Chris Liebold
From May 23 to June 2, 2024, the Initiative Solidarische Welt Ilmenau e.V.(ISWI) invites all Ilmenau and Thuringian students, Ilmenau citizens and interested parties to help shape the first Intercultural Week in Ilmenau (ICW). The aim of the event is to discuss important issues relating to the integration of students into local society, to promote mutual understanding and to build bridges between cultures.
During the weekends, students take part in group discussions on topics relating to diversity, health, sport and culture. In a "Fair of possibilities" and a language lounge, they deal with the challenges of volunteering and job hunting for international students as well as encounters with different languages.
The Intercultural Week in Ilmenau is an "offshoot" of the International Student Week in Ilmenau (ISWI), the largest student conference of its kind in Germany, which takes place every two years at the TU Ilmenau. With the ICW, the student association ISWI aims to offer participants a platform to get to know each other, exchange opinions and work on possible solutions to particular challenges -regardless of their personal, social or cultural background. The focus of the event is on local issues and challenges faced by students. The official language of the conference is English.
The ICW will be framed by a colorful cultural program of dance, music, sports and culinary delights on campus and in the city, where participating students, Ilmenau residents and all interested parties can get to know each other in an open atmosphere and gain insights into cultures from all over the world. The program includes a Movie Night and a Dance Night, a sports evening, as well as an Intercultural Carnival and Intercultural Brunch as part of this year's Old Town Festival. A "Science Campus Rally" also makes scientific work accessible to a wide audience.
All events, with the exception of the group work and the Science Campus Rally, are open to all interested parties without registration or participation fees.
The "Initiative Solidarische Welt in Ilmenau e. V." (ISWI e. V.) is a non-profit student association founded in 1992. The aim of the students in the association is to raise their voices against social injustice,
racism and intolerance and to promote intercultural tolerance and mutual understanding. With this aim in mind, the volunteers organize projects and events that allow participants to critically discuss current issues and find solutions to existing challenges and problems. The "Intercultural Week in Ilmenau (ICW)" is the latest project inspired by the "International Student Week in Ilmenau (ISWI)", the association's largest project.In contrast to the ISWI, the ICW places a stronger focus on local issues and challenges faced by students and the local population in Ilmenau and the surrounding area.
The ICW is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the federal "Live Democracy!" program. Further sponsors are the State Chancellery of the Free State of Thuringia, the Student Council of the TU Ilmenau, the City of Ilmenau, the Studierendenwerk Thüringen, the Ilm district and the TU Ilmenau.