Every year, the German Diversity Day is organized on the initiative of the Association "Charta der Vielfalt e. V.". The aim is to call attention to our diverse society and working world and to promote diversity with all kinds of different activities. The TUM has taken part in this event for several years.
9th Diversity Day 2021: This is us! - Students introduce themselves
In 2021, the department for sport and health sciences focusesd on its students and their stories. The students stories and their motivations are still available to read: https://www.sg.tum.de/en/sg/department/diversity/culture-of-diversity-and-inclusion/german-diversity-day/
8th Diversity Day 2020: First Diversity-Talk about "Gender diversity in the German health system and at university"
On May 26th 2020, the eighth Diversity Day was held throughout Germany, which is organised every year by the "Diversity Charter" initiative. This event aims to set an example of diversity and successful cooperation. The Department of Sports and Health Sciences participated this year with a diversity podcast on the topic of Trans* and Inter*. In response to the corona restrictions, the event was organized as an online podcast. The diversity officer, Andrea Göttler, spoke with Ann Kristin Augst from Augsburg University and Severin Böhmer and Paul Oppenrieder of the Diversity & Queer section of the TUM student representation.
To start the conversation, Ms Augst defined trans* and inter* and reported on her research. Her doctoral thesis centres on gender diversity in medicine and the German health care system. Early results suggest that trans* and inter* individuals face barriers on various levels, e.g. during interactions with receptionists, doctors or health insurances. Ann Kristin Augst explained that this could lead to "people who have had bad experiences [...] then simply try to go to the doctor as little as possible”. She drew attention to structural hurdles that can arise, for example, in access to gynaecological care for trans* people. Ann Kristin Augst, therefore, stressed the importance of gender competence - the ability to recognise and reflect on relevant gender aspects and to act towards the goal of gender equality - especially in the health care system.
Talking to Paul Oppenrieder and Severin Böhmer revealed that challenges related to gender diversity are also visible in university life. The Diversity & Queer section of the TUM student representation supports students with any diversity- or queer-issues and draws attention to difficulties related to the university setting. With projects – e.g. gender-neutral toilets – they advocate gender equality inside the university. During the talk, they pointed out the challenges of changing one’s name on student files, which can lead to having to come out repeatedly to teachers.
During the discussion, all participants emphasized that the visibility of gender diversity should be promoted more strongly. Severin Böhmer explained: "We have also noticed that often discriminatory statements are not necessarily meant to be discriminatory, but that there is often a lot of unawareness behind them". Informing people and making gender diversity more visible could thereby result in better and more respectful social interactions. Overall, the podcast gave listeners the opportunity to learn about trans* and inter* people and to get to know the existing barriers at university and in the health care system.
7th German Diversity Day: Workshop "Diversity in studying and teaching"
This year, in celebration of the annual diversity day of the "Diversity Charta", the department organized the event "Diversity in studying and teaching". In collaboration with ProLehre, we offered a workshop for both students and teachers to reflect on the dimensions of diversity in university settings. Participants had the opportunity discuss their perspectives as students or teachers and develop possible solutions to deal with differences.
Through presentations and group work, students, teacher and PhD candidates gathered ideas on the characteristics and relevance of diversity. This was followed by further discussions on the occurrence in university life and the challenges to address the diversity of students in Sport and Health Sciences. Furthermore, tips and methods for designing and implementing diversity-appropriate teaching were developed and discussed. By the end of the event, many ideas were gathered, leading up to a feedback round summarizing current challenges and areas for improvement.
The aim of the event was to reflect on how different aspects of diversity might occur in daily life and how to address them as student or teacher. It was equally important to find practicable solutions to current problems regarding the treatment of diversity, be it in lectures or in every university life.
More information on topics and results of the event as well as further links can be found in the slide report of the workshop.
5th German Diversity Day 2017 at the Department of Sport and Health Sciences
The fifth German Diversity Day took place on May 30th 2017. It is organized each year by the initiative "Charta der Vielfalt" under the leadership of the German government to signal the importance of diversity and strengthen solidarity. With signing the "Charta der Vielfalt", TUM has been engaging in cultivating a business culture that promotes mutual respect and appreciation, as well as creating conditions that encourage all staff members to live these values, for over 10 years.
The Department of Sport and Health Sciences took part in the Diversity Day with a photography event. Students and staff had the possibility to answer the question "diversity is...?" and write it on a speech bubble made out of paper. Subsequently, they were photographed with their personal speech bubble. This event was created to make individual meanings of diversity visible and evoke the importance of living everyday life without prejudice.
