The Shared Humanity Experience

Upcoming Event

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From Unspoken to Understood

Connecting Perspectives - Expanding Horizons

There are socio-political issues that affect us all - things we care about and want to discuss. But sometimes we hesitate because we’re unsure or feel like we don’t know enough. These topics may include sexism, racism, discrimination, prejudice, privilege, gender roles, or experiences with illness, disability, or mental health.

Wondering where to start these important conversations? Worried they might get too controversial or overwhelming?

That’s exactly why we created The Shared Humanity Experience. It’s a fun, structured format that gives you a moderated space to talk about challenging topics, share perspectives, reflect, and learn together.

Join us, connect with others, and explore ideas in a way that’s engaging, thoughtful, and supportive.

It’s not just a discussion - it’s an experience.

phases (900 x 600 px) We want to create an empowering environment that enables you to address these topics outside of this protected space, in your everyday life and in your studies, and to position yourself on them whenever you want.

The aim is to listen to each other, get in touch and learn from each other.

The selected questions ensure a considerate dialogue and provide a structured approach to navigating complex debates. They allow for direct engagement and encourage purposeful conversations. In addition, they help to redefine our understanding of social dynamics and relationships and can also pave the way for tackling systemic challenges.

Goals

Unboxing

Before each Shared Humanity Experience, we stand in the foyer of the canteen at the unboxing stand. Students can ask questions and suggest topics here. That way, we can find out what you've always wanted to talk about!

Join in - we cordially invite all students!

The Shared Humanity Experience is regularly held in English. Discussions in small groups can also be held in German.

Review

Listen. Reflect. Respond.

This event was organized jointly by the Equal Opportunities Department, the Institute for Conflict Management, the student initiative Amnesty International, and the Centre for Teaching and Learning. It provided an open and secured space to ensure dialogue about Middle East war.

Participants shared their perspectives and discussed controversial questions, reflecting on different viewpoints and clarifying the complexity of the conflict. Although varying perspectives became apparent during the different discussion rounds, the exchange fostered new insights and mutual understanding.

The event aimed to offer students an opportunity to engage with current global events and address the growing need to discuss these issues in an academic setting. The goal was to create a platform for open conversation. The Shared Humanity Experience allowed difficult topics to be explored in a respectful atmosphere.

What is the West? What is the East? Why is that important?
This event was jointly organised by the Equal Opportunity Department and the ZLL (Center for Teaching and Learning). It brought together students from Viadrina as well as De Montfort University Leicester (UK) to explore the dynamics between West and East. The discussions covered a range of topics such as politics, power relations, (post-)colonialism, identity, media and more. The discussions allowed participants to challenge their preconceived notions and develop a deeper understanding of the complexity of relations between the West and the East. Overall, the participants showed a high level of enthusiasm for the topic and exchanged ideas and insights in several discussion rounds.

As part of the Diversity Days programme with a focus on "Health", the Shared Humanity Experience addressed the topic of mental health for the first time. The overarching aim was to normalise and destigmatise the topic and create an environment that encourages open and constructive dialogue.

In academia and beyond, prejudice is a barrier to true equality in the workplace, leading to discrimination and inequality. This is not just about stalled careers, but a problem with wider societal implications, affecting our daily lives and social cohesion as a whole. The Shared Humanity Experience aimed to address and challenge these biases in order to promote a fairer and more inclusive professional environment.

The first event of the Shared Humanity Experience Project focused on the analysis of social and cultural systems that sustain phenomenon racism. Awareness of discriminatory mechanisms plays a crucial role in fostering a better understanding of multiculturalism within the community, while simultaneously integrating it into university culture.

The main focus during the event was to engage participants in sharing their experiences and empower each other to find ways how to adress these issues constructively.

Therefore, another aim was to learn how to point out that some behaviors (sometimes due to a lack of knowledge) are racist, and how to set boundaries while also developing solutions for respectful interactions instead.

The event focused on finding a healthy balance while experiencing phenomena such as FOMO and toxic productivity. The TK Health Report 2023 reveals that 44% of students often experience stress. During the event, we dived into the causes and explored solutions and strategies to relieve the constant pressure to do more.

In collaboration with ESN, we hosted an event focused on dormitory life - highlighting both its challenges and bright moments. Participants had the opportunity to share perspectives, exchange tips, and discuss common concerns. The aim was to build connections, foster understanding across differences, and strengthen a supportive student community.

As a part of alliance wide 2025 ERUA Day we organized an event: Winter Blues. At Fforst, we got a chance to organize an event focusing on mental health. Our aim was to create real connections and spark of motivation to carry into winter. Together we spent an evening fueled in meaningful conversations, helpful advice and lots of sharing of our perspectives and experiences.