Country Profiles: Germany - Institute for Cultural Diplomacy

8. Application of Cultural Diplomacy in Civil Society
The final section of the report will assess cultural diplomacy in civil society, taken to mean
those foundations or programmes initiated or currently directed by civil society (NGOs,
foundations, philanthropists).
8.1 SPUKU, Sprach- und Kulturmittler (Linguistic and Cultural mediators)
Agent of Cultural Diplomacy: Refugio Thüringen e.V. and the Institute for Occupational
Training and Social Management (Institut für Berufsbildung und Sozialmanagement
gemeinnützige GmbH) through the initiative SPUKU.
Agenda: Educate unemployed immigrants to become ‘ linguistic and cultural mediators’
(Sprach- und Kulturmittler).
Vehicle of Cultural Diplomacy: 18-month long training programme ending in a qualification as
linguistic and cultural mediator.
Target Audience: Unemployed immigrants with a good knowledge of German
The organisation Refugio Thüringen e.V., in cooperation with the non-profit Institute for
Occupational Training and Social Management (Institut für Berufsbildung und
Sozialmanagement gemeinnützige GmbH) established the project Spuku in 2002.
According to these non-governmental organisations (NGOs) the project was long overdue in
Germany, where integration has become an increasingly contentious issue.
The idea behind the creation of the programme was to remedy some of the difficulties that
many immigrants are confronted with when first arriving in Germany. Upon arrival, many of
these immigrants do not know German and thereby encounter serious problems in areas such
as having to go to the doctor’s, etc. Likewise, understanding and navigating the bureaucratic
system for many becomes an insurmountable challenge when faced with offices where the
only spoken language is German. 110 Thus, the concept of linguistic and cultural mediators
was conceived as a way of dealing with the frequent communication problems that occur
when immigrants deal with the German system for the first time. The initiative has many
similarities with what is a compulsory service in juridical procedures where an interpreter
can be demanded when for instance the accused lacks the ability to express him- or herself
efficiently in German. 111 However, Spuku distinguishes itself in another way as well. Not only
does it serve cultural diplomacy by enhancing the integration of persons with little or no
knowledge of German, it also aims to help unemployed migrants to find work. The project
achieves this by offering the training programme as a linguistic and cultural mediator to
unemployed individuals who are recent, or settled, immigrants. The education takes place
over the course of 18 months during which participants receive lectures on the basics of
intercultural communication, interpretation, history and sociology.
Parallel to their studies, the students also do a 3-month internship to prepare them for the
labour market.112 While Spuku is mainly financed by the European Social Fund through the
Society for the advancement of employment and the economy in the Free State Thuringia113,
the project is coordinated by its initiators Refugio Thüringen .V. and the Institute for
Occupational Training and Social Management. Refugio Thüringen is a non-profit
organisation, founded in 2002 as the Psychosocial Centre Thüringen. The centre aims to be a