Common Ground is a student initiative at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK Berlin) that supports prospective and current students and artists at risk, while creating spaces for exchange and artistic practice. It originated in the Support Refugees (SURE) project, founded in 2015 by students of Gesellschafts- und Wirtschaftskommunikation (Communication in Social and Economic Context) at UdK Berlin, as a direct response to the war in Syria. The initiative aimed to support people affected by forced migration by providing guidance, building connections, and creating opportunities to engage with students, artists, and cultural organizations.

Over the years, Common Ground has developed into a broader platform for inclusion, participation, and anti-discriminatory practice within the university. Its members provide advice to prospective and current students on applications and study-related concerns in a peer-to-peer format and advocate for their needs. Common Ground also organizes workshops, community events, exhibitions, performances, screenings, and other social art projects that bring together people with diverse experiences of migration. Since 2020, its Common Ground Studio has provided around 100 disadvantaged artists with access to UdK's Institute of Fine Arts, supporting their artistic development and participation in the university community. 20 started study at German art schools. The initiative continues to advocate for equality, tolerance, democratic values, and a university environment free from racism, discrimination, and exclusion, while fostering critical dialogue and creative encounters between university initiatives and institutions, UdK students and diverse communities in Berlin.
 

Documentation Common Ground 2016-2023: in English / Arabic (Translation Michaela Daoud) / Farsi (Forough Absalan) und Ukrainisch (Yevheniia Perutska)

Common Ground Consulting: Consultations & events, such as How to Study and Untranslated Spaces.

Common Ground Studio: One-year participation as a guest student plus for fine arts

General Website: http://commonground.berlin/

E-Mail for Common Groud communication: artisttraining-ziw_ @udk-berlin.de

E-Mail for Comon Ground Studio communication: support_ @commonground.berlin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/commonground.udk/ 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/commonground.berlin/

The Common Ground Consulting project is a programme in cooperation with Artist Training and is funded by Berlin University of the Arts and the Senate of Berlin.
The Common Ground Studio project is a programme offered by the Faculty of Fine Arts at the UdK Berlin.