In Oldenburg (Germany), creative ideas are being used to spark conversations and promote civic engagement. With the “Oldenburg Beermats”, residents were invited to take part in a unique initiative that connected everyday dialogue with broader themes of democracy and inclusion. In this article, the city of Oldenburg shares how the campaign unfolded, and how a simple object like a beermat became a tool for participation.
On Tuesday, May 27th 2025, new ‘Oldenburg Beermats’ were presented on the occasion of the 11th Diversity Day in Oldenburg. This special edition was themed ‘We live diversity’ and was part of a campaign that specifically promoted informal civic participation.
The beermats initially looked ordinary, but on the back, questions such as ‘What does diversity mean to you?’ or ‘Where do you experience diversity in everyday life?’ invited people to enter into dialogue with each other. Through this, the Oldenburg beermats created a low-threshold and playful approach to exchanging ideas and perspectives on the topic of diversity. Anyone who wanted to could also share their answers digitally: A QR code on the mats led to an online survey, allowing the city to collect valuable feedback from the population - a key facet of informal citizen participation. The survey included questions such as:
- What was your best experience with cultural diversity?
- What does it take to make everyone feel welcome in Oldenburg?
- When did you learn something new through diversity?
Around ten pubs and restaurants are already collaborating with this project, using the beer mats to spark dialogue broadly throughout the whole city!
The mats were also distributed at the Diversity Day in Gleispark. There, in cooperation with the VfL Oldenburg women's handball team, the city offered a varied programme with workshops, discussion rounds and a ‘market of opportunities’. The Participation Coordination Centre was on site together with the city's social media team to exchange ideas with interested parties and support the event.
Daniela Janßen, who helped organise the campaign, emphasised: "Oldenburg thrives on the diversity and ideas of all its residents. With the Oldenburg beermats, we are creating a playful opportunity to exchange ideas - for a city in which everyone feels seen and heard."
Overall, the Oldenburg beermats helped to make informal citizen participation a tangible experience. The simple conversation starter on the mats and the digital participation option created a space in which everyone could contribute their perspectives.
This initiative even attracted coverage from the Northern German Television channel, which published an article and video about it! If you'd like to hear more from them about the Oldenburg beermats, click here (German only).
