Community and participation
Cultural associations
Percentage of people from abroad (2021)
Associations and getting involved
The majority of people living in Jena are actively involved as volunteers in one of the many sports, cultural or other associations in the city. Being involved in the community helps create a common identity among the city’s population. Open engagement with the local area means you can contribute to things that matter to you. In this way, newcomers can form connections and feel welcome and at home in Jena.
- Jena Bürgerstiftung (community foundation) and its platform for volunteers
- Sparkassenstiftung Jena-Saale-Holzland (foundation of the bank Sparkasse)
- Overview of cultural associations in Jena
- Overview of sports clubs and associations in Jena
- Jena community politics: Results of the city council elections
- Jena community politics: Overview of the city council
Religion and places of worship
Jena is a tolerant open-minded city. There are different churches and communities, from Protestant and Catholic churches to a Buddhist congregation.
Participation and migrant groups
In Jena, more than 18,000 people have a migrant background. This is around 17% of the population. There are numerous international and intercultural groups in the city which welcome new and active members. The city of Jena supports equal rights to participation in city life for every citizen. To this end, many different measures have been undertaken. An integration initiative to ensure their participation in social processes has been in existence since 2008 and is developed on a continuous basis. The aim is to ensure that the needs of the growing number of residents in Jena with a migration background are taken into account.
The Jena Integration Advisory Council acts to represent the political interests of migrants. This panel advises the city authorities in all matters pertaining to migrants and integration issues.
There are many sources of advice and information available.
- Overview of migrant organisations in Jena
- Migrant and integration advisory council in Jena
- Overview of international cultural associations in Jena. ‘International Contacts’ category
- Migranetz
- DaMOst (representation of migrant organizations in the new eastern states of Germany)
- Jena Inklusiv
- QuerWege e. V.
- Women Center TOWANDA
- Weltraum – intercultural meeting point
- Thüringer Beauftragte für die Gleichstellung von Frau und Mann [Gender Equality Representative]
- Thüringer Landesbeauftragte für Menschen mit Behinderung [Regional Representative for People with Disabilities]
- Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration
- Bundeszuwanderungs-und Integrationsrat [Federal Board for Immigration and Integration]
- Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Immigrantenverbände [Federation of Immigrants’ Associations]
- Allgemeine Gleichstellungsgesetzt (General Equal Opportunities Act)
- Anti-discrimination office of the city of Jena
- Antidiskriminierungsverband Deutschland e. V. (Advd) (German anti-discrimination association)
- Consultation for victims of right-wing, racist and anti-Semitic violence (ezra)
- Thuringia anti-discrimination network ‘thadine’
- Thüringer Landesantidiskriminierungsstelle (LADS) (Thuringia State Office for Equal Treatment and against Discrimination)
- WEISSER RING Gemeinnütziger Verein zur Unterstützung von Kriminalitätsopfern und zur Verhütung von Straftaten e. V. (association offering support to victims of crime and for the prevention of crime)