Grenzenlos inklusiv

The ‘Genzenlos inklusiv’ (borderless and inclusive) project develops cross-border activities for the inclusion of people with disabilities, using gastronomy as a model. In addition to the goal of improving cooperation between European countries, the project aims to fulfil the binding requirements of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for equal participation of people with disabilities in social and working life. This is done in four fields of activity:
1. developing cross-border, inclusive learning and meeting cafés and innovations in the field of gastronomy
2. cross-border exchange of experience and further training of skilled workers
3. cross-border professional support for people with disabilities
4. Innovation
The partners are the two established educational institutions EduNova (Winterswijk) and Akademie Klausenhof (Hamminkeln/Bocholt), the two lunch cafés Bijzonder Gewoon (Winterswijk) and Café Europa (Bocholt) and the Saxion University of Applied Sciences (Enschede).
The first area of work involves the exemplary planning and implementation of a German-Dutch inclusive learning and meeting café (‘Lunchcafé Europa’) in the centre of Bocholt, based on the model of the partner Bijzonder Gewoon, Winterswijk. The plan is to establish or continue corresponding joint structures, implement a gastronomic training programme for people with disabilities, and develop and implement climate-friendly concepts.  The Lunchcafé Europa consists of a gastronomic establishment and a place of learning and encounter. The (further) development of these locations into model, cross-border and inclusive educational and meeting spaces will be supported by the Saxion University of Applied Sciences through the implementation of innovation (especially in the areas of inclusion, communication/digital technologies including AI and sustainability).
A network of professionals in the field of gastronomy and inclusion is being established to intensify cross-border cooperation. Regular networking meetings and a transfer programme are used for this purpose. In addition, there is intensive public relations, consulting and political lobbying. The experiences gained in the project will be used to create material (information, examples, checklists) to advise other (gastronomic) institutions in the field of inclusion.
In addition to structural development, the central activity of the project is the development and implementation of a German-Dutch, inclusive educational programme. Topics include promoting the employment of people with disabilities in the primary labour market (career orientation/assessments, training, internships, company visits, induction).
This innovative project, which has emerged from a European project (Erasmus+) to promote inclusion, implements the idea of participation and inclusion in cross-border cooperation for the first time. People with disabilities experience cross-border cooperation and integration into the primary labour market, professionals from Germany and the Netherlands work together and form a network, inclusion is made known to the public and stakeholders in regional and cross-border politics as an important social issue.