My first week was spent having meetings with and getting to know all my colleagues, this process was particularly important at an organisation such as this one because the work that is done is quite fragmented with everyone working on their own individual projects. The projects range from anti-racism/ anti-discrimination workshops for schools, the police force and teachers, a workplace discrimination advice service, initiatives that work on extremism and radicalisation prevention, lobbying local and state government for funding and resources and political education initiatives with a particular focus on media competency. 

This structure has been incredibly enriching because it means that no two days have been the same and that my week has been far from monotonous. I have been pleasantly surprised by how open they all are and how eager they are for me to get involved in their projects. I have been given tasks that go far beyond repetitive admin tasks and feel incredibly important; I feel privileged to be entrusted with this work. The best example I can give was being tasked with beginning the planning process for the annual commemorative memorial of the 2020 far right motivated Hanau terrorist attack which took the lives of 9 people. For the past 6 years Mosaik Deutschland has been at the forefront of planning the memorial events on the anniversary (19th Feb) and have close ties with surviving victims and the family members of victims. The team are however eager to rethink the way that they approach these memorial events entirely. The conversation I had with my colleague about this resonated with me deeply. This summer I spent a few weeks in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a summer school and that experience brought the following questions to the forefront of my mind that I have been thinking about constantly since then: how should horrific events such as the genocide against the Bosniaks be remembered and commemorated? Who does the memorialising really serve? Can it make us complacent?  And so when I had this conversation with my colleague it felt like a full circle moment. The threat of far right extremism and its manifestations into sometimes fatal violence has only increased in Germany since 2020 and so it is now more important than ever before to interrogate the way that horrific and heartbreaking events such as the events in Hanau can be most productively memorialised whilst safeguarding society from stagnant and hopeless approaches. In the aftermath of the terrorist attack there have been conversations over the delayed reaction of the police on the night of the attacks as well as the inadequacy of the subsequent police investigation. In light of this Mosaik Deutschland has managed to get representatives of the police on board to participate in the upcoming memorial event, it is now up to me to brainstorm the best format and the best way to get the victims families' and the police force involved. I am leaning towards a round table discussion between the police and affected parties with an audience in attendance.

My LiA is a bit different as I have integrated it into my Year abroad and I am spending 3 months rather than 6 weeks doing this internship in Heidelberg, an opportunity for which I feel incredibly grateful as I really feel I will be able to wholeheartedly invest my time and energy into what is very important and fulfilling work. On top of all this, the city of Heidelberg is a beautiful city to live in with its old gothic architecture nestled below a mountainous forest; the beginnings of red and orange now visible. A great first week overall!