MEDAR
NRW

MEDAR stands for the Reporting and Documentation Center for anti-Muslim racism and is a project that aims to highlight anti-Muslim racism in NRW.

Our goal is to develop a comprehensive data base of incidents of discrimination to raise awareness and initiate change. We believe in the power of a collective voice and want to provide a platform for those affected and witnesses to share their stories and experiences.

Our Goals

Documentation and analysis of anti-Muslim racism

Making anti-Muslim racism in NRW visible and illuminating dark fields

Raising awareness of anti-Muslim racism in NRW

Publishing annual reports on the phenomenon

Multidimensional consideration of discrimination incidents

Our Self-Understanding

The order does not indicate the importance of the individual points. All points are equally central.

SUPPORTING THOSE AFFECTED

We advocate for marginalized people, so our work is guided by the needs of those affected.

PARTISANSHIP & CONFIDENTIALITY

We position ourselves on the side of those affected and treat all information confidentially.

INTERSECTIONALITY

Discrimination must always be considered intersectionally; therefore, we place special emphasis on multiple discrimination.

STRICT DATA PROTECTION

We commit to strict data protection and handle all data with particular care.

COOPERATION WITH COMMUNITIES

We maintain close communication with our communities and take their interests into account in our work.

CLOSE COOPERATION AMONG REPORTING CENTERS

We are a network of various reporting centers that work closely together, engage in regular and intensive exchanges, and jointly address conceptual questions and challenges.

COOPERATION WITH SUPPORT CENTERS

We maintain close contact with support centers for victims of violence and discrimination in NRW and continuously work on a broad referral structure.

LOW-THRESHOLD ACCESS AND REFLECTION ON BARRIERS

Our goal is to work as low-threshold and barrier-free as possible so that our reporting centers can be used by as many people as possible, and information can be easily accessed.

RAISING AWARENESS OF INEQUALITY IDEOLOGIES

Our goal is to educate about ideologies of inequality, racist and queer-hostile discrimination, and violence at all levels of society and promote better social coexistence.

MULTILINGUALISM

Depending on our resources, we offer those affected the option to communicate with us in their first language.

STRENGTHENING AND EMPOWERING OUR TARGET GROUPS

We support our communities in developing an awareness of their (human) rights so they no longer tolerate discrimination, racism, and restrictions but actively and fearlessly address and report them.

RIGHTS

We advocate for basic and human rights and highlight legal gaps in the protection of marginalized people.

CRITICISM OF POWER

We raise awareness of disadvantageous power structures—on individual, structural, and institutional levels—and make these structures visible. Our work aims to break down and dismantle existing power structures in the long term.

VISIBILITY

Through our work, we aim to make discrimination and violence in NRW visible so that processes can be initiated to foster better social coexistence.

SOLIDARITY

We encourage everyone who observes discrimination and violence to understand these as socially relevant phenomena and act as allies.

Our Self-Understanding

The order does not indicate the importance of the individual points. All points are equally central.

SUPPORTING THOSE AFFECTED

We advocate for marginalized people, so our work is guided by the needs of those affected.

INTERSECTIONALITY

Discrimination must always be considered intersectionally; therefore, we place special emphasis on multiple discrimination.

COOPERATION WITH COMMUNITIES

We maintain close communication with our communities and take their interests into account in our work.

COOPERATION WITH COMMUNITIES

We maintain close communication with our communities and take their interests into account in our work.

COOPERATION WITH SUPPORT CENTERS

We maintain close contact with support centers for victims of violence and discrimination in NRW and continuously work on a broad referral structure.

RAISING AWARENESS OF INEQUALITY IDEOLOGIES

Our goal is to educate about ideologies of inequality, racist and queer-hostile discrimination, and violence at all levels of society and promote better social coexistence.

STRENGTHENING AND EMPOWERING OUR TARGET GROUPS

We support our communities in developing an awareness of their (human) rights so they no longer tolerate discrimination, racism, and restrictions but actively and fearlessly address and report them.

CRITICISM OF POWER

SOLIDARITY

We encourage everyone who observes discrimination and violence to understand these as socially relevant phenomena and act as allies.

PARTISANSHIP & CONFIDENTIALITY

We position ourselves on the side of those affected and treat all information confidentially.

STRICT DATA PROTECTION

We commit to strict data protection and handle all data with particular care.

CLOSE COOPERATION AMONG REPORTING CENTERS

We are a network of various reporting centers that work closely together, engage in regular and intensive exchanges, and jointly address conceptual questions and challenges.

LOW-THRESHOLD ACCESS AND REFLECTION ON BARRIERS

Our goal is to work as low-threshold and barrier-free as possible so that our reporting centers can be used by as many people as possible, and information can be easily accessed.

MULTILINGUALISM

Depending on our resources, we offer those affected the option to communicate with us in their first language.

RIGHTS

We advocate for basic and human rights and highlight legal gaps in the protection of marginalized people.

VISIBILITY

Through our work, we aim to make discrimination and violence in NRW visible so that processes can be initiated to foster better social coexistence.

Project Sponsors

MEDAR NRW is operated by a collaboration of two organizations:

interKultur e.V. is a nonpartisan and nonreligious professional organization where respect, acceptance, equality, and participation—regardless of cultural or religious affiliation—form the basis of interaction. As a migration- and discrimination-sensitive organization, interKultur e.V. operates a recognized intercultural center, manages a community center (Cologne), a youth welfare facility, and a KIM office (Municipal Integration Management), accompanied by a highly experienced team of people with and without migration backgrounds. The organization stands for a democratic society, aligning with the goals of the Participation and Integration Act of NRW.

Additional fields of action include political, social, and cultural education, pedagogical support, inclusion guidance, and advisory services (27 language groups). A significant strength is bridging the gap between science and practice, particularly ensured by the Pedagogical Director Prof. Dr. Kemal Bozay.

https://www.interkultur-ev.net/

Coach e.V. sees itself as a space for empowerment and solidarity for young people affected by racism and exclusion, as well as a learning and experiential space where democratic education is possible.

The association aims to support young people, particularly those with migration backgrounds, in their education and integration towards a successful school-to-work transition. The association's work is guided by the principle of prevention. Focus areas include counseling, parental engagement, education- and topic-oriented group work, homework assistance, language promotion, career orientation, application support, and leisure activities. For Coach e.V., involving parents actively is essential when children and adolescents are supported in school and professional education. Coach e.V. is networked regionally, nationally, and internationally through various projects such as the 'Empowerment Academy,' 'House of Resources,' and 'Laboratory for Empowerment, Resilience, and Solidarity,' and can rely on appropriate network partners in the context of racism-critical and empowerment-oriented educational work.

https://www.coach-koeln.de/