What motivates us

When GlobaLokal was founded, it was already clear that, in addition to cohousing, its activities would include establishing an organization for promoting intercultural awareness and understanding.

GlobaLokal’s members are what make the group special. They are people with multicultural backgrounds and interests (development aid workers, immigrants, people in bi-national partnerships, etc.). Most have lived for extended periods as “foreigners” and are what are commonly described in Germany as “people of immigrant background.” Thanks to their life experiences, they have become specialists in intercultural cooperation and communication. That means they have a valuable trove of knowledge and expertise at their disposal, allowing them to offer new insights into our increasingly globalized world. In Germany, this potential has gone largely untapped until now, making it a missed opportunity for further social development.

Mission and goals

“Everyone is different – everywhere.” That is GlobaLokal’s motto. Based on this idea, the group aims to combine a cohousing project with activities that support people who are in the process of transitioning from one culture to another. The ultimate goal is to improve the “culture of welcome” in our immediate environment. GlobaLokal takes an inclusive approach, one based on the unique talents, attitudes, backgrounds, knowledge and lifestyles found among different individuals and groups. It thus strives to achieve greater openness and diversity. This is also the basis for our other goals:

Cohousing goals

• Good-neighborliness and mutual support
• Better quality of life through communal living
• Combination of privacy and community
• Shared use of resources
• Less isolation in the big city
• Better living in later years
• Housing

Social engagement goals

GlobaLokal combines a cohousing project with social engagement in order to promote inclusion and multiculturalism. The following therefore also play a key role in defining who we are:

• Developing services for people transitioning between cultures, in particular:
• Assistance center for newcomers
• Educational activities for the public
• Housing for foreign students, apprentices and skilled workers
• Promoting social and global learning and cultural exchange
• Social engagement

Building goals

• Accessibility in all parts of the group’s residential building
• Energy efficiency (low or ultra-low energy consumption)
• Space for communal use, including garden

Economic goals

• Permanently removing the GlobaLokal building from the real-estate market
• Ensuring affordability and quality of life for members, including in later years, by limiting living costs (e.g. through energy-efficient building standards)
• Shared, economical use of resources (communal areas, car sharing, etc.)
• Einsparungseffekte durch Zuarbeit zu Projektierung und Realisierung

Ecological goals

• Shared, efficient use of resources (communal areas, car sharing, etc.)
• Ecological, resource-efficient construction methods
• Use of renewable energies (e.g. solar power) and resource-efficient technologies (e.g. rainwater harvesting, etc.). The actual building technology used will be determined by the group’s financial resources.

Social and cultural goals

• Shared, meaningful social engagement
• Solidarity
• Mutual support
• Democratic decision-making
• One vote per member, regardless of his/her financial investment in the project
• Inclusion of all members in planning processes and implementation
• In our cohousing community, members will help other members needing assistance or care for as long as possible. If a member needs more care than the group can provide, professional caregivers will be employed or another solution found.