We need to talk! (Restart 2026)

In times when opinions are hardening and spaces for dialogue are shrinking, this format seeks to foster encounters that do not immediately lead to agreement or resistance. We’re interested in the in-between—the zone where different ways of thinking, feeling, and experiencing intersect. Where people who would otherwise avoid each other talk: about politics and belonging, about city life, traffic, climate, freedom—and about what is “non-negotiable” for each and every one of us.

“We-Must-Talk” is not a communication course, nor a seminar on empathy or conversation techniques. It is an expedition into uncharted territory: How do you stay in the conversation when the impulse to walk away or turn away becomes overwhelming? What happens when you try not to convince immediately, but to truly understand—especially where it hurts?

We want to explore (for ourselves) how curiosity, listening, and a clear stance can go hand in hand. How “tough facilitation” and genuine openness are not mutually exclusive. We want to discuss what participants experience in “such” situations and how they handle them. What happens when you commit to not “converting” the other person, but rather to understanding what drives them—even if you firmly reject their position.

The pilot project to date—an encounter with members of the AfD—has shown that productive conversational dynamics develop precisely when the focus is not on refuting opposing positions, but on understanding the underlying motives, emotions, and needs. Without abandoning a critical distance. This creates a space for experience in which democracy is concretely negotiated. People do not speak from a distance, commenting “from the stands,” but step out onto the communicative “playing field” of direct encounter.

In the “Wir-müssen-reden” project, people come together who know themselves, their patterns, and their reactions well—and who are eager to concretely venture into new communicative territory (rather than theorize). It is not about harmony, but about the art of staying in conversation without compromising oneself. It is about balancing distance and closeness, listening and contradiction.

Perhaps in doing so, we will discover more and more precisely what divides us—but also what connects us: the need to be seen, to be understood, to belong. We explore: Where and how can bridges be built? Where are “red lines” needed while still fostering integration?

“We-Need-to-Talk”—because democracy cannot remain alive without encounter.