologne)
- Cologne Inclusion Games (Network “Sportive Kids” eV)
- Access Maker (Un-Label eV)
- Gaming Without Borders (Specialized Agency for Youth Media Culture NRW)
Actors and projects from different social contexts have applied for the prize, which is awarded by a jury: work, sport and leisure, children and youth, art and culture as well as political and digital participation.
A prominent member of the jury this year was Stephan Brings, bassist and co-founder of the Cologne band Brings.
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