Democracy & Civil Society
Civil society acts as a model for a good and just coexistence in democracy.
As the third sector alongside the economy and politics, civil society initiates social reform projects in the form of voluntary associations, foundations, initiatives and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to create or provide goods and services of general interest (e.g. boards for the needy, Hospice movement) and measures to influence public opinion.
The direct participation of citizens forms a framework within which the process of free exchange of views and the process of compromise and understanding can be learned. “Civil society” thus stands for a society that is characterized by “civility” in the sense of democracy, tolerance, responsibility and trust.
Civil society actors act on the basis of political framework conditions, such as constitutionally guaranteed human and fundamental rights, equality before the law and enabling decent living conditions. This means that these actors always act as critical bodies for the prevailing decision-making bodies in politics, business and public administration.
In line with the co-governance strategy, Thomasius-Stiftung promotes and implements projects between political decision-makers and multipliers of civil society who have set themselves the goal of developing common solutions for current challenges in their cities, countries or regions. In the sense of opening up the social discourse, this includes measures of further education, advice and knowledge networking as well as offers of political education.