Workshop / Children-Public Sphere-Participation
Related to the exhibition “Do You Dare to Play?”
Even under the dictatorial conditions of East Germany, free play and democratic education were possible. In connection with the 'Do You Dare to Play?' exhibition, former members of the Spielwagen Berlin 1 group, which is featured in the show, will lead a workshop. The aim is for participants to be able to apply the insights and practical knowledge gained to their own work.
In the first part of the program, former members Meta Sell and Mike Weimann will present their experience working with children in Spielwagen projects. Following the presentation, the topics introduced in the presentation will be explored further with the participants; with the help of interactive tools a group discussion continue on adult-child relationships, free play, and democracy education. The aim is to enable participants to incorporate the insights gained into their own professional practice.
The language of the program is English. The program is free of charge but requires registration. Registration link: here.
Meta Sell and Mike Weimann were members of the group 'Spielwagen Berlin' from 1986 until shortly after the end of the GDR in 1990. Like everyone else in the group, they had no formal training in education; they had other professions and organised activities in city squares at weekends. The Spielwagen resonated deeply with the children and their parents because it was free from the ideologically driven, conventional GDR pedagogy found in kindergartens and schools. The group wanted to interact with the children as equals. They provided materials and tools, assisting when needed, while avoiding disrupting the children's play as much as possible.
During this time, in the 1980s, behind the Wall, it was that they first heard of 'education critique' and managed to read relevant books from the 'West'. This reading material aligned perfectly with Spielwagen's play activities. They realised: There is another way. Even within the 'socialist' system, which continued to practise authoritarian education, there were alternatives.
Through practice, they learned and, together with the group, tested the limits of the system. The end of the GDR opened up entirely new possibilities. Like most Spielwagen members, they continued playing: they founded an adventure playground in the heart of the city and started a project to promote children's rights. In this project, young people discussed education, voting rights, and school, and publicised their views through posters and pamphlets. Later, they founded a democratic school where students determine their own learning, decide on rules, and manage everyday school affairs on an equal footing (one person—one vote).
Meta Sell and Mike Weimann will share pictures and stories of all this and engage in conversation with the workshop participants. They will share details about the content, organisation, preparation, and implementation of the Spielwagen campaigns, as well as the feedback received from children and families. They will also discuss how their views on adult-child relationships evolved during this process, and how 'campaigns for children' became 'campaigns with and by children'. Using concrete examples, they will also report on how these experiences influenced their work in youth projects after 1990, for example, regarding the role of adults, learning at the adventure playground, the democratic school, and the children's rights project's advocacy for abolishing the age limit for voting rights.
Meta Sell
1986–1990: Member of Spielwagen Berlin 1. 1990: Co-founder of the Adventure Playground Kolle 37 in Berlin Prenzlauer Berg, working there as a staff member until 2005. In 2008, she co-founded the Network Democratic School and worked there as a learning facilitator until 2020. She is a board member of the Netzwerk Spiel/Kultur Berlin association and co-editor of Sichere Orte für Kinder on child protection in open children’s and youth facilities.
Mike Weimann
Co-founder of the children’s rights group KRÄTZÄ; author of Voting Rights for Children; organiser of the IDEC 2005 World Conference of Democratic Schools in Berlin; co-founder of the Network Democratic School Berlin in 2008; board member of Netzwerk Spiel/Kultur Berlin and the European Democratic Education Community (EUDEC); publisher of GoToBedNow.com.