The United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) presents a series of articles on some of the projects implemented by the recipients of the UN-Making of Hate Diversity Contest held in 2015. The contest was born out of a partnership between the and UNAI oriented on young people's grassroots efforts in ending hate and intolerance. Ten projects from around the world were selected for their innovative solutions in tackling issues ranging from homophobia to racism, gender-based discrimination, homelessness, interethnic conflict, xenophobia and exclusion of persons with disabilities. In this article, Lara-Zuzan Golesorkhi, currently a part-time faculty at UNAI member institution City University of New York (CUNY) Queens College and a Ph.D. candidate in Politics at UNAI member institution The New School for Social Research, offers her reflections on the work of the non-profit organization With or Without (WoW), of which she is the founder and executive director.
The for Sustainable Development recognizes the contribution of migration to inclusive growth. Following the adoption of the in 2016, the United Nations General Assembly has been holding intergovernmental conferences with a view of adopting a . Article 15 of the draft resolution acknowledges the important role of civil society, including academia and volunteer groups, in fostering interreligious and intercultural dialogue, and encourages support for practical measures that mobilize civil society, including building capacities, opportunities and frameworks for cooperation.
Lara-Zuzan Golesorkhi's work centres on ensuring a lasting inclusion of women with a Muslim migration background in the German job market.
30 April 2018 - Im Job z?hlt, was im Kopf ist, nicht auf dem Kopf¡ªor What matters in the job market is what's in the head, not on it¡ªhas been the motto of (WoW) since its foundation. This motto is now sported on bags and postcards all across the world thanks to a partnership with and support by, among others, the German Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and the Baden-W¨¹rttemberg Ministry of Social Affairs and Integration.
After a successful first year as a winner of the 2015 Global Diversity Contest by United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) and the UNHATE Foundation, WoW evolved from a pilot project into a non-profit human rights non-governmental organization in 2016. The goal, however, remained the same: the inclusion of women with a Muslim migration background in the German employment sector.
WoW is based on a three-part approach. Its Job Ready Program addresses the needs of women with a Muslim migration background (employees) through seminars, workshops and mentoring, while WoW reaches employers through the I Pledge Campaign. Together with employers, WoW formulates and implements approaches for the advancement of women with a Muslim migration background in the German employment sector. WoW also acknowledges society at large as a key stakeholder in achieving employment equality. The With or Without Campaign seeks to raise awareness about the situation of women with a Muslim migration background in the German employment sector through online and offline social engagement actions.
WoW's three-part approach of simultaneously addressing employees, employers and society has proven effective: only in its second year as a non-profit NGO, WoW has established meaningful local, regional and international collaborations. In 2016/2017, WoW developed two ongoing campaigns in cooperation with the Forum der Kulturen Stuttgart e.V. The bags and postcards with the statement What matters in the job market is what's in the head, not on it, as well as a card game on Muslims and Islam in Germany, have been successful awareness-raising tools. While the bags and postcards have a global reach, the card game has made it into classrooms and diversity workshops on the regional and local level.
Besides the outreach effort to society (With or Without Campaign), WoW has addressed the needs of nearly one hundred women with a Muslim migration background with its Job Ready Program. The programme has significantly developed since its pilot year and now provides tailored assistance to refugee women as well as women of second- or third-generation migration backgrounds. Several previous participants of the Job Ready Program have now completed an internship at WoW or have become volunteers with the organization. WoW not only prepares women with a Muslim migration background for the German employment sector, it also gives them an opportunity to gain some initial practical experience.
The annual WoW Diversity Day has sought to reach out to employers in the region. By addressing current topics concerning women with a Muslim migration background in the German employment sector, the annual WoW Diversity Day brings together employers, employees and society. In 2017, for example, the WoW Diversity Day addressed a recent decision by the European Court of Human Rights on the wearing of a headscarf in private employment. The event included a panel discussion of experts followed by an interactive session with the WoW card game.
These achievements have been noticed. WoW placed third in the Zahnr?der Netzwerk international competition for start-ups by young Muslim entrepreneurs in 2016, was nominated for the Stuttgart Citizenship Award in 2017, and is currently part of the ANKOMMER Perspektive Deutschland fellowship programme, which supports socially innovative ideas and projects that help provide refugees with social and economic resources. The fellowship runs for eight months and?includes coaching and consulting lessons as well as co-working spaces.
As WoW's reach has expanded, so have its team and future plans. WoW now consists of nearly twenty active team members across Germany. While the organization's headquarters are in Stuttgart, regional groups are starting to develop. With this growth in size, WoW's future includes politics as a fourth component in its approach. Motivated by having a seat at the table of the European Union Commission's Annual Colloquium on Fundamental Rights in November 2017, WoW has now become actively engaged in the political sphere (Political Change Campaign).