Philosophy
Identifying, rewarding, sponsoring and distributing projects
"Never doubt that a small group of engaged people can change the world. Nothing else has ever changed it." - Margaret Mead, American anthropologist
The theme "Civic Engagement" has been at the core of the USable Transatlantic Idea Competition since 1998. The contests since 1998 make it clear: an extraordinary amount of "usable" ideas are borne from the North American citizenry, ideas that also apply in Germany. The "US" in USable stands for this interest in North American initiatives of voluntary engagement. But also in Germany itself, many projects and ideas are initiated that are inspired, sometimes more consciously and sometimes less, by a wide-reaching civic tradition emanating directly from the American realm.
What is special about this tradition? Much more so than in Germany, many American ideas concerning civic engagement arise largely at the local level: people take responsibility for their immediate surroundings and help shape them. This results partly from the lack of state social programs but also leads those affected to participate more in the structuring of their living environment. USable supports people who utilize this opportunity for participation in pragmatic and creative ways in order to shape social coexistence, people who develop practical answers to the question "In what sort of world do we want to live?".
The competition aims to create a forum for people who tackle problems and strive for a better coexistence in our society. This voluntary engagement requires that all participants share in a dialog on equal footing. The Transatlantic Idea Competition would like to act as a platform for such discussion and serve as an incubator for new ideas and lasting dialog.
USable strives to:
- Strengthen, acknowledge and network engaged citizens.
- Identify and illuminate model initiatives for voluntary engagement, thus providing sustained contribution to the compensation for society's shortcomings.
- Support and provide cooperative accompaniment for the prizewinners in the implementation and professional realization of their concepts in Germany.
- Encourage dialog between North America and Germany concerning civil society and promote the transfer of ideas.
