In a year shaped by war, social transformation, and growing pressure on democratic and inclusive societies, Austausch e.V. focused on what matters most: supporting people, dialogue, and solidarity. We launched new initiatives, deepened international partnerships, and worked closely with civil society actors, educators, activists, and local communities across Europe and beyond. At the core of our work were inclusion and disability rights, historical memory and education, democratic dialogue, and environmental justice.

One of our major project launches in 2025 was It’s Ability!, launched within the INKuLtur programme and financial support by the European Social Innovation+ Initiative. Within the project our team and our partner organisations support the integration and inclusion of caregivers of people with disabilities among Ukrainian refugees in Germany, Poland, and Lithuania. Throughout the year, we conducted a survey among caregivers to better understand their needs, challenges, and access to support systems (the results will be published in early 2026), and designed a series of training programmes and learning formats focused on skills development, peer exchange, and long-term participation in social life.

Our work on history and memory gained new momentum with a project funded by the Remembrance in Dialogue Program by the EVZ Foundation. In partnership with the Ukrainian NGO Insha Osvita, and our Polish partners Fundacja Zapomniane and Urban Memory Foundation, this initiative brought together educators, youth workers, and civil society actors from Germany, Poland, and Ukraine who work in complex and rapidly changing contexts. The project explores how to address difficult pasts – particularly Nazi crimes and their relevance today – in contemporary times of war, political polarisation, and contested narratives. In 2025, we implemented a series of online trainings and organised a study visit to Ivano-Frankivsk, and we are currently developing a practical educational handbook to support inclusive, reflective, and dialogical approaches to remembrance.

At the same time, the work in our long-term projects Lost in Transition? and Transition Dialogue went into their final stage. This year we focused on the social, political, and personal consequences of post-socialist transformations. In 2025, we produced a new series of video interviews with contemporary witnesses of the late 1980s and 1990s, and organised seminars with witnesses and teachers in Kutaisi (Georgia) and Yerevan (Armenia). The projects also included a video competition for school students from Armenia, Georgia, and Ukraine, and concluded with a final seminar in Armenia that brought together teachers, witnesses, and students for joint reflection on the legacies of transition.

Another important strand of our work remained our ongoing and decades long engagement on European security and the role of international civil society advocacy. Within the Civic Solidarity Platform, Austausch e.V. co-organised two international expert seminars in Vienna (February) and Berlin (April) – bringing together diplomats, experts, and civil society representatives to discuss the role of the OSCE, conflict prevention, and the importance of civic participation in European security architecture. These discussions formed part of the Helsinki+50 project, whose results will be presented on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act.

Public events with our numerous partners across European cities were also a key part of the year:

• a fundraising vernissage and exhibition within European Month of Photography (EMOP),
• panel discussions on democracy and resistance in Georgia,
• film screenings and debates on political prisoners in Belarus,
• and participation in German-Polish round tables on European security and Ukraine. 

A significant part of our work in 2023–2025 was the environmental project EkoNet, implemented together with partners from Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan and supported by Brot für die Welt. Together with Drukarnia, EcoAction, EcoClub Rivne, and MoveGreen, we worked on civil society responses to the overlapping crises of war and climate change. In the first half of 2025 alone, the project engaged over 5,300 participants, cooperated with 50+ municipalities and NGOs, and reached more than 200,000 people through media and advocacy activities.

We concluded the year with an exchange visit to Berlin for Ukrainian environmental activists, bringing together practitioners working on environmental protection, recovery, and resilience. The programme created space for learning, professional exchange, and new partnerships, marking a strong closing moment of a year shaped by solidarity and cooperation.

We are deeply grateful to our community, to all those who support us, to our donors and partners, to all project participants, and to everyone who works alongside us to nurture and strengthen civil society in these difficult times. Our more than 33 years of history, our work in over 15 countries, and our cooperation with more than 250 partner organisations – increasingly in crisis contexts – show one thing clearly: we and our partners do not give up. Austausch e.V. continues to work at the pulse of our times.

We are grateful to our donors and partners:

Some of our projects were launched in the second half of the year and will continue in 2026. At the beginning of 2026, we will open a new hub in Dnipro, in eastern Ukraine – as a continuation of our long-standing work through the civil society centre “Drukarnia.” With a new environmental project, we will continue – especially in these challenging times – to support grassroots initiatives in south-eastern and eastern Ukraine. They will help mitigate war-related damage and promote sustainable development in the affected regions. 2026 will be a momentous year for all of us – for you, for Germany, for Ukraine, and for Europe as a whole. Stay with us. Stay part of our community. As a paying member or a donor, your support is urgently needed.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

Austausch Team