The Intercultural Centers support the participation of people with a history of immigration and are participating in the "Demokratie Leben" (Living Democracy) funding program of the Partnerships for Democracy in Cologne in 2025. With the project "Das erste Mal - Politische Partizipation von Erstwählerinnen für die Integrationsratwahl 2025 stärken" (The first time - strengthening political participation of first-time voters for the 2025 integration council elections), the centers held over 20 events at various locations in the city to inform first-time voters in particular - i.e. young people aged 16 and over without a German passport, with dual citizenship or recent immigrants - about their opportunities for political participation.

Easily understandable and multilingual information about the election and its significance for Cologne was produced for this purpose, which was also displayed in public places after the events.

Result:

People reached in conversations	650 people
Voter turnout IR 2020	15.08 % = 46,000 voters out of 307,597 eligible voters
Voter turnout IR 2025	17.04 % = 56,414 people out of 323,658 eligible voters

The fact that a good 10,000 more eligible voters cast their votes was also achieved thanks to the joint commitment of the Intercultural Centers and the good cooperation with the Cologne Volunteer Agency and the language room of the Cologne Adult Education Center.