For more than ten years, the MBR has been counselling stakeholders from civic society, politics, and administration across Berlin’s districts. Since 2007, our team has acted as the primary point of contact for the Berlin network of counselling services regarding all issues related to right-wing extremism. The MBR is one of the key projects set up by the Landesprogramm gegen Rechtsextremismus (State Programme Agsinst Right-Wing Extremism).
The main task of our professional counselling service is the analysis of phenomena such as right-wing extremism, anti-Semitism, and racism in a local context, and supporting people and groups’ competence to act in these situations, as well as the advancement of a democratic culture anchored in the local everyday environment, on a normative as well as structural level.
Our brochure “Integrierte Handlungsstrategien zur Rechtsextremismus-Pävention und -Intervention bei Jugendlichen” (120 pages, German only) was awarded the Hermine-Albers-Preis as part of the Deutscher Kinder- und Jugendhilfepreis (German Youth Aid Prize) in 2008.
In 2012, Bianca Klose, project manager, was awarded the Verdienstorden des Landes Berlin (Order of Service) on behalf of the MBR by city mayor Klaus Wowereit (SPD). This medal is one of the supreme honours awarded annually by the federal state of Berlin to persons who have shown particular commitment.
Since May 2013, the successful work of the project “Auseinandersetzung mit Rechtsextremismus in kommunalen Gremien Berlins – Dokumentation und Analyse” (BVV-Projekt – Confronting Right-Wing Extremism in Berlin’s Communal Committees) has continued under the umbrella of the MBR.