Share your Berlin stories with Berlin tourists and become a Berlin Greeter!
Berlin Greeter
Berlin, Berlin
Advanced German skills
Regularly
Discussed individually
- Education & Language Support
- Sports & Leisure Activities
About the volunteering opportunity
Berliners show Berlin tourists their very personal Berlin. With their own stories, favorite places, and neighborhoods. Our Greeters are very special Berlin ambassadors. Because let's be honest: what do you remember most after a city trip? Not the dates or dry facts. It's the encounters with people. So it's no wonder that our motto is: "Come as a guest - leave as a friend".
The idea was launched in 1992 by American Lynn Brooks and her Big Apple Greeters in New York City. Since then, numerous destinations around the world have been added, organized as independent groups within the International Greeter Association. After we were the first Greeter project to be launched in Germany in 2010, there are now also Greeter organizations in many cities in Germany.
The idea was launched in 1992 by American Lynn Brooks and her Big Apple Greeters in New York City. Since then, numerous destinations around the world have been added, organized as independent groups within the International Greeter Association. After we were the first Greeter project to be launched in Germany in 2010, there are now also Greeter organizations in many cities in Germany.
Your Tasks
We would be delighted if you would like to show visitors your favorite places and your very personal view of Berlin during a 2-4 hour walk (greet). It's not about recounting the dates of buildings or name dropping, but about telling the stories that you associate with your neighborhood and your Berlin. Exactly the stories that your family will find boring after hearing them 10 times, but that are exciting for a guest when they hear them for the first time.
As a greeter, you meet your guests at eye level and take an interest in their interests. This is the only way to turn strangers into friends. Please note: A greet is not a city tour! You cannot "book" a greet! Your greet is as unique as you are! Because: you are the attraction!
As a greeter, you meet your guests at eye level and take an interest in their interests. This is the only way to turn strangers into friends. Please note: A greet is not a city tour! You cannot "book" a greet! Your greet is as unique as you are! Because: you are the attraction!
What's needed
For this volunteering opportunity, advanced German skills are required.
You are a Berlin Greeter if:
- you love Berlin,
- you want to share your enthusiasm for the city,
- you want to meet new people,
- you want to use your foreign languages but often lack the opportunities to do so (not a must) and
- you would like to be active as a volunteer.
Time required
Regularly
Discussed individually
Our Berlin visitors send their request for a greet (with their preferred date for a greet and other details) via our website. Our greeters can then log into our matching system, where we collect all requests from visitors, and "apply" for the requests that sound particularly exciting to them. It doesn't matter whether they want to make a greet every week or only once a month. As long as your calendar allows it, it's just right.
Important notice
The best way to summarize this is with our core values, which apply to all Greeter programs worldwide:
- Greeters are volunteers who offer a friendly welcome to all their visitors.
- Greeters welcome individual guests and groups of up to 6 people. The focus is on the dialog between greeter and guest.
- The walk with a greeter is free of charge.
- All guests and volunteers are welcome without discrimination.
- Greeters support sustainable tourism. They respect the natural and social environment. Greeters promote the image of their city.
- Greeters help to build a better world by making contact from person to person.
Where?
Berlin Greeter
Berlin Greeters take visitors to Berlin on a walk (Greet) through Berlin. It's not about showing the well-known sights that you can find in any travel guide. Rather, the Berlin Greeter show their Berlin, their favorite places and hidden spots. Our Berlin Greeters and their personal stories are the sights to be discovered. All this in small groups (maximum 6 people) and on a voluntary basis. Come. Kiekste. Be amazed.
Berlin, Berlin
Advanced German skills
Regularly
Discussed individually
Berlin, Berlin
Advanced German skills
Regularly
Discussed individually