“After the Flight: Finding Your Own Voice”
Thanks to the project “After the Flight: Finding Your Own Voice”, funded by the Joachim Herz Foundation, this year we have the opportunity to conduct writing workshops at schools with welcome classes as well as in initial reception centers.
In the workshops, we assist newly arrived students and individuals living in initial reception centers in finding their own voice. There, they can express personal stories through poetry and short prose. In many countries of origin, poetry is a culturally significant form of storytelling and can create a safe space for putting emotional and personal experiences into words – especially ones that would otherwise often remain untold.
The workshop series concludes with a public reading where the texts are presented. Thus, personal words become shared stories – and writing turns into connection.
“Be by my side and listen to what has happened to me”
In Brandenburg – particularly in rural areas and small- and medium-sized towns – there are few low-threshold spaces where young people with and without refugee or migration experiences can encounter one another. There, migration is often discussed in abstract or problem-oriented terms – personal exchanges are lacking. This fosters prejudice, uncertainty, and social polarization. At the same time, students with a migrant background often experience exclusion, a lack of visibility of their life stories, and few opportunities to actively participate in school and societal discourses. The project “Be by my side and listen to what has happened to me”, funded by the Deutsche Bahn Foundation, addresses these circumstances by purposefully strengthening schools in Brandenburg as spaces for playful dialogue. Through autobiographical writing and public readings, personal experiences of flight, arrival, and identity are made visible, facilitating an empathetic exchange on equal terms.
The project is being carried out at two high schools and one vocational school in Brandenburg. It utilizes the unique expressive power of poetry to make the seemingly unspeakable speakable. Personal stories are turned into bridges that connect different life realities and create lasting learning experiences.
“Up We Go! TheArtsEliteClub. Democracy Through Poetry – Debating in Verse!”
The Literaturhaus Berlin and The Poetry Project are bringing marginalized voices to the forefront of society.
With the project "Up We Go! TheArtsEliteClub. Democracy Through Poetry – Debating in Verse!", funded by the Youth Culture Initiative (Jugendkulturinitiative), the Literaturhaus Berlin and The Poetry Project are bringing young marginalized voices to places they are rarely heard.
The project focuses on young people from neighborhoods in Berlin that are often overlooked. Through poetry and short prose, they depict the realities of their lives. In their texts, they challenge common concepts such as social mobility, success, and the elite , providing material for societal debate. They present their texts themselves within the literary scene and on pop-up stages at governmental institutions such as job centers, police stations, and immigration offices.
The process is documented in writing workshops. Authors from The Poetry Project guide this process, and project manager Katja Birkle coordinates the undertaking.
The project focuses on authentic encounters on equal terms: Participants engage in discussions with representatives of high culture and key decision-makers in opera houses, parliaments, and boardrooms.
The results are presented in public readings, a final zine, and social media formats such as TikTok Reels — a meaningful contribution to dialogue, personal empowerment, and hands-on social participation.
