All Kids Are VIPs

This year, the project All Kids Are VIPs celebrates its 10th anniversary. On balance, it has proven a resounding success: Over the past decade, 15,000 adolescents have participated in the competition which promotes social integration among Germany’s young. In 2018 alone, 150 kids take part from all across Germany. The party for this special anniversary is held in Berlin with Liz Mohn, vice-chairwoman of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board, and integration ambassadors Gerald Asamoah, Culcha Candela, Bülent Ceylan, Maite Kelly and urban dance crew FanatiX. A video of the event is available here.

2018 Reinhard Mohn Prize

Living Diversity – Shaping Society. That is the motto of the 2018 Reinhard Mohn Prize, which is awarded to former German President Joachim Gauck. The prize is presented on June 7 in recognition of Gauck’s extraordinary engagement promoting cultural diversity in German society. During his time as president, Gauck put a special focus on bringing people of different backgrounds and religions together and creating a new sense of community capable of uniting everyone in society. Prior to the award ceremony, international research was carried out to identify successful examples of “living in diversity” at the local level. A video of the ceremony can be viewed here.

Forum Bellevue 2018

For the fifth time, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier invites academics and politicians to Bellevue Palace as part of the Forum Bellevue discussion series. The topic of this year’s event is “Rifts and Resentments. On the Fragmentation and Emotionalization of Politics and Society .” In addition to the German president, the discussion’s participants include Ute Frevert, director of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, Andreas Hollstein, mayor of the town of Altena, Cornelia Koppetsch, sociologist and professor of gender relations at TU Darmstadt, and Bernhard Pörksen, professor of media studies at the University of Tübingen.

Trilogue Salzburg

One hundred years after the First World War, can democracy remain the uncontested form of governance? That is the question addressed at the 17th Trilogue Salzburg. What are the minimum standards that should apply to a democratic republic? Which shortcomings in democratic models have led to the present doubts about the system as a whole? The Trilogue Salzburg brings together economic, political and cultural leaders to exchange ideas on the challenges resulting from global developments.

Bertelsmann Transformation Index

In 2018, the Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI) once again assesses the quality of democracy, economic development and governance in 137 developing and transition countries. Detailed reports by almost 250 internationally recognized experts serve as the basis for evaluating how the countries are progressing. Among the categories considered are political and economic transformation and transformation management. In 2018, Estonia and the Czech Republic top the ranking with a score of 9.52, followed by Taiwan (9.42) and Lithuania (9.24). More on the BTI can be found here.

 Weisse Liste health app

2018 is also an eventful year for Weisse Liste (White List). The project’s newly developed app helps patients find a suitable medical practitioner or clinic even faster than before. A special feature: The evaluations are based on surveys of patients who have actually been treated by the doctor in question or in the relevant hospital. That means users can be sure they have made an appropriate decision. For more on the app, click here.