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WORLD MAYOR 2016
The 2016 World Mayor Prize will be awarded to a mayor who has provided immigrants with the facilities to contribute to the city’s society, economy and culture. The City Mayors Foundation is looking for mayors who have recognised that people, whatever their origin, status or background, are the greatest capital the world has to offer. This year’s World Mayor Project will identify mayors whose cities have done the most to welcome immigrants and have used their skills to enrich and diversify society culturally, economically and socially. Danny Kavalier, Mayor of Hettstedt, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, has been nominated for the Prize. ||| |
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| FRONT PAGE About World Mayor City Mayors Foundation worldmayor@gmail.com Tel: +44 20 8439 7978   WORLD MAYOR 2018 • VOTE NOW • Shortlist 2018 • Longlist 2018 • Raison d'être • World Mayor history • World Mayor Prize • Code of Ethics • Criteria • Meet the Press WORLD MAYOR 2016 • Results 2016 • Project 2016 • Shortlist 2016 • Longlist 2016 • Code of Ethics • World Mayor Prize • World Mayor History • Raison d'être INTERVIEWS WITH • Mayor of Athens • Mayor of Lahr • Mayor of Mechelen TESTIMONIALS • Mayor of Aleppo • Mayor of Amstelveen • Mayor of Athens • Mayor of Cologne • Mayor of Gdansk • Mayor of Grande-Synthe • Mayor of Hettstedt • Mayor of Lahr • Mayor of Lampedusa • Mayor of Lesbos • Mayor of Mechelen • Mayor of Philadelphia • Mayor of Schwäbisch Gmünd ESSAYS BY • Mayor of Aleppo • Mayor of Amstelveen • Mayor of Athens • Mayor of Gdansk • Mayor of Lahr • Mayor of Mechelen • Mayor of Schwäbisch Gmünd PROFILES OF • Mayor of Amstelveen • Mayor of Athens • Mayor of Cologne • Mayor of Gdansk • Mayor of Grande-Synthe • Mayor of Lahr • Mayor of Lampedusa • Mayor of Lesbos • Mayor of Mechelen • Mayor of Schwäbisch Gmünd WORLD MAYOR 2014 WORLD MAYOR 2012 WORLD MAYOR 2010 WORLD MAYOR 2008 WORLD MAYOR 2006 WORLD MAYOR 2005 WORLD MAYOR 2004 |
Nominations for Danny Kavalier Mayor of Hettstedt (Germany) Nominated by Jan & Ingrid d. M., Germany: In the rural region of Hettstedt it is very difficult to promote and support immigrants. Rural people normally are precarious about foreigners entering their home environments; they are not experienced in intercultural transformation stages. Danny Kavalier has spoken to his local people and has shown them the advantages of immigrants living in peace with people in a little town such as Hettstedt. However, to be successful commonly, he said: it will cost your energy, patience, and requires leading cultural competences from all of you! Contributions: Immigrants now living inside and in the surroundings of Hettstedt, from the beginning on, have taken part on the open discussion on the consequences of immigration into rural areas of Germany. Immigrants want to be employed and thus looking for jobs; kids would like to become integrated into local sporting clubs. This is also of benefit to local clubs and their teams since they earn sportive aficionados and can start into new leagues with more power. Challenges: Danny Kavalier is fighting against an atmosphere of inhumanity keeping an eye on early signals from the environment of the city of Hettstedt. He fights consequently in the public of his city insults and harassing against immigrants and his own people living in poverty. Nominated by Dr Andreas S., Germany: To welcome and integrate immigrants/refugees in rural areas posses particular challenges. Mayor Danny Kavalier took a stance when discussing his prepardness to welcome and integrate refugees in his small city. Furthermore, he courageously tried new ways in order to find appropriate measures to meet concerns of the city's population as well as refugees expectations. Thus he succeeded in integrating numerous refugees socially, attracting others to move from bigger cities to his small city, and is now concentrating on getting new citizens into jobs. The effects are that so far no hostile actions against refugees have been reported, and several dozens of migrants stayed in Hettstedt, while earlier all of them migrated further. Thus his actions fostered positive examples of cooperation among "old" and "new" citizens, which are beneficial to all and inspire other cities, too. Contributions: Immigrants helped to re-vitalize the city's soccer club by actively integrating themselves. They also helped to set up a store trading "halal-food", to write a storybook for a stage play on the situation of refugees, and publically performed this play. Especially the stage play was enthusiastically received by the local population, and immigrants as well. By doing so refugees demonstrated their ability to contribute to the city's social and sportive life. Challenges: In the beginning there was a strong resistance by right-wing movement against refugees. By preparing data on the city's perspectives without further immigration ("what if"), and discussing those data publically, an overwhelmingly positive welcoming culture was fostered. Taking this as a starting-point, researches were initiated to set-up civil society structures that foster social integration. By doing so a foundation was laid to try out new ways in getting refugees into jobs and to so encourage them to stay in Hettstedt. Without the major's support and initiative those steps could not be made successfully. Nominated by Dorothea S., Germany: Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, I was raised in a rural area close to Hettstedt. And I still live in a small village. I know what it means to stand up for refugees and to welcome them. It takes courage, convictions, and the ability to communicate adequately with people, who decided to stay behind in phases of transition. Mayor Danny Kavalier shows all those characteristics and manages not only to overcome the fears of local citizens, but instead to actively involve them when setting up a "welcoming culture" in his city. Contributions: Only because immigrants joined the local soccer club it was possible, to set up an actively playing men's team. It was and still is an enrichment for the region. Also, without those immigrants, local schools would have had to close down as the population is aging and only few children have been born over the past years. Challenges: From what I learned, it was particularly difficult to oppose to hate mail written and distributed by racists via "social media". In the beginning the society’s atmosphere was very hostile. But due to his reactions and stance, the situation was made easier and finally turned. Nominated by Dr Shayne P., outside Germany: At this time of increased xenophobia against immigrants and a false binary between "us" and "them" Mayor Kavalier has truly shown that WE benefit as a collective: economically, socially and culturally our schools, hospitals and even football teams are stronger because of the strength of refugees. that said, it is an ongoing, and proactive process that requires the leadership of a city's government. This is particularly true, but underrepresented, in rural areas, and something I have faced here in Canada when Syrian refugees were scheduled to be resettled in the rural, northern and economically depressed towns of our North. I used the good example of Hettstedt (as well as similar towns in the United States) as positive examples and leverage. And it worked. This is the reason why I am nominating Mayor Dany Kavalier. Nominated by Jakob L. N., Germany Danny Kavalier has shown extraordinary courage by supporting the arrival of refugees in Hettstedt. He has set an example for all politicians in Germany of how to communicate to the public the opportunities of immigration. He has filled the quote "Wir schaffen das" (A. Merkel) with life. |