Tandem partnership between refugees and locals in Berlin

We want to support refugees in becoming part of our society and participating actively. We believe strongly that personal encounters are the first step to partaking socially as well as to finding a job and learning the new language. These encounters enrich the lives of all participants. We believe that the quality of our community depends much on how seriously we take the integration of refugees. This is why we want to take today’s approach one step further: Not only do we want to welcome people in Germany, we want to really make them a part of our society.

Start with a Friend wants to create exciting encounters and experiences everyone can profit from. We therefore meet with every participant personally and bring them together with others according to their interests, professional backgrounds, and needs. Tandems are as diverse as people are themselves – be it questions concerning their everyday life like finding a place to live or a job or just the wish to get to know Germany better. Every participant should find a way to spend two hours per week for the tandem but those are flexible. A tandem partnership can include: Spending free time together and building a social network - Orientation help with papers - Support in finding a language course or an apartment - Looking for job opportunities

It would be great if you had 2 to 3 hours a week for your tasks as a mentor. The specific activities will be arranged individually between you and your tandem partner! Start with a Friend wants to create exciting encounters and experiences everyone can profit from. We therefore meet with every participant personally and bring them together with others according to their interests, professional backgrounds, and needs.