Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Dieter Kulke (Faculty of Applied Social Sciences), a kick-off event was held for the “Qualitative Research” module. Dr. Pia Beckmann, founder of pics4peace and former mayor of Würzburg, was in attendance. In addition to presenting pics4peace and the interview project “1,000 Experiences,” the event focused on planning qualitative interviews with citizens, which the students will conduct and scientifically evaluate in the summer semester of 2025 and the winter semester of 2025/26.

“Listen carefully. Understand. Give people a voice. Take up what they have to say. Seek dialogue where they are. Involve them!” – this credo describes the motivation behind pics4peace. Since its founding in 2017, the association has seen itself as a bridge between people, society, and politics. With the kick-off, the students launched a project that aims to make the concerns and voices of the Würzburg population visible in all their diversity.

In his dialogue with Dr. Beckmann, Prof. Dr. Kulke emphasized that it is not about agreeing: “Understanding and being understood, feeling heard—that is the key to greater togetherness.” The concept of the “third place” also played a role: places other than home and work that enable consumer-free encounters. Dr. Beckmann pointed to the growing importance of such spaces and cited the Würzburg City Library as an example. Many interviews will take place there.

Qualitative interviews with a focus on visibility
As part of the project, students will not only use questions from #endlichankommen, but also develop their own. Citizens of Würzburg will be interviewed, with a special focus on social work target groups: people with disabilities and mental illnesses, as well as people who have experienced homelessness. The aim is to strengthen their visibility and participation in urban society.

The results will not only be evaluated scientifically, but also prepared in the form of recommendations for action – a contribution that will benefit both urban society and politics.

“What makes it special for me is that we work in a practical way and address contemporary, important issues,” summarized one student. Prof. Dr. Kulke added: “This is a valuable learning experience, especially for prospective masters in social work.” Dr. Pia Beckmann emphasized: “The end result is not only research findings, but also concrete recommendations for politics and society. Thank you for that.”

More information about the project can be found at endlichankommen.info.

The accompanying podcasts “1,000 Experiences” are available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.