Anti-discrimination

The debate on "anti-discrimination" is a major concern of Zoom e.V. Through our work, we would like to contribute to efforts for overcoming social inequality, exclusion and, of course, discrimination. The staff of Zoom e.V. has many years of wide-ranging experience in the field of anti-discrimination and its related topics such as inter-culturalism, migration, gender politics and diversity management. With the ratification of the Amsterdam Treaty of 1998, the topic anti-discrimination has gained in importance in Europe. In Article 13 of the Treaty of the European Union, comprehensive measures against discrimination have been developed. As a result, the EU has passed directives which in some member states have led to the first anti-discrimination legislation, while in others, it has led to a far-reaching revision of the existing laws.

The staff of Zoom e.V. and the association itself since 2002 have accompanied this process at the European level and have participated in projects of the European Action Programme to Combat Discrimination.

As a part of the Action Programme, a new approach has been developed: The so-called "Horizontal," "Target Group Combining" or "Integrated Approach." Zoom e.V. stands for extensive professional expertise in the Integrated Approach and organises conferences as well as seminars and round tables on this topic.

Currently, two of our staff members work for Compass (Society for Information Management and Project Development GmbH) in the German project evaluation of the ESF programmes for combating discrimination on the labour market (EQUAL).

Completed Projects:

Project "CREE - Create Equality in Education"
One example of our commitment is our participation in the project "CREE - Create Equality in Education" in which we looked at activities designed to overcome discrimination in schools. We analysed how such activities should be arranged and which factors facilitate or hamper a successful implementation. (Duration 2002-2004)

Conference "Diversity One Way!"
On 12 May 2005 a conference with entitled "Diversity One Way!" took place in Dusseldorf, which was planned and organised by Zoom e.V. on behalf of the Ministry for Health, Social Affairs, Women and Family of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Verein für soziale Arbeit und Kultur Südwestfalen e.V.

Contact: Nils Pagels