It’s not easy to describe how I feel right now, having the privilege of greeting you in the very first edition of a newspaper dedicated to Berlin’s social and political life.
My family and I arrived in Berlin almost ten years ago, literally knowing no one. It was exciting to feel the city’s vibe, to discover places and people, and step by step get closer to its hidden secrets — decoding how things work. Yet even after years of exploring, and speaking fairly good German, I still felt a kind of glass ceiling. I saw more and more areas in need of change. I met other residents from abroad with fresh ideas and innovations. But we couldn’t figure out how to bring them into the city’s structures. How could we participate? How could we co-create? How could we influence decisions and become active members of society — in our streets, our Kiez, and our city? In short: how to Berlin?
It’s wonderful that Berlin is home to 1.3 million people who came from elsewhere — one third of the population. Our aim is to connect them with the incredible people born here, and to help build an inclusive, active urban community capable of solving challenges together.The most important lesson I’ve learned over the past decade is this: only locally organized communities and engaged citizens can move the city forward. And Berlin is full of them — people like you!
But engagement needs well-curated, accessible, and reliable information. And it’s not always easy to understand how to Berlin. Our mission with WahlheYmatPost is to help fill that gap. To truly fulfill this mission, WahlheYmat looked for strong local partners. We are endlessly grateful to Peter Schink and the Berliner Morgenpost team for their openness and flexibility. It’s a fantastic experience to see that we speak the same language, and share the same positive energy and optimism. Thank you, Berliner Morgenpost!
And thank you, dear readers — supporters of an inclusive Berlin — for your commitment as well! Please share this newspaper, and encourage everyone to subscribe. Very soon, we will also launch a communication campaign, thanks to the amazing ProjectTogether team and the generous support of the Welcome Alliance Fund and the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
We truly believe that WahlheYmatPost will become an important platform for civic engagement. It is a small but significant step toward a new 21st-century society — one in which people born here, those who came from other parts of Germany, and those who arrived from around the world all shape their hometown together, in dialogue, with respect and understanding – in peace.
Ivan Gabor – Project Leader of WahlheYmatPost
