Equality of Opportunity

With numerous projects in very different areas, matrix contributes to improving the chances of people, companies and organizations to act independently. In these projects, we work very specifically on framework conditions and concrete improvements. In doing so, we focus on the following main topics: equal opportunities in health, educational equity, sustainability, inclusion and social participation. Here we have special technical, content and methodological expertise.

Health equity

Equal opportunities for people in Germany are largely determined by their health situation. And this, in turn, is subject to very different social and socio-economic factors, including very significant differences in mortality. This is where long-term municipal health promotion comes into play.

In order to improve equal health opportunities in society, experts at all levels are calling for an interdepartmental health policy in the sense of the "Health in All Policies (HiAP)" approach. This approach, which spans all fields of action, and a focus on as well as involvement of vulnerable groups are considered to be the key to more equal opportunities in health. The matrix team consists of nationally recognized specialists who support municipalities and other state, non-profit and private actors in the implementation of these maxims.

We have added the voices and needs of citizens to the participation report of the city of Erlangen. In focus group interviews, we talked to single parents, people with disabilities, caring relatives and people looking for accommodation on the topics of “living” and “care”.

Inclusion
social participation

In many areas of social and economic life, inclusion is reduced to the target group of people with disabilities. This is not only far too short-sighted, but also marginalizing in itself. matrix wants to fundamentally counteract this by supporting planning, promoting and shaping actors in sustainably improving social participation.

For a number of years, matrix has been supporting Aktion Mensch in its nationwide model initiative for communal inclusion. Our tasks range from the strategic and technical cooperation with the project management to the close process support of the actors of the model municipalities to the transfer of experiences and methods to other municipalities in Germany.

With the HelpCamps project, we have also worked on very fundamental – but this time technical – barriers to inclusion.

In the Wartburg district, we have been supporting the creation of an action plan for people with disabilities in accordance with the Thuringian Inclusion Act (ThürGIG) since November 2022.

educational opportunities

Educational opportunities in Germany are still very unequally distributed in international comparison. That is well known. matrix is ​​working on various projects to improve these opportunities for very different groups. The two major initiatives zdi.NRW and MINTvernetzt are primarily aimed at the early childhood and school phases of the education chain.

The projects Next Career and Dialogue for teacher training deal with the topic of doubts about studying and dropping out of studies. A special feature of these projects is that we always open up and systematically integrate as large a part of the relevant communities as possible. This is done, among other things, through dialogue and community platforms.

Diversity

Increasing opportunities through and for more diversity plays a major role in many of the matrix team's projects. A particular focus is the topic of promoting women and girls. We are committed to non-discriminatory access for girls and young women to education, training, study and professional careers.

The perception, appreciation and utilization of the achievements of female scientists is also of particular concern to us. Two of our current project examples are the Fabricademy and shemakes.eu, in which we, together with our partners, focus on young women in the international and national maker scene.