A long term initiative to promote moral courage
The city of Düsseldorf has reported regular acts of violence that have been witnessed by passers-by who did not intervene. It seems that many people don’t know how to intervene efficiently without putting themselves in danger. However, a small gesture such as making an emergency call or alerting other passers-by can often have an important impact. Stakeholders agree that only a long-term plan could actually change behaviours. Therefore the city initiated the project “Get Involved!” (Flagge zeigen!).
Get Involved! A long term initiative
Activities were institutionalised in the working group on moral courage at the beginning of the year 2000. The working group has initiated several other projects and contributed to their implementation. The project “Get involved!” is one of these long-term initiatives. The objective is to make sure that people always keep in mind how important it is to act courageously, since opportunities to show civic courage arise constantly. There are also cases in which the helpers have become themselves victims. This is why it is also important to inform people on how they can help safely. “Get involved!” is primarily targeted towards the youth in Düsseldorf, but it also aims to reach teachers and parents.
Objectives: moral courage, youth, new media and participation
- Get involved: against looking away – for moral
courage
The project “Get involved!” aims at showing alternatives to looking away and its purpose is to motivate youngsters to act. The overall goal is to strengthen a culture of caring and helping. - Learning how to intervene
Young people need to learn how to assess realistically a threatening situation. The project aims at analysing situations and methods which allow people to intervene. - Raising awareness and enrolling youth
Youngsters are the main target group of the project, which aims at encouraging them to show moral courage according to their means, at school or during their free time activities. Young participants are invited to discover and develop their own capacities, and to take into account their own perception of situations and realities. This ensures that the project is in line with the actual needs without putting themselves in danger. - Foster exchanges and debates
Video clips have been made about the project by the youngsters involved. The project is not only geared towards youngsters but also towards the audience who watches the video clips. The DVDs are sent to schools and organisations working with youth, and can be used to illustrate classroom debates about moral courage. The clips are also shown in local media such as the local TV station. Disseminating the video clips and talking about them is part of the awareness campaign as well.