Image: ZIMT Braunau
The offer in the Center for Interculturality, Togetherness and Participation (ZIMT) in the city of Braunau has been noticeably expanded in recent years. This is also reflected in the number of visitors, around 8,500 people attended events in the ZIMT last year or took part in activities – a tripling compared to the “pre-Corona year” 2019, according to the municipality.
“We are very pleased that the offers are so well received, the cooperation of all those responsible works extremely well,” says Lizeth Ausserhuber-Camposeco, the city of Braunau’s integration officer. The ZIMT was created as part of “Living together in Braunau”. The city of Braunau has been running this initiative since October 2016, accompanied and supported by the state’s integration office, in order to promote peaceful coexistence of the different cultures in and around Braunau.
In 2019 the ZIMT was opened in the former polytechnic school. Two employees of the municipality, Daniela Auer and Nina Hofmann, are entrusted with the organization and coordination as co-project managers. A number of volunteers also work at ZIMT. Among other things, there are regular meetings for mutual exchange and making contacts, art workshops for children and young people, a playroom for small children, offers for communication, languages and political education, SelbA courses and a storytelling café for women over 60.
Many of the offers were expanded to include additional groups last year. “For example, ‘Mama Learns German’ shows that the demand for German courses with childcare is very high,” says Daniela Auer. “The Communication and Conversation course, which conveys the ‘unwritten laws’ of Austrian and Innviertel society in an authentic and sensitive way, is also very popular and thus helps to avoid one or the other blunder.”
The offer in the ZIMT is constantly being developed. There has been an International Men’s Meeting since autumn, in addition to the established meetings for women and families. Also new are children’s swimming courses and the children’s club “Movement with Shaimaa” with playful movement units, children’s yoga and relaxation techniques.
At the beginning of February, a RepairCafé took place for the first time, which the Kultur.Land.Impulse association intends to offer regularly in future in cooperation with BAV and FAB. At the end of January, a radio workshop was offered for the first time in cooperation with Freies Radio Innviertel.
Source: Nachrichten
