Qualitative research project by students of the Master's degree program in Social Work in collaboration with the “pics4peace” project

More togetherness through dialog: As part of the qualitative research project, students on the Master's degree course in Social Work at the Würzburg-Schweinfurt University of Applied Sciences (THWS) will be working together with the non-profit peace and democracy project pics4peace e.V.

To this end, a kick-off event was held in the qualitative research module under the direction of Prof. Dr. Dieter Kulke from the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences at THWS. Dr. Pia Beckmann, former mayor of Würzburg and founder of “pics4peace”, was also present. In addition to the presentation of pics4peace and the interview project “1,000 Experiences”, the focus was on the planning of qualitative interviews with Würzburg citizens, which the students will plan, conduct and evaluate during the summer semester 2025 and winter semester 2025/26.

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“Listen carefully. Understand. Give people a voice! Take up what they have to say. Seek dialog where they are. Involve them!” - This credo best describes the motivation behind the pics4peace e. V. initiative. The project was founded in 2017 and sees itself as a bridge between the people of Würzburg and areas such as society and politics. The kick-off event was the first step in the students' qualitative research project to bring the concerns of the people of Würzburg in all their variety and diversity to the attention of decision-makers in society and politics.

Prof. Dr. Kulke provided the impetus for the students to enter into an active dialog with Dr. Pia Beckmann with regard to a heterogeneous society. It quickly became clear that it was not about agreeing with one another. “Understanding and being understood, feeling heard - that is the key to more togetherness” was the general conclusion. “The concept of the third place - a place to stay in addition to home and work - is becoming increasingly important for society. Past surveys of Würzburg citizens have shown this.” Dr. Pia Beckmann adds: “In terms of social encounters, it is interesting to note that more and more people want consumer-free spaces to meet up.”

The Würzburg public library is one such place. The students will conduct many of the planned qualitative interviews there.

Students conduct qualitative interviews
In the summer semester 2025 and winter semester 2025/26, students on the Master's degree course in Social Work will conduct interviews with citizens of Würzburg. In addition to already formulated questions from the pics4peace project #endlichankommen, which has been running since October 2024 and was initiated by Dr. Pia Beckmann, the students will formulate their own scientific questions and evaluate the interviews themselves. As a result, the project will develop recommendations for action based on the interviews already conducted and those still to be conducted by the students.

In the qualitative interviews, everyone will be asked the same questions to ensure better comparability. A certain focus will be placed on the target groups of social work, people with disabilities and mental illnesses as well as people who have experienced homelessness. The aim is to increase the visibility of these groups in urban society.

“For me, the special thing about our work in collaboration with pics4peace is that we work in a practical way and address contemporary, important issues,” concluded one student. Prof. Dr. Kulke added that these characteristics are a valuable learning experience, especially with regard to the prospective Master's in Social Work, in order to offer the people of Würzburg a platform for new dialogues. “But urban society and politics also benefit,” added Dr. Pia Beckmann, ”because at the end of the project, the students will not only present their research findings, but also make personal recommendations for action. Thank you for that!”