The Association
To combine remembrance of the past with hands-on efforts to promote democracy – this was the vision shared by the founding members of Gegen Vergessen - Für Demokratie e.V. in 1993, when they got together against a backdrop of racist and xenophobic rioting. From this initial vision, a politically independent national association emerged. Today, over 2,000 members in approx. 40 regional teams work to keep memories of National Socialist crimes and of the injustices of the SED dictatorship alive, while promoting participation in politics, civil society and the critical analysis of political extremism.
The association organizes more than about 500 civic education projects and events a year, at local, regional and supra-regional levels. Its wide range of activities invites audiences to reflect on the past, present and future through lectures, panel discussions, eyewitness encounters, screenings, exhibitions, concerts, visits to memorials and student projects.
Gegen Vergessen - Für Demokratie e.V. sees itself as a platform for people from different social and political extractions to meet and debate, establishing common ground and shared demands. Like an open marketplace, the association thrives on the diversity and engagement of the people within it.
Local and voluntary
Bringing the past and the present together, members of Gegen Vergessen - Für Demokratie e.V. voluntarily organize over 300 local projects and events every year. The range of these activities is correspondingly broad: lectures, panel discussions, eyewitness encounters, screenings, exhibitions, concerts, visits to memorials and student projects are arranged in many locations and regions across Germany.
Information and consultancy
Supporting a committed civil society, the offices of Gegen Vergessen - Für Demokratie e.V. make information and contacts available to interested citizens, aid the efforts of educators and assist anyone seeking advice.
Influencing politics and society
As an association in which prominent personalities are involved from diverse political and social backgrounds, Gegen Vergessen - Für Demokratie e.V. acts as a respected advisor at a range of political levels. In trusted consultations with decision-makers, members of the executive board bring their expertise and the concerns of the association into policy development.
In this way, Gegen Vergessen - Für Demokratie e.V. is engaged at many levels in the numerous commitments of Germany’s civil society. We want to prove that getting involved pays off.
