Review TUD Global Citizenship Lab
TUD Global Citizenship Lab
Review of past GC Lab events
Great kick-off! Report on the TUD Global Citizenship Lab in the summer term 2024
The first TUD Global Citizenship Lab was multi-perspective, energetic and successful.
On 28.06. and 29.06.2024 the TUD Global Citizenship Lab took place for the first time. We look back with pleasure on an exciting and successful event.
Teilnehmende des TUD Global Citizenship Lab im SoSe 2024
More than 40 participants, including committed students, doctoral candidates from various disciplines as well as internal and external TUD experts and stakeholders from a wide range of fields, organizations, countries and cultures, came together at the COSMO Science Forum to approach the topic of Global Citizenship Education (GCED) together, to network and to act.
COSMO Wissenschaftsforum
The location for the two-day lab could not have been more fitting than the COSMO Science Forum in the Kulturpalast am Altmarkt. The forum acts as a link between science and urban society and, thanks to its open and flexible character, invites people to meet and collaborate.
The TUD Global Citizenship Lab is a cooperative learning offer supported by the Center for Teacher Education, School and Vocational Training Research (ZLSB) as part of the state initiative ESD SDG 4 - Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in university teacher training in Saxony, funded by Engagement Global with funds from the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
What contributes to the mind- and skillset of a global citizen?
Workshop zum Themenkomplex Global Citizenship Education
In various interactive sessions, the topics "Multilingualism and Global Citizenship Education" (Dr. Rachel Bowden, ZLSB, TUD), "Global Learning, (Post)Colonialism and Global Citizenship" (Maria Nelz, aha - anders handeln e.V./ Peter Che Nfon - founder of Sustainable Actions Africa), "Resource Injustice using the Example of Mining and the Smartphone" (Oscar Choque, Ayni - Verein für Ressourcengerechtigkeit e. V./ Francesca Piccinotti) were discussed. V./ Francesca Piccinotti, arche noVa - Initiative for People in Need e.V.) and "Cosmopolitan perspective and an attitude critical of discrimination and racism" (Hàochéng Lóu, umbrella organization of migrant organizations in East Germany).
Spielerische Übungen zur Auflockerung
Learning and testing useful tools and skills using the peer-to-peer approach was also at the heart of the program: the peer counselling method for focused and pattern-breaking solution-seeking (Klara-Johanna Fabisch, tuuwi, TUD), SMART for motivating, tangible and actionable goal pursuit (Marlene Maria Schreiber, reflektiert.engagiert am Integrale, TUD) and the Match Maker program as a compass for selecting the right university groups for student engagement (Lea Hummitzsch, Integrale - Institute for studium generale, TUD).
In order to involve all participants equally, the lab was held bilingually in English and German with support in other languages.
Networking, practice, community and outreach
Austausch im Pitch- und Vernetzungstreffen
Another highlight of the lab was the extremely lively and informative pitch and networking session on Saturday. Committed representatives from TU Dresden and urban society gave insights into their organizations, initiatives, projects and fields of activity and then engaged in conversation with the participants.
Pitch- und Vernetzungstreffen
Participants included experts from civil society("Clean Dresden" campaign and NGO Cradle to Cradle Saxony; aha - anders handeln e.V. Engineers without Borders; climatechallenge), stakeholders from TU Dresden(alumni network and international regional ambassadors; CIPSEM) and representatives of the International Office (TUD Internationalization Award; International Tutorial Programme; Cultural Office; scholarship programmes for international students; Student Mobility Programme (including ERASMUS) and Buddy Programme GSW; EUTOPIA).
Praxiseinsatz im Botanischen Garten im Projekt "BildungsAcker"
The lab concluded with two practical assignments , which emphatically underlined the importance of bringing together knowing/knowing and doing/acting. Despite the summer heat, the first assignment took place in the teaching and school garden of the Botanical Garden , accompanied by student employees in the ESD project "BildungsAcker" (team Prof. Jana Markert, TU Dresden).
Gemeinsames Kochen in der Alten Gärtnerei
Later, an excursion led to the old nursery in Dresden Pieschen. During a mindful guided tour by Sebastian Kaiser, one of the founders of the nursery, the participants learned not only about a piece of permaculture, but also about the multi-layered transformative history and the concept of participatory district development behind the nursery.
Gemeinsames Abendessen in der Alten Gärtnerei
The evening was rounded off with cooking together, a social get-together and a unifying round of reflection. At the end of the two days, new interpersonal connections, valuable "seeing" and "listening" to each other as well as a tender and solidary affiliation among the participants were noticeably created. The social-emotional learning and growing together is the best testimony to a successful educational event.
“Authentic Connections” and food for thought - Report on the second TUD Global Citizenship Lab
On January 17 and 18, 2025, a group of almost 40 German and international TUD students from various disciplines and 12 experts from the fields of environmental protection, anti-discrimination and tolerance came together for the second TUD Global Citizenship Lab.
The Lab took place at the COSMO Science Forum on Dresden's Altmarkt, which strives to provide a point of exchange between science and society. The focus of the lab this semester was on the topic of mindfulness. In this spirit, the program consisted of a comprehensive mix of theoretical input sessions and practical exercises such as Qi Gong.
The event was opened by the coordinator of the sustainability-oriented association “aha - anders handeln e.V.”, Maria Nelz. Tropical forester by profession, she took the participants on a mental journey to the oppressed of the colonial era. She explained in detail how the narrative of cultures being supposedly inherently less valuable than others still permeates our thinking today.
Lei Meng, education officer at the Gender Competence Centre Saxony, and Hàochéng Lóu, anti-racism advisor at the umbrella organization of migrant organizations in East Germany (DaMOst e.V.), added a current perspective to Maria Nelz's remarks. By means of illustrative group exercises they showed how even positive prejudices can exert negative pressure on those affected by racism.
The second day of the GC Lab was kicked off by Nataliya Urban, a passionate QiGong teacher. The translation studies graduate grew up in the Urals and has been practicing the Far Eastern art of deep relaxation since the age of 16. Performing the exercises together gave our participants a palpable sense of calm and energy for the day ahead.
With Fatema Darbar, founder of the InterLokal Social Hub in Dresden, the participants were then able to practise techniques for interacting with others in a more authentic and profound way, both at a professional level and in personal relationships. Practices such as “active listening” alternated with a round in the hot seat with personal questions that invited people to open up. Fatema Darbar was supported by Camila Tapia. Born in Chile, she is a teacher of English and Spanish and is also involved with InterLokal.
The presentation by Dr. med. Charlotte Großkopf, Rebekka Post and Dr. med. Gudula Keller from Health for Future Dresden made it clear to the participants with sensitivity and the necessary seriousness how drastic the state of the earth is due to the climate crisis. Despite the gravity of the situation, they succeeded in demonstrating how each individual can do their bit to combat global warming and thus improve their ecological handprint.
Afterwards, Michal Tomaszewski, Tarek Al Hammad and Richard Ebert, all members of Banda Comunale encouraged and inspired the participants in a session on “Music and Civic Engagement”. The fact that music is a powerful universal language that can connect people in their equality, their deepest longings, and most beautiful ideals and overcome even persistent bias was impressively demonstrated by them— through their tireless commitment and on-going music education work. The trio not only ensured a bright mood and perfectly tuned musical instruments, but also led one or two songs together, the percussion accompaniment of which was improvised on plastic buckets from the hardware store.
The weekend was rounded off by a reflection session with Qin Hu, initiator and coordinator of the TUD GCC program, who invited participants to reflect and creatively process what they had experienced with the help of a drawing and writing exercise.
On both days, the participants were provided with a variety of hot soups courtesy of Suppenbar Dresden.
We would like to thank our speakers and all participants for a successful and enriching second TUD Global Citizenship Lab and are already looking forward to the next introductory event of the GCC program in the summer semester!
Some impressions of the lab:
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"Global Citizenship Education through Partnership and Participation" - Review of the TUD Global Citizenship Lab in SoSe 2025
The third TUD Global Citizenship Lab took place on June 13 and 14, 2025 at COSMO Science Forum. With International Office in the leading role and Center for Teacher Education and Educational Research as strong partner, the Lab has been a success. The location on Dresden's Altmarkt, an important interface between science and civic society, has hosted the Lab since the kick-off of the “TUD Global Citizenship Certificate” program in summer 2024.
The lab's motto this summer was "Global Citizenship Education through Partnership and Participation". Participants included committed local, national and international students from undergraduate and postgraduate degree programs, as well as young researchers and doctoral students. The program offered a colorful mix of interactive workshops, pitch and discussion rounds and experience-oriented outdoor activities. The professional and cultural diversity was clearly evident in the collaborative sessions. An international flair dominated the two-day event.
The lab opened with a transformative "Sustainability Challenge!". Led by Dr. Rachel Bowden from the ZLSB, a full-day program was created with the help of educator and youth worker Flor de Matos(CAMBIO e.V.) and One World promoter Sita Buchberger (arche noVa). A competency model by Brundiers et al. (2021)/Bianchi et al. (2022) for the holistic promotion of sustainability skills was tested. The combination of in-depth self-reflection, systematic-analytical methodology, out-of-the-box thinking and solution-oriented group work helped the participants to adopt a new perspective on local-global problems and to see themselves as effective agents of change.
The second day of the TUD Global Citizenship Lab kicked off with an introduction to the GCC program and its partner program, the EUTOPIA Certificate of Internationalization (EUCI). Guests Lewis Beer(EUTOPIA, University of Warwick) and Werner de Wit(Stellenbosch University, South Africa) introduced the students to the UNESCO Story Circles method in a hybrid format. This method trains students to approach and appreciate others without prejudice in order to carefully counteract bias in people's minds and encounters, thereby enabling deeper connections and partnerships - based on a new, valuable sense of community.
In the subsequent pitch round and panel discussion, participants gained vivid insights into partnership in the context of academic collaboration from Dr. Sebastian Spitzer (ILK, TUD) and Dr. Soon Ho Yoon (KIST), who joined the format digitally. The two scientists have a ten-year friendship and professional collaboration in the successful international cooperation project National Network KOREA under their belt. Their perspective was complemented by Charlotte Müller from the volunteer agency ehrensache.jetzt (Bürgerstiftung Dresden), who provided interesting insights and food for thought on participation and equality in the context of volunteering. Kristina Krömer, founder and coordinator of the award-winning outreach democracy project metro_polis, shared relevant and inspiring viewpoints and experiences from her work to strengthen the dialog and democratic participation of people in Saxony.
In her workshop, Kristina Krömer conveyed helpful attitudes, effective methods and conversation skills from the metro_polis project, which takes place in trams and trains and thus reaches people from a wide range of backgrounds and life situations. The skills she taught the participants can be used to grasp understand the needs of others with opposing or even provocative opinions and thus to moderate controversies constructively. This makes it possible to question (preconceived) judgments and to build a consensus as part of a democratic debate despite seemingly large differences.
In her workshop entitled "We all... - Performative methods for transcultural exchange",Katja Heiser, theater maker, educator and cultural worker, including at the Bürgerbühne Dresden, explored activating, creative and performative approaches and communication methods with the participants. Between fun, interaction and emotionality, the participants tried out new languages, interactive spaces and collaboration in a transcultural environment.
In the sunny summer weather, the students were able to get to know the sustainable life in the district and the neighborhood community around the Alte Gärtnerei in Dresden-Pieschen project during the final guided tour with founding member and co-director Sebastian Kaiser. They also learned about the moving history of the origins of the sustainable gardening project. There was plenty of hands-on experience at the Alte Gärtnerei: local and exotic fruits were tasted, a tour of the community garden was undertaken and homemade lemonade from the garden café was sipped.
Speakers and participants were catered for on both days with vegetarian and vegan soups from Suppenbar Dresden.
We would like to thank our speakers and all participants and look back on a successful third TUD Global Citizenship Lab that made a difference. We are already looking forward to the next introductory event of the GCC program!
What’s next for our Lab participants?
Following the Lab, our future TUD-empowered Global Citizens will engage in a follow-up session to reflect on the insights they have gained and develop a personal roadmap to Global Citizenship. However, the participants are not alone, but can benefit from the new community that has formed during the two days spent together. Exchange and mutual support are key for a globally oriented and locally engaged GCC community.
Find out more about the TUD Global Citizenship Certificate
The GCC program is developed by the team for Internationalization@Home in the International Office of the TU Dresden. It is a key contribution of TU Dresden to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal 4 coordinated by UNESCO which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
All students enrolled at TU Dresden (including doctoral and exchange students) who intend to leverage their knowledge, improve their skills, and help shape the local global community actively and reflectively, are welcome to participate in the GCC program. GCC certifies that you have – in addition to your academic studies – acquired knowledge and skills to understand global challenges in an interdisciplinary, holistic way, and you are capable to embrace them in a committed and competent manner.
Some impressions of the lab:
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"Global Citizenship in Times of War and Crisis - Navigating Conflict, Reshaping Peace" - Review of the TUD Global Citizenship Lab in Winter Term 2025/2026
The fourth TUD Global Citizenship Lab took place on January 30 and 31, 2026, bringing together committed students, doctoral candidates, research fellows, staff members and partners for two intensive days dedicated to peace, conflict transformation, and democratic resilience. Organized by the Internationalization@Home team of the International Office, and in collaboration with the Philipp Schwartz Initiative, the Lab took place at the COSMO Science Forum on Dresden's Altmarkt, which once again created a vibrant space for dialogue between science and civic society.
Under the guiding theme of “Global Citizenship in Times of War and Crisis,” this winter semester’s Lab focused on strengthening peace and conflict skills at the individual, interpersonal, and societal levels. Through interactive workshops, academic exchange, embodied practices, and encounters across the city of Dresden, participants explored how global citizenship can be lived and practiced in challenging political times.
The first day of the Lab opened with an inspiring speech by the Vice-Rector University Culture and Internationalization Prof. Roswitha Böhm, who highlighted the relevance of the topic and the urgency of dealing intensively with issues of peace and social cohesion.
In the kick-off session "Peace and Me – Personal Perspectives", the GCC team invited participants into a reflective process: How do our cultural backgrounds and personal biases shape the way we understand peace and conflict? In what ways do our belief systems influence how we respond to global crises and engage with one another in times of tension? The session introduced the Lab’s awareness concept and provided a handout on trauma-sensitive communication — setting a tone of responsibility, care and mutual respect for the days ahead.
The first workshop on the agenda was Conflict Management in Saxon Municipalities. In this interactive workshop, Dr. Cathleen Bochmann from Kompetenzzentrum Krisen-Dialog-Zukunft shared deep insights from years of research at TUD and practical work as a conflict mediator with local authorities in Saxony. Participants explored conflict stages, escalation dynamics, and the potential of citizen dialogue formats for de-escalation. Through practical exercises and a simulated dialogue setting, they experienced firsthand what constitutes effective moderation and constructive communication in highly contested environments. The session illustrated that democratic conflict, when facilitated responsibly, can strengthen rather than weaken social cohesion.
A particularly reflective dimension of the Lab unfolded in the workshop "Peace as Bodily Experience: Peace Ability with Qigong," led by Nataliya Urban. Rooted in Zhong Yuan Qigong and Chinese natural philosophy, the workshop approached peace as a bodily competence and a form of self-perception. Participants engaged in gentle exercises and philosophical reflections, exploring the idea that sustainable peace “out there” begins with balance and awareness “within.” The session connected inner cultivation with civic responsibility, emphasizing that emotional regulation and self-awareness are essential foundations for non-violent interaction and societal resilience.
The day concluded with a workshop on Non-Violent Communication (NVC) facilitated by Gerlinde Lisa Behnke. Based on the approach developed by Marshall Rosenberg, participants explored the “four steps” of NVC — observation, feeling, need, and request. Through practical exercises, they learned how focusing on underlying needs and emotions can transform confrontational exchanges into constructive dialogue. Particularly in an international university context, this method provided tools for navigating misunderstandings and fostering empathy across cultural differences.
The first day thus wove together personal reflection, embodied awareness, and structural conflict competence, demonstrating that peace-building requires engagement on multiple levels simultaneously.
The second day broadened the perspective from interpersonal skills to societal and global dimensions of conflict and responsibility.
Prof. Holger Kuße (Chair of Linguistics and History of Slavic Languages, TUD) opened the day with a lecture on media manipulation and media literacy. Drawing on findings from a joint research project with Mukhtar Auezov University in Kazakhstan, he demonstrated how linguistic strategies shape conflict narratives in Kazakh and Russian language media discourse. In times of war and crisis, the responsibility of media users increases significantly. Participants were invited to reflect critically on their own media consumption and to recognize manipulation strategies, bias, and disinformation. Media literacy emerged as a key competence of global citizenship in the digital age.
A special highlight of this year’s Lab was its collaboration with the Philipp Schwartz Initiative, funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. In a two-part panel discussion, fellows, mentors, program representatives, engaging experts and advocates from the academica, civil society, and local politics discussed the protection of academic freedom in times of anti-democratic and anti-scientific tendencies.
The panilists include: Peter Rosenbaum, Head of International Office at TUD; Prof. Holger Kuße, Professor of Slavic Linguistics and Language History at TUD and PSI Mentor; Dr. Alena Pantiukhina, PSI Fellow at the Institute of Slavic Studies at TUD; Claudia Reichert, Head of Leonardo-Sachsen; Prof. Michael Kobel, Professor at the Institute for Nuclear and Particle Physics, initiator of ‘Welcome to Löbtau’, member of the Saxon Refugee Council; Freshta Mujadidi, Scholarship holder in the Maria Reiche Doctoral Fellowships Program at the Faculty of Civil Engineering TUD, refugee doctoral student from Afghanistan; Prof. Oksana Makovoz, Professor of Management and International Economics at the Polytechnic Institute of Kharkiv and Research assistant at IHI-Zittau; Eva Jähnigen, Second Mayor of the City of Dresden, Deputy Mayor for Environment and Climate, Law and Order of the City of Dresden; Friedemann Brause, Advisor for Domestic Policy/Civil Society Engagement at the Saxon State Agency for Civic Education.
The conversation emphasized that research thrives only where freedom is protected and that democratic societies depend on scientifically grounded knowledge. In a broader discussion including representatives from civic education, politics, and the City of Dresden, the panel addressed how institutions and individuals can respond to growing anti-democratic pressures. The exchange highlighted that defending academic freedom is not solely a task for universities but a shared societal responsibility.
Another unique feature of the Lab was the creative workshop "Kintsugi: The Beauty of Scars" that translated themes of rupture and reconciliation into a tangible artistic practice.
Inspired by the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, participants reflected on wounds caused by war, migration, and social division. Rather than hiding fractures, Kintsugi celebrates them as visible marks of resilience. The metaphor resonated deeply: requiring a lot of patience, healing does not erase damage but transforms it into shared strength. In the context of global citizenship, repair becomes an ethical act grounded in empathy and solidarity.
As part of the Dresden Migration Stories project of the Ausländerrat Dresden e.V., Ivana Pezlarova and Tatiana Bogdanova guided participants through an interactive city tour from Dresden’s Altstadt to Neustadt. Tatiana Bogdanova — medical specialist and volunteer city guide — shared personal reflections on migration, Russian war propaganda, and her Jewish heritage. Biographical storytelling became a powerful educational tool, allowing participants to encounter migration not as an abstract policy issue but as lived experience. Walking through the city, spaces of memory and personal narrative intertwined — transforming Dresden itself into a classroom of global citizenship.
The Lab concluded at the Weltclub in Neustadt, hosted by Afropa e.V.. In conversation with Marita Schieferdecker-Adolph, Paolo Le van, Thomas Kollecker, and Dr. Hussein Jinah, participants discussed migration history in the former GDR, post-reunification self-organization of migrant communities, and contemporary civil society engagement against racism. The discussion addressed the importance of remembrance, including the racist murders of Jorge Gomondai (1991) and Marwa El-Sherbini (2009) in Dresden. Remembering these events was framed as a civic duty — a foundation for democratic vigilance and solidarity. Sharing Indian food prepared by Dr. Hussein Jinah, the evening created a space where dialogue, remembrance and community came together in an atmosphere of openness and mutual respect.
In times marked by war, polarization and uncertainty, the Lab sent a clear message:
Peace is a practice. Responsibility is shared. And global citizenship begins with each of us.
On both days, the participants were provided with a variety of hot soups courtesy of Suppenbar Dresden.
We would like to thank our speakers and all participants for a successful and enriching fourth TUD Global Citizenship Lab and are already looking forward to the next introductory event of the GCC program in the summer semester!
Looking Ahead
The Winter Semester 2025/26 TUD Global Citizenship Lab demonstrated that global citizenship is not an abstract ideal but a lived practice. It requires inner reflection, communicative competence, critical thinking, artistic imagination, civic courage, and the defence of democratic principles.
Following the Lab, participants will continue their journey within the GCC program — reflecting on their experiences and developing individual roadmaps toward engaged global citizenship. Supported by the growing GCC community, they remain connected beyond the two-day event.
Find out more about the TUD Global Citizenship Certificate
The GCC program is developed by the team for Internationalization@Home in the International Office. It is a key contribution of TUD to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal 4 coordinated by UNESCO which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
All students enrolled at TUD (including doctoral and exchange students) who intend to leverage their knowledge, improve their skills, and help shape the local global community actively and reflectively, are welcome to participate in the GCC program. GCC certifies that you have – in addition to your academic studies – acquired knowledge and skills to understand global challenges in an interdisciplinary, holistic way, and you are capable to embrace them in a committed and competent manner.
With GCC as an experience, qualification, and award, you are well equipped for your personal growth, self-efficacy in an international and global environment, your academic success in the broadest sense, and a strong and mindful future career!
Some impressions from the Lab:
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Funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and Free State of Saxony under the Excellence Strategy of the Federal Government and the Länder.