We—Mara Brinkmann, Annette Kerber-Assigno, Christiane Mooren, Julia Nass, Jonas Niemann, and Jonathan Seim—together make up the Civic Engagement Office: Engagement, Dialogue & Participation. We develop, coordinate, and support processes for political citizen participation. We also serve as the city’s coordination office for all Wuppertal residents who volunteer outside of political activities and want to make the city a more livable and lovable place with their great ideas. Together, we work to ensure that all Wuppertal residents are well-informed and have a say in shaping and deciding on municipal projects. To this end, we support the administration in planning and implementing participation and engagement processes and carry out our own projects. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us.
Mara has been part of the staff unit since February 2025. As a freelance process facilitator and BM®-certified mediator, she previously designed citizen dialogues and participatory processes for various municipalities and facilitated processes within political bodies and civil society organizations.
She is driven in her work by the goal of strengthening social cohesion in our society. That is why it is particularly important to Mara to create forums for exchange where diverse interests are heard, differing opinions are given space, and understanding and trust can develop. As a facilitator for citizen participation, she aims to encourage as many residents of Wuppertal as possible to engage in dialogue with one another, thereby broadening their own perspectives and seeing things from a different angle.
Annette joined the staff office team in July 2026. Her goal is to provide the best possible support to people in their volunteer efforts and to improve structures that facilitate civic engagement in Wuppertal on a long-term basis.
With her legal background (first state examination) and her many years of experience with the City of Wuppertal since 2001—most recently in Central Grant Management—she brings valuable expertise to the role. In the administrative office, she is currently, for example, developing a grant overview for clubs and initiatives, managing the Volunteer Card, and actively recruiting sponsors for it. Together with the team, she serves as the point of contact for all questions related to volunteer work.
For her, volunteerism and civic engagement thrive on participation, listening, and mutual trust. She looks forward to contributing her experience, fostering engagement, and actively helping to shape our city together with the residents of Wuppertal.
Christiane Mooren has been working in the administrative office since October 2021. Prior to that, she spent over 20 years in various roles within the Wuppertal city administration, primarily in the Department of Children, Youth, and Families. With her move to the executive team of the Wuppertal Volunteer Agency, the Center for Good Deeds, she has settled into a new area of responsibility. She is particularly impressed by the diversity and creativity of civic engagement in Wuppertal. She takes great pleasure in interacting with people who want to get involved and bring fresh ideas to their city.
Christiane Mooren is not only an advisor in the administrative office but also the executive director of the Center for Good Deeds, Wuppertal’s independent volunteer agency. The combination of these two roles proves particularly valuable in providing competent and practical answers to questions, concerns, and requests related to volunteer work.
She is committed to working together with the city’s residents to make Wuppertal’s community an even more livable and endearing place.
Julia has been part of the staff office since July 2019. Her goal is to provide the best possible support to people in their volunteer work and to improve the structures that facilitate volunteerism in Wuppertal.
Drawing on her background in the social sciences, she examines the conditions that enable civic engagement in the city and works to further develop them. She particularly enjoys interacting with volunteers who are passionately helping to shape Wuppertal. She works to ensure that the city administration is perceived not as an obstacle, but as a reliable partner.
Volunteering can take many forms—whether through initiatives, organizations, or in entirely individual ways. Julia is committed to ensuring that everyone who wants to get involved finds a supportive environment and receives the best possible support for their efforts.
Jonas has been a member of the staff office since July 2026. Before joining the city of Wuppertal, he worked as a participation manager for the Nettetal municipal administration, where—as the first person to hold that position—he implemented participation structures, launched new formats, and advised and supported the various departments in their implementation efforts.
He brings this experience to his role as a specialist in citizen participation for the City of Wuppertal. As a political scientist, he views dialogue and participation processes as a key component of political engagement and an essential element in promoting democracy.
He places particular importance on low-threshold and outreach-based formats to reach as many people as possible and break down barriers.
Jonathan has been a member of the staff office since January 2024. In the past, he conducted research at the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) on how citizen participation can contribute to the success of democracy. He also gained experience in implementing online participation processes at the Düsseldorf Institute for Internet and Democracy (DIID).
Jonathan is now in charge of our research project“KoodiKo”(“Cooperative Digital Community through Innovative Communication and Interaction Strategies”). This project is dedicated to developing new technologies and formats for our participatory initiatives. Through KoodiKo and his other projects within the team, he is committed to fostering participation that finds ways to include everyone and effectively contribute to strengthening democracy.