Active citizenship, access to education, a solidarity-based community, independent media and the participation of all social groups in political decision-making processes are basic requirements of every democratic society. The Deutsch-Russischer Austausch (German Russian Exchange, DRA) contributes to the protection and promotion of these values with a wide range of different activities.
The DRA is a non-governmental, non-profit organization, founded in Berlin in 1992 with the subjective to support democratic development in Russia. Today it takes an active role particularly in the Russian Federation, Germany, Ukraine and Belarus.
Together with its partner organization DRA in Saint-Petersburg, as well as numerous international partners, the DRA implements projects to strengthen civil society and on issues as ecology, media, education, human rights, ethnic reconciliation and multicultural integration. With exchange programs e. g. for young volunteers, journalists, social workers and students, the DRA contributes to a dialogue across Europe. The DRA is one of the initiators of the EU-Russia Civil Society Forum.