Based on the neighbourhood explorations and one-to-one interviews, reinforced by some initial outreach work such as articles in the local magazine or posters in local shops, posts on social media, the next step is to form a committed group of StoP community activists and future leaders of the cause. It is advisable not to look for those who are most burdened, but to start with people who have some resources, such as time, communicative and organisational skills, and above all their own motivation and interest, be it for ethical, political or biographical reasons. This group of active residents is the heart of the StoP network: the organised and trained StoP community powerbase as part of the wider StoP community network. If the idea of participation and support for collective action is to be taken seriously, this group needs to be formed as early as possible. In this way, further activities in the neighbourhood can be developed and implemented by people from the community itself. This is true especially for the broad door-knocking survey that should be conducted collectively with organisers and members of the StoP groups (see Step 2).

A StoP group is more of an action group than a self-help group. However, personal commitment and biographical fit are often reasons for volunteering. Given this, and the strongly gendered issues of power, violation and responsibility inherent in the topic, it is advisable to create spaces that offer a trustworthy framework for people with similar gender positions. Experience has shown that this makes it easier to talk openly about one's own history and interests. People who have experienced patriarchal or male violence are in a different situation to people who have been socialised and positioned as men. In any case, the aim should be to also find male activists – men are enormously important role models and allies. 

It is recommended to start with a group of women (self-identifying as women). Apart from the fact that women are predominantly more affected, the goal of “empowerment” in terms of social justice and gender equality argues in favour of focusing on women’s safety. It also facilitates access for women from populations where conservative gender concepts prevail or where gender segregation plays a role in everyday life. In ethnically diverse neighbourhoods, the task of intercultural openness and competence of such groups, as well as of professional organisers, is crucial. The role of the organiser is to accompany and support the group's work, to provide their own professional skills, to act as a facilitator and to work towards raising awareness and empowerment. Proven concepts from group and educational work can be used (Freire 1970, 1998; Ledwith/Springett 2022). The methods used should be aimed at critically questioning existing power relations, and at finding ways out of submission to power and towards more self-determination and agency. Group work provides a safe environment in which to explore one's own experiences. Sharing with others leads to spontaneous consciousness-raising processes and insights. Group work in the StoP programme follows the tradition of 'consciousness-raising' in the women's movement and uses, among other things, the method of autobiography writing (Hunter 2013; Shew/Garchar 2020). Paolo Freire's concept continues to offer valuable suggestions for emancipatory educational work. 

Part 1
The first, more every day and experiential part in which all participants report on their own observations in the neighbourhood and personal experiences and thoughts about gender, be it the distribution of housework, struggles with one's own appearance, positive changes in intimate relationships or also incidents of violence. The main task of the professional project coordinator/community worker is to create an atmosphere of trust in the discussion and, by leading the discussion, to raise awareness of the differences and similarities in individual experiences and to enrich or irritate subjective patterns of interpretation with professional insights. The setting shouldn’t be formal, it could be at a private home or at a community venue, “bread and roses”, aka flowers, food, soft drinks, coffee are a good idea. 

Part 2
The second part of the meeting was about gaining more knowledge about domestic violence, its forms and dynamics, as well as background information such as gender hierarchies or how to raise awareness in the neighbourhood. Role plays on topics such as: How do I convince the manager of the shopping centre to put up our posters? How do I talk to a neighbour who I think is experiencing violence? What do I say if someone thinks violence is a private matter? Should I intervene directly in a violent situation? The process of door-knocking, which is carried out together with the organisers and is an indispensable basis for broad-based organising and transformative awareness-raising processes, is also practised.

Part 3
The third part is about action planning – what could we do in concrete terms, what do we need, who does what and when? Make sure you have large sheets of paper, pens and crayons. 


Sometimes the focus will be on the first part, sometimes on the second or third. 

It is best if the organiser does not facilitate the group alone, but either with a person who is part of the StoP network, and/or also works to increase the skills and sense of ownership of the group members so that they can take on facilitation tasks, acting as co-facilitators, and at some point the organiser becomes a co-facilitator and the active neighbour becomes the main facilitator. 

Three parallel women's groups were initially set up in Steilshoop. The women were mobilised by the previous one-on-one meetings( Step 2) because of the personal approach and relationship with our dialogue partners, or they were dialogue partners themselves. We realised that simply putting up flyers and handing out invitations did not achieve much.

After discussion in the group, the meetings were called “kitchen tables”. This was to emphasise the informal, accessible nature of the meetings. In fact, there was always a set table, everyone brought something to share and this alone made the meeting a communal affair. We took time to get to know each other and each other's stories. In particular, working on one's own biography, as well as with images and symbolisation, facilitated awareness and learning. The open and inviting atmosphere led to situations in which a neighbour spontaneously said, in a kind of disbelieving astonishment: “My friend, whom I have known for 16 years, was almost stabbed to death by her husband last year. I never spoke to her about it, we never talked about it.”

Between five and eight women attended each meeting, but there were many more in total (around 50 in the first year). Some came just once, but some women have been active since we started in 2010. In addition to ethnic German women, there were also residents with Persian, Turkish and Ghanaian immigrant backgrounds among the committed long-term StoP activists. Quite a few had lived in the neighbourhood for a very long time (over 30 years).