She was one of around 2,000 volunteers from across Germany whom Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Büdenbender, had personally invited to a reception to honour their commitment to society. “Thank you for what you do for our society and for our country!” said the Federal President. He emphasised the importance of voluntary work – whether in environmental protection and nature conservation, education, sport, local politics, inclusion, digitalisation, social and cultural projects, and much more – for social cohesion and democracy.
Prof. Bernier is particularly active in the field of inclusion, including as a representative of Selbsthilfe Mecklenburg-Vorpommern e. V. on the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Inclusion Promotion Council, within the Federal Association of Lebenshilfe, and on the Advisory Board for People with Disabilities in the district of North-West Mecklenburg. For her, voluntary work is not merely an opportunity to take on social responsibility. It also opens up avenues for dialogue with experts on matters close to her heart, offers different perspectives and provides direct engagement with current issues, which she can in turn incorporate into her work at the university – both in her teaching as an honorary professor in the Faculty of Design and in her role as Disability Officer. “I am delighted to accept this invitation on behalf of the many colleagues at our university who volunteer their free time to support people in the region,” said Prof. Bernier.