We engaged in a wonderful discussion with Alexander S. Wolf Foundation AusserGewöhnlich Berlin and our amazing twenty-five guests, Berliners originally coming from four continents at Wahlheymat Talks #2 on 8.11.2023 in Weltwirtschaft restaurant at Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW). Our main Takeaways:
MEANING OF WORDS – “Integration is bullshit” – the term integration implies that the newcomer in Berlin society should learn to be like the natives. It is misleading. Newcomers should bring to the table their culture and diverse voice, enriching how we live, work, and see the world in this city. We are in a transformation process, where everyone has a role. Diverse voices tell the complete truth.
LANGUAGE – How to understand each other without a common language? German is the language of Berlin, but it takes time for foreigners to be able to use it. We have to learn to be tolerant in the long process of learning German. Tolerance means translating, using third languages, like English. Judging, prejudice make things worse. Encouraging, learning at the workplace helps. In the end, newcomers will be the best advocates of the German language.
DEUTSCH – Who is Deutsch? There are very different ‘Germanen,’ people speaking the same language with characteristic differences. They are diverse themselves, coming from different traditions, being proud of their origin. Diversity has always been a part of life during German history.
ALTERNATIVE STRUCTURES – Today’s public-political life in Berlin is a very complex system that is incredibly hard to change. The easiest way to go is by creating alternative smaller independent systems. They can replace the existing ones. Challenging the status quo seems to be the best chance to improve the system.
LONELINESS – Feeling lonely seems to be a common pattern in Berlin. Citizens, entrepreneurs, even politicians feel left alone; there is a jungle of committees (Beirate), civic organizations, all with the best intention, creating a situation that is very hard to oversee. Listening – understanding – co-creating, this is the magic cycle; let’s turn it into everyday practice.
Thanks for the Fotos, Kidus Assefa , Fanni Gabor.
WahlheYmatPost — Understand How To Berlin
Weekly guide for Berlin’s international community
Quick stories, local events, and ways to take part, right in your inbox — made with Berliner Morgenpost.
Your data matters to us — see our privacy policy.
This is a cooperation with Berliner Morgenpost. You can subscribe to their newsletters here.
Top 5 Takeaways from Wahlheymat Talks
More From WahlheYmatPost
-
Strangers by the Spree: Inside Berlin’s Outdoor Latin Dance Community
Feierabend! A busy weekday is coming to an end, and Hauptbahnhof is becoming crowded with tired Berliners: businessmen with briefcases heading home after a long day at work, groups of schoolgirls huddled up on benches apathetically scrolling on TikTok, and exhausted travelers searching for the S-Bahn that will finally take them to their accommodation. The…
-
Berlin Wiki: Election Day – From Casting Your Vote to the Results
What Happens on Election Day? Election day is when eligible voters in a democracy are called on to cast their ballots. Voting and Counting the Votes In Germany, elections must be held on a Sunday or a public holiday. Polling stations are generally open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. They are often located in…
-
StimmlosTrend 2026: 96 Percent Would Vote If They Could
Around one million people living in Berlin do not hold a German passport, 851,000 of whom are adults. They cannot vote in elections to the Berlin House of Representatives – and their political views are therefore largely absent from traditional election polling. WahlheYmat created StimmlosTrend 2026 to make these perspectives visible. Inspired by the BerlinTrend…
-
Berlin Wiki: How Do You Decide Who to Vote For?
How Do You Decide Which Party to Vote For? Many people find it difficult to decide which party to vote for. But instead of not voting at all, it is important to inform yourself thoroughly. Democracy is based on people making decisions together based on their own convictions. To do so, voters need to be…
-
Who Will Lead Germany Into Its International Future?
What does the story of Charles De Gaulle teach us? Antonin Baudry’s La Bataille de Gaulle tells, in five hours, the story of the General during the Second World War. A great movie. I learned a lot. Tenacity. De Gaulle arrives alone in London. On 18 June 1940, he makes his first BBC speech, speaking…
-
Berlin Wiki: What Are the Key Issues in Berlin’s Election?
Why Is Rent Policy a Central Issue in Berlin’s Election Campaign? Around 85 percent of Berliners live in rented accommodation. At the same time, the housing market in the capital is tight: rents are rising, new housing construction remains sluggish, and legal loopholes frequently allow furnished apartments to be offered at inflated prices. This is…
-
A Mayor Tandem for Berlin
What if Berlin had two Regierende Bürgermeister:innen? One representing the city’s elected voice — and another representing the voice of Berlin’s international residents who live, work and contribute here but do not have German citizenship and therefore cannot vote in Berlin elections. Because in a democratic society, it can’t be right that 25% of the…
-
No German Passport? You May Still Have a Vote in Berlin
If you are an EU citizen living in Berlin but do not have German citizenship, you cannot vote in the election for Berlin’s House of Representatives (Abgeordnetenhaus). But you can vote for your local District Assembly (Bezirksverordnetenversammlung, or BVV) if you meet the eligibility requirements. Around 240,000 non-German EU citizens are eligible to take part…
-
StimmlosTrend: A New Survey Wants to Hear Berlin’s Missing Voices
Can’t vote in Berlin? There are a million people like you. We’re giving them a voice. That’s the message of WahlheYmat’s new StimmlosTrend campaign, which launches today. Modern democracy is built on elections. In Berlin, the House of Representatives is elected every five years by eligible German citizens (EU citizens can only vote in district…
-
“Berlin taught me to dislike the word integration”
WHP: You worked in humanitarian aid around the world for many years. What ultimately motivated you to found Just-Go-For-It? Marilena Chatziantoniou: I started working in the field of humanitarian aid in 1998. My first assignment was in Albania, where I worked for a small German NGO, just months before the Kosovo crisis. I remember falling…
-
What is Germany’s greatest asset?
“Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and, in the end, the Germans always win,” said Gary Lineker after England lost the 1990 World Cup semi-final on penalties against Germany. Times are changing. Germany no longer always wins at major football tournaments. And England now has a German coach.…
-
Migrants With Degrees Are Not What Germany Is Looking For
Education is a right, not a privilege. This idea has been a founding principle of modern democracies. In practice, however, access to education is far from guaranteed for everyone. As of this year, Germany has significantly restricted access to state-funded intermediate and advanced German courses for migrants participating voluntarily. Many rejected asylum seekers, people with…
-
Two birthdays, one dream for Berlin
WahlheYmat was launched as an initiative on 15 September 2023, with Democracy Day providing the occasion. So this week, we turn three years old. Some international Berliners, including our co-founders, asked the question: If Berlin has become diverse and international, wouldn’t it be better to govern the city together? We had almost a hundred conversations…
-
Berlin Wiki: Equal Access to Democracy
What Impact Does Berlin’s Electoral Reform Have? In September 2023, Berlin’s House of Representatives (AGH) adopted an amendment to the state constitution lowering the voting age from 18 to 16. The aim of the constitutional amendment is to strengthen the democratic participation of young people. The new rule will apply for the first time in…
-
Berlin Wiki: Ways to Influence Politics in Berlin
What is a Volksentscheid? A Volksentscheid, or referendum, allows Berliners to vote directly on proposed legislation and political issues outside regular elections, or to trigger an early election. Anyone who is eligible to vote in elections to the Berlin House of Representatives (Abgeordnetenhaus) is also eligible to take part in a Volksentscheid. A Volksentscheid can…
-
Berlin Wiki: How Berlin’s Government Is Formed
How Is the Government Formed? Berlin’s state government is the Senate. It consists of the Governing Mayor and ten senators. Every five years, a new Senate is formed. During coalition negotiations, the parliamentary groups agree on common political goals, the distribution of government portfolios and the budget. Afterwards, the members of the Berlin House of…
-
Berlin Wiki: Democracy and the Principles of Free Elections
What Does Democracy Mean? A great deal could be written about what democracy is. Put simply, in a democracy, all state authority is derived from the people. This means that the citizens of a country determine its political direction. Germany is a parliamentary and representative democracy: citizens elect representatives who make decisions on their behalf.…
-
Berlin Wiki: Who Influences Political Decisions?
What Is Lobbying? Lobbying is the organised effort by interest groups to influence political decisions. The term is derived from the word “lobby,” referring to the entrance halls of parliaments where representatives of various interests traditionally met with members of parliament to discuss and promote their concerns. Lobbying takes place in almost every area of…
-
The Signature That Didn’t Count – Finding My Voice in Berlin
When I moved to Berlin in the spring of 2022, I was approached one sunny afternoon by people carrying clipboards under their arms. Would I like to sign a petition? I was pleasantly surprised by this request – such a sense of community in Berlin, what a place to have come to live. With a…
WahlheYmatPost — Understand How To Berlin
Weekly guide for Berlin’s international community
Quick stories, local events, and ways to take part, right in your inbox — made with Berliner Morgenpost.
Your data matters to us — see our privacy policy.
This is a cooperation with Berliner Morgenpost. You can subscribe to their newsletters here.