“It is a light house in Belarus, which also bestows light on humans” – deemed its prominent supporter, the former German Federal President Johannes Rau, the German-Belarussian International Centre for Education and Exchange in Minsk – and became in 2006 on proposal of the deputy Belarussian Federal President its eponym. Opened in 1994 after a three year construction period, it is now a non-party Centre of Education and Exchange, which every year gives attractive room to a total of 800 events. The conference hotel and the restaurant “Westfalia” are open to everyone interested.

“The secret of reconciliation is remembrance“ – The work of the Geschichtswerkstatt Minsk follows this wisdom. Developed in 2003 in one of the last buildings of the Jewish Ghetto Minsk, it turned over the last years into an important contact point for many victims of fascism. Here, contemporary witnesses and historians from Belarus, Germany and other countries work up a difficult piece of history. Different projects like “Aging in dignity”, the contemporary witness project and others tie in on it.

In a network of vivid interpersonal contacts between Germany and Belarus the International Association of Education and Exchange is an important intersection. Already for the fourth time it currently coordinates the “Support Programme Belarus“ of the German Federal Government. More then 100 projects have been realised by internationally working initiatives from both countries out of the funds of the Federal Ministry for economical co-operation. It goes on since October 2007.

The reactor disaster of Chernobyl in 1986 triggered a wave of cooperativeness. Up to today more than 300 German-Ukrainian partnerships exist, which not only organize vacations in Germany for thousands of children from the contaminated regions, but furthermore develop many projects hand in hand. The IBB agitates itself for its partnership program Ukraine and just a while ago organised a partnership conference (from the 29th September until the 2nd of October 2007).

a project by the Mercator foundation, realised by the International Asscociation for Education and Exchange Dortmund (IBB) An exceptional chance for young people, a great challenge for institutions of juvenile labour of local authorities, churches or associations: From 2009 onward the IBB enables adolescents from the Ruhr to participate in international summer camps.They will take place within the scope of trilateral partnerships between youth facilities from the Ruhr area, from West-East Europe and Turkey. The project is financed by the Mercator foundation in Essen.