A report by Sharon Nathan, Research Associate at the Findeisen Foundation
At the end of July, I was invited as a speaker at the “Humanity in Action (HIA) Fellowship” in Berlin – one of the world’s most renowned youth programs for human rights, remembrance culture, and social participation. The selection process is extremely competitive: For the U.S. cohort in 2015, 688 applications were received, with only 43 students accepted, corresponding to an acceptance rate of around six percent. In 2014, only 40 out of over 600 applicants were accepted. Each year, about 120 fellows from more than ten countries are selected to participate in the six capital city programs such as Berlin.
Making Heimat? The Architecture of the Refugee Shelter ZUE Neuss
My first lecture, titled “Making Heimat? The Architecture of the Refugee Shelter ZUE Neuss,” showed how modular elements, generous inner courtyards, and green threshold spaces provide people in the sensitive phase of arrival with orientation, privacy, and dignity. The subsequent discussion highlighted that architectural details can become a crucial bridge between initial reception and long-term integration. For many fellows, this was their first insight into a German refugee shelter.
Implementing socially sensitive architecture and urban development projects
On the following day, I led the practice-oriented session “Adding to the Human Archive – Exploring Migration Through Personal Interviews.” Together with the fellows, we developed guides to systematically document everyday and refugee experiences and make them usable as a planning resource for socially sensitive architecture and urban development projects.
“Sharon’s talk was one of the most exciting and insightful sessions I attended during the fellowship. His dialogical style created a truly welcoming learning atmosphere. Using the example of a single refugee shelter, he showed how ‘Heimat’ is politically and spatially negotiated within the history of German architecture. I gained a deeper understanding of how design intersects with bureaucracy, isolation, and belonging.”
– Leela Cullity, Occidental College (USA)
The Berlin program also offered impulses closely related to my spatial research focus. Christoffer Horlitz, Campaign Manager at Amnesty International and part of the research collective Forensic Architecture, demonstrated using the Hanau attack how spatial data models can reveal structural violence and clarify political accountability. Prof. Dr. Nivedita Prasad took a critical look at institutional racism in universities and presented strategies for how educational and cultural institutions can reduce barriers.
“For me, the greatest learning experience was understanding how creative storytelling and ‘deep listening’ can work together to reveal stories that are often forgotten. This understanding showed me which unique perspectives I perceive in my own communities – and how I can use my journalistic skills to make exactly those voices accessible to a broader public.”
– Davina Thomson, Princeton University (USA)
Positively influencing urban and rural development through socially sensitive architecture
The fellows’ positive feedback confirmed that the combination of participatory research, socially sensitive architecture, and remembrance work delivers concrete added value for democratic urban and rural development. In the coming year, the fellows will further develop their individually chosen projects to promote human rights and strengthen democratic structures.