The ECCAR network is proud to announce the successful kick-off meeting of its new Working Group "Small Cities and Rural Areas," held virtually on February 5, 2025. This initiative, spearheaded by the City of Ratzeburg and Amt Lauenburgische Seen, aims to support smaller municipalities in their anti-racism efforts by providing a collaborative platform for sharing resources, strategies, and best practices.
The meeting commenced with a warm welcome from Heinz Dohrendorff, Head of Amt Lauenburgische Seen, with warm greetings from Eckhard Graf, Mayor of Ratzeburg, who emphasized the importance of creating supportive structures for small cities and rural areas in combating racism. More than 15 ECCAR member cities joined the kick-off meeting.
Key discussions focused on conducting a needs assessment, exploring what the working group can offer to smaller cities and how they can benefit from collaborating with one another. The aim was to understand the specific challenges faced by these communities and share resources, strategies, and best practices for strengthening local anti-racism work.
A big thank you to our colleagues Mark Sauer and Evans Gumbe for their outstanding engagement, and to all the participating cities for their fruitful exchange during the meeting! Your contributions will help shape the success of this important initiative.
