Purpose: In recent years, Erlangen has seen an increased immigration of skilled workers and students from India; counting almost 4 000 people, this is the largest group of immigrants.
For this reason, the city council has commissioned the Office for Equal Opportunities and Diversity to work with the various groups of the Indian community in Erlangen and municipal institutions to develop a year-round series of events for 2024.
The community is as diverse as the Indian subcontinent: the immigrants come from different states, belong to different religions and speak different languages, with most of them choosing English as their language of communication. It is therefore not surprising that a diverse, colourful and extensive program has been put together in the workshops, which is mainly due to the great civic commitment of the Indian community.
Anyone interested in Erlangen is cordially invited to learn new things about India at numerous events in 2024, to celebrate festivals together with the Indian community and to exchange ideas about the country and its people.
Stimulus/Rationale: The aim is to make the diversity of India as a country of origin, its history and society as well as the different aspects of its culture and religions visible and more accessible and to promote encounters and exchange
Process: developing a diverse event program all over Erlangen in cooperation between the Indian community and municipal institutions in workshops and meetings. A specific budget was granted by the city council to help with funding the different events.
Impact: It was possible to show the diversity of India and promote encounters and exchange within Erlangen. The program also promoted the exchange between the community and the municipalities of Erlangen.
Key reference documents:
