The interactive DemokratieLabo experience at Neumünster Abbey, organised by the Centre for Political Education (ZpB), offers visitors an opportunity to discover what democracy means to them and which values they represent.
What is democracy? Which values do I support? What truly matters to me? These are some of the questions raised at the ZpB’s DemokratieLabo, which allows visitors to explore the meaning of democracy on a personal level.
Freedom, prejudice, justice, and inequality are central themes of the interactive exhibition. Across 54 stages at various stations, visitors can engage with topics such as climate, media, security, and identity. They are also confronted with questions including “What do I consider to be a real Luxembourger?” and “What is important to me in a democracy?”
Michèle Schilt, the ZpB’s deputy director, explained that the experience is designed to encourage visitors to question where their opinions come from, and then to reflect on how they can reach joint decisions with others who hold different views.
Schilt noted that the DemokratieLabo is particularly relevant for students, as it facilitates exchange and demonstrates in an interactive way the impact individuals can have on society at large. She stressed the importance of showing students that they can play an active role in democracy, adding that the experience also provides students with sufficient material for discussion among themselves without the need for adult intervention.
The project originally came from Belgium and the Netherlands; the ZpB brought it to Luxembourg five years ago. Following a series of evaluations, it was decided to revise the lab in order to improve its reception by the public.
Describing the evaluation process, Project Manager Marnie Ecker said it involved examining where visitors spent the most time, which parts were less well received, which sections could be made clearer, and which had become outdated. Ecker stressed that the centre listened to the feedback received from the public and tried to implement it wherever possible. In practice, this meant, for example, removing topics that were less well received or too complicated and replacing them with new ones.
The DemokratieLabo will be open to visitors at Neumünster Abbey until the end of May. As the lab is mobile, it can also be borrowed by schools and municipalities.
