Creating Spaces for Dialogue

Building connections and trust within migrant communities in Berlin 📍 Berlin 🗓 August – December 2025

About the project

Berlin has become a new home for many people from Eastern Europe and Central Asia who were forced to leave their countries due to war, repression, and discrimination.

For LGBTQ+ individuals, migration often comes with additional challenges — isolation, fear of being outed, and limited trust in institutions.

This project creates safe spaces where people can meet, speak openly, and better understand one another. It brings together dialogue, cultural experiences, and practical knowledge about navigating life in Germany.

Why this matters

Many participants face:

  • fear of reaching out to official institutions
  • lack of information about their rights
  • social isolation
  • experiences of discrimination and pressure

This project addresses these challenges by building trust and creating spaces for open dialogue.

What we do

The project combines several formats:

  • Roundtables: Facilitated conversations about migration, identity, and exclusion
  • Museum visits: Engaging with history, memory, and violence through art
  • Reading sessions: Discussing texts on trauma, exile, and resistance
  • Talks & workshops: Practical guidance on rights and available support
  • Meetings with institutions: Direct exchange with police, social services, and NGOs

Events

As part of the project, we organized a series of events, including:

  • Everyday Life in East Germany (Museum in der Kulturbrauerei)
  • The Berlin Wall: Stories, Lives, and Memory
  • Turning Points in History: How Germany Could Have Been Different
  • Legitimacy in Germany: Why Is Everything So Complicated?
  • Guided tour at the Jewish Museum Berlin
  • Reading session on Habermas
  • Lecture on federalism in Germany

📘 Materials

Practical Guide: Queere Migrant:innen in Berlin: Navigator to Key Public Institutions

As part of the project, we developed a comprehensive guide to help navigate Berlin’s support system.

It includes reliable information about key institutions — from registration offices and immigration authorities to police and anti-discrimination services — as well as practical advice for real-life situations.

📥 Download the guide (PDF in German)

The guide is freely available for use and distribution within the community.