Evaluation of “State Democracy Centers” (federal program “Live Democracy!”)

Focus: “Victim and victim counseling, mobile counseling, exit and distancing counseling”

Expert Group on Democracy Promotion and Democratic Practice

Project head: Dr. Olaf Kleist ,  Dr. Mirjam Weiberg

Project coordination: Till Sträter

Project team members: Sonja Haase ,  Olga Janzen ,  Dr. Christian Sowa

In its third funding phase (01/2025–12/2028), the federal program “Live Democracy!” supports civil society and democratic engagement at the federal state level and within supra-regional structures for victim and survivor counseling, mobile counseling, and exit and disengagement counseling in the program area “State Democracy Centers.” The program covers the following phenomena: prevention and combating of extremism (particularly right-wing extremism and religiously motivated extremism), antisemitism, anti-Black, anti-Muslim, and anti-Asian racism, antigypsyism, hostility towards LGBTIQ* individuals, and antifeminism. The mandate of the State Democracy Centers is to create optimal conditions for counseling structures to achieve their goals and fulfill their tasks.

The aim of the evaluation is to accompany and assess (both formatively and summatively) the work of the State Democracy Centers in terms of implementation, goal achievement, and impact. It also serves to advise the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) and the Federal Office for Family Affairs and Civil Society Functions (BAFzA) on the management and further development of the program and its fields of action through success and impact monitoring. The evaluation is guided by the action and intermediary objectives set by the program provider. The focus is on needs- and subject-oriented impact analyses, assessments of goal achievement, and in-depth analyses of fields of action, which will inform the further development of the federal program and the supported structures. In addition to impact analyses, the evaluation conducts a thematic and content-focused analysis to provide a deeper understanding of the conditions for success and developments in the field of action for the counseling structures supported by the State Democracy Centers. Furthermore, the evaluation supports reflection processes within the State Democracy Centers and counseling structures through discussion formats and regular updates via the progress tool (Logical Model), offering guidance on necessary changes when required. This is part of the formative evaluation and guidance for the self-evaluation of the State Democracy Centers.

Funding: Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (Third-party funding)

Cooperation partner:

• German Youth Institute (DJI) (Halle)
• Institute for Social Work and Social Education (ISS) (Frankfurt)
• Camino (Berlin)
• ProVal (Hannover)