News from the Migrationsbeirat München

Dear Reader,

19 March 2023 was Election Day for Munich’s ever-growing migrant community. Currently, around 46% of the city’s population has a migrational biography of some sort or other, varying from students and workers from abroad, individuals seeking safety here, or those born in Munich, to name a few examples. Just over 402 000 Munich residents were eligible to vote for new members of the local Migrant Advisory Board (Migrationsbeirat), yet surprisingly only 12 508 made use of that right to choose the 40 representatives from their own communities. Our group, DiverCity Munich – Leave No One Behind, was one of 21 groups in the running, and won 2.9% of those votes, enough to get us one seat on the Advisory Board. The IQMM community was very supportive during our election campaign, and we know some of you voted for us, so a big Thank You! for your interest, as well as your trust. We now have three years in office and, amongst other things, it is our aim to increase the visibility of the Migrant Advisory Board so that more Munich residents will be motivated to exercise their right to political participation in the next election in 2026.

Meetings, meetings, meetings…

As members of the Migrant Advisory Board we represent Munich residents who share the common experience of having roots in other places around the globe, whether living in the city short-term for studies, work, et cetera, or as permanent residents in first, second, third generation, or longer. We regularly attend a number of different meetings in order to gather information and share ideas. Although our term in office has not yet officially commenced, representatives from DiverCity Munich have already been to several, including quarterly plenary meetings where members introduce, discuss, and vote on proposals to be presented to Munich City Council, or the more frequent committee meetings, where specific issues are discussed in smaller groups. We at DiverCity Munich intend to join the Committee on Immigration and the Right to Residency including Anti-Discrimination, Anti-Racism, and Refugee Policy, where we believe we can best apply our professional and personal experience, in particular our LGBTQ+ perspective.

Many meetings are open to the public, so do join us if you would like to get a first-hand impression of the Board’s work.

Save-the-Date

One of the highlights of the Migrant Advisory Board’s work is its annual Festival of Cultures, where different communities come together and invite visitors to celebrate and enjoy a variety of aspects of their local and national traditions, from culinary delights to music, dance, or story-telling, for example. This year’s festival is scheduled to take place on Sunday 23 July 2023 at Munich’s Westpark. More details closer to the day. Hope to see you there!

That’s all for now…

We are all volunteers and working on the Migrant Advisory Board in our free time, so although we aim to report on our experiences regularly, our bulletins may vary accordingly.

Any questions you’d like to ask or experiences you’d like to share? Contact us directly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divercitymunich/

Because we believe diversity makes Munich a city worth living in.

Sally Zieglgänsberger

Member of the Migrant Advisory Board and DiverCity Munich – Leave No One Behind