First Open Gathering in Bern, May 3

We are happy to announce that our first facilitated open gathering/public discussion will take place on May 3, 2025, 14:00-16:00, at Innovationsdorf Bern.

It is a kick start of the project “Living Together in Times of War: Integration and Collaboration”, a series of facilitated open gatherings/public discussions between local people and migrants, both in Bern and Geneva, and possibly other cities and countries.

The purpose of the project is to come together in all our diversity of cultures, backgrounds, and opinions to interact and work on daily personal, cultural and/or historical differences – to find ways how we can live together and collaborate, so that it is beneficial and enriching for all sides. It is open for local Swiss people and migrants, primarily Ukrainians, but not only, whoever finds it valuable to join, especially if you are interested in finding new perspectives, creative solutions, in learning together and researching ways that would make our life together a little bit better during these times.

“My greatest dream is the world where public is used not only to demonstrate how we can battle, hate and kill each other, but how we can work together to transform these battles into possible new understandings, resolutions, and thus new relationships,” said Yuliya Filippovska, PhD, the project initiator and co-facilitator from Kyiv, Ukraine, who lives in Geneva.

“The interest in political life has always been vital to me. My big dream and curiosity is to work with a diversity of experiences, voices, feelings, backgrounds, and opinions in a polarized world. As a musician, I believe in a ‘polyphonic music’ of energy in a group. I believe in “I am you” and “You are also me.” It is one of my most touching experiences to contribute to the wholeness of a group to allow surprising solutions to emerge,” said Magdalena Schatzmann, a musician, a coach, and a facilitator who lives in the Swiss mountains near Bern. 

Please welcome to join!
Download the flyer.

When: May 3, Saturday, 14:00-16:00
Where: Innovationsdorf Bern, Wylerringstrasse 36, 3014 Bern.
Language: mainly English with possible translation.
Entrance: free, for voluntary donation to cover the cost of space, beverages and facilitation.

We thank our friends, partners and co-organizers: Ukraine Reborn, Swiss-Ukrainian Association, for initial support; Innovationsdorf Bern and 7Generations for opening doors to your innovative space and welcoming your community; Lech Wałęsa Foundation for strong belief in such facilitated public discussions and solidarity within and between communities that is needed to face our global challenges; and our friends and teachers from the global network of facilitators, Deep Democracy Alliance, as well as Deep Democracy Institute Ukraine. In addition, we thank our wider circle of friends in global network for supporting our first pilot events.