Migration Talks

Migration Talks is visiting Be and Angel, a grassroots organisation in Berlin, that supports refugees and asylum seekers. It all started in 2015 when thousands of asylum seekers came to the city at once and migration services were unable accommodate all of them right away. A German journalist Andreas Tölke began housing people in his own apartment. In the end, there were over 500 people who lived with Andreas or and friends for longer or shorter periods of time. Nowadays the organisation uses their skills and networks to integrate refugees into German society. They also opened a restaurant Kreuzberger Himmel to support the organisation financially and provide working and educational opportunities for the refugees.Andreas who talked about what the organisation is doing now, what he thinks about the name pf the organization “Be an Angel”, and why, in his opinion, some people believe in stereotypes about refugees.NOTE: I would like to apologize for the sound quality in this episode as we were recording in the restaurant. I hope you will still enjoy listening to our conversation.Be an Angel best practices: do not forget that people who you are helping, should make their own decisions about their life. Be an Angel Website - https://beanangel.direct/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/beanangelberlin/Restaurant Kreuzberger Himmel Website - https://www.kreuzberger-himmel.de/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/kreuzberger.himmel/Do not forget to subscribe to Migration Talks not to miss the next episode! Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/ru/podcast/migration-talks/id1469219788?l=en Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8zNjExMjQucnNz Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/natalia-gontsova/migration-talks?refid=stprCheck out the Migration Talks Website https://migrationtalks.com/Or get in touch with comments, suggestions or interview recommendations: Migration Talks Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/MigrationTalks Email: info@migrationtalks.com

Migration Talks spoke with Haidi Sadik, the Head of Media and Humanitarian Affairs at Sea-Watch, a non-profit German organization that in 2015 started conducting search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea to save as many people as possible from death by drowning. Sea-Watch has so far been involved in the rescue of well over 35,000 people. In addition to their main activities, they raise Awareness about the current situation at the Europe southern border, push for rescue operations by the European institutions and advocate for legal escape routes for asylum seekers. Haidi talked about why is it so important to monitor the situation in the Mediterranean, how they choose the areas where to conduct search and rescue operations, and who prevents civil rescue ships from doing their job.Sea-Watch best practices: do not confuse grassroots activism with unprofessionalism as civil society organisations often do things at the best quality; and connect with other organisations to ensure the continuity of care. Sea-WatchWebsite - https://sea-watch.org/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/seawatchprojektDo not forget to subscribe to Migration Talks not to miss the next episode! Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/ru/podcast/migration-talks/id1469219788?l=enGoogle Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8zNjExMjQucnNzStitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/natalia-gontsova/migration-talks?refid=stprCheck out the Migration Talks Website https://migrationtalks.com/Or get in touch with comments, suggestions or interview recommendations:Migration Talks Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/MigrationTalksEmail: info@migrationtalks.com

Migration Talks talking with Annamaria Olsson, a founder of a very well known and successful grassroots organisation Give Something back to Berlin. It started with a Facebook post, that Annamaria wrote in 2012 to encourage recent or long established residents of Berlin to give back to the city by volunteering and participating in various social initiatives. Now Give Something Back to Berlin has its headquartes at the Refugio café in Neukoln and executes plenty of various activities that facilitate integration of newcomers. Annmaria talked about what is important for a leader to understand when an organisation is going through changes, how the idea of integration has evolved over the last couple of years in Germany, and what is really crucial for fundraising but is heavily underestimated by grassroots.Give Something Back to Berlin best practices: do not forget to make it fun and welcoming especially while dealing with serious topics such as migration and integration; and do not understimate the support work, such as administrative matters and fundrasing, remember that without it your main activities would not be happening. Give Something Back to Berlin Website - https://gsbtb.org/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LawClinics/ Refugio Café- https://refugio.berlin/Do not forget to subscribe to Migration Talks not to miss the next episode! Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/ru/podcast/migration-talks/id1469219788?l=en Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8zNjExMjQucnNz Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/natalia-gontsova/migration-talks?refid=stprCheck out the Migration Talks Website https://migrationtalks.com/Or get in touch with comments, suggestions or interview recommendations: Migration Talks Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/MigrationTalks Email: info@migrationtalks.com

Migration Talks is visiting Refugee Law Clinics Germany, a grassroots initiative founded by German law students. They offer legal support for socially disadvantaged people, particularly for asylum seekers and refugees, and at the same time gain knowledge and experience by providing legal consultations under the supervision of university staff and practitioners.Most Refugee Law Clinics in Germany were established after 2013 and there are currently over 30 of them. In September 2016, they joined forces and created a nationwide, non-profit umbrella association that provides structural and functional support to their members and represents their interests on the national and international levels.Migration Talks spoke with Christoph König, a former Law student and a co-founder of the Refugee Law Clinic in Berlin. He is currently a co-chair of the the umbrella association of the German Refugee Law Clinics (RLCs). Christoph talked about why German Law education needs to be reformed, in what ways German asylum system got worse over the past several years and why regular Germans should care.Refugee Law Clinics’ best practices: be ambitious in your goals and do not stop just because someone says it would not work out and make sure you surround yourself with the right people. Refugee Law Clinics GermanyWebsite - http://rlc-deutschland.de/en/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LawClinics/Refugee Law Clinics member associations - http://rlc-deutschland.de/en/member-associations/Refugee Law Clinic Berlin Website - https://www.rlc-berlin.org/?lang=enFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/rlc.berlin/Samos Project - https://www.rlc-berlin.org/samos?lang=enDo not forget to subscribe to Migration Talks not to miss the next episode! Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/ru/podcast/migration-talks/id1469219788?l=en Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8zNjExMjQucnNz Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/natalia-gontsova/migration-talks?refid=stprCheck out the Migration Talks Website https://migrationtalks.com/Or get in touch with comments, suggestions or interview recommendations:Migration Talks Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/MigrationTalks Email: info@migrationtalks.com

In this special episode of Migration Talks we will continue exploring the topic of grassroots organizations, but from a slightly different angle.Natalia is joined by Keywan Salehi, who works with both newcomers and German citizens in the social department of the city of Eschweiler in Western Germany. Keywan will talk about who is more difficult to work with, German people or newcomers, how existing migrant communities become local government allies in the integration effort, why questions like “Where are you really from?” is actually subtle racism, and what interferes with the productive collaboration between NGO’s and municipalities.Do not forget to subscribe to Migration Talks not to miss the next episode! Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/ru/podcast/migration-talks/id1469219788?l=enGoogle Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8zNjExMjQucnNzStitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/natalia-gontsova/migration-talks?refid=stprCheck out the Migration Talks Website https://migrationtalks.com/Or get in touch with comments, suggestions or interview recommendations:Migration Talks Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/MigrationTalksEmail: info@migrationtalks.com

In this episode Migration Talks is visiting Über den Tellerrand, an integration initiative from Berlin, founded in 2014 as a student project. Über den Tellerrand started with creating a cook book with the recipes from different cultures and now they run a Kitchen Hub, where they organize cooking classes and other community events to bring people from different cultures together. Über den Tellerrand translates to ‘beyond your plate’ and is a commonly used German phrase that essentially means ‘to think outside the box’. Their mission is to promote an open and tolerant society by creating encounters and exchanges between cultures. They spread this model around the world with the help of a mobile container called Kitchen on the Run and their network already includes intercultural communities in over 30 cities.Migration Talks spoke with Ina Peppersack, communications and public relations person in the Über den Tellerrand. Ina shared her thoughts on how food can be used to spread messages, how to keep the organization running even when the founders move on, and why integration in Eastern Germany is currently slower and more difficult than in the Western part.Über den Tellerrand’s best practices: when organizing a community events always think about a Space, where people feel comfortable, a Format, that suits the event and a Team, that does not lose connection with its coworkers.On the personal level do not forget take a good care of yourself and put yourself first even when working on very meaningful projects.Check out Über den Tellerrand upcoming community events in their FB Page @ueberdentellerrandkochen, Visit Kitchen Hub at Roßbachstraße 6, 10829 Berlin-Schöneberg Shop online for one of their cook books: Recipes for a Better Us or A Pinch of HomeÜber den Tellerrand website https://ueberdentellerrand.org/en/Instagram - @ueber_den_tellerrandEmail team@ueberdentellerrand.org Do not forget to subscribe to Migration Talks not to miss the next episode! Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/ru/podcast/migration-talks/id1469219788?l=en Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8zNjExMjQucnNz Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/natalia-gontsova/migration-talks?refid=stprCheck out the Migration Talks Website https://migrationtalks.com/Or get in touch with comments, suggestions or interview recommendations:Migration Talks Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/MigrationTalks Email: info@migrationtalks.com

In this episode Migration Talks is visiting Migration Matters, a non-profit media initiative based in Berlin. Their mission is to empower the public to have more nuanced and evidence-based conversations about migration so they produce short videos covering various migration related issues.Sophia Burton, a co-founder and a board member of Migration Matters, introduced the initiative and talked about how a side gig can transform into a social initiative, what is the most effective way to reach the movable middle and how public opinion about migration in Germany has changed since 2015.Migration Matters’ best practices: Check in with your team members to make sure that your motivations are aligned and everyone knows where the organisation is headed, and learn to say no to some projects that do not bring you closer to your goals. Watch Migration Matters' videos:Website - http://migrationmatters.meYouTube - Migration Matters Connect with Migration Matters team:Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MigrationMatters/Twitter - @migrmattersEmail - team@migrationmatters.meDo not forget to subscribe to Migration Talks not to miss the next episode! Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/ru/podcast/migration-talks/id1469219788?l=en Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8zNjExMjQucnNz Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/natalia-gontsova/migration-talks?refid=stprCheck out the Migration Talks Website https://migrationtalks.com/Or get in touch with comments, suggestions or interview recommendations:Migration Talks Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/MigrationTalks Email: info@migrationtalks.com

In this episode Natalia is explaining what she means by the term grassroots initiatives and is visiting Singa Deutschland a social enterprise in Berlin that runs a business lab incubator for newcomers and a consulting project directed at other social initiatives in Germany who want to implement innovative projects that lead towards an inclusive society. A co-founder and an advisor for the SINGA Team, Sima Gatea, shares a couple of best practices in running a grassroots initiative and talks about how to maintain the motivation and funding when the topic your organisation is working with is not hot anymore, in what way the needs of locals and newcomers in Germany changed since 2015 and why is it better to use the word ‘newcomers’ instead of ‘refugees’.Singa's best practices: do not assume you know about the issues your target audience is facing and try to involve them in the project co-creation.Singa Deutschland website - https://singa-deutschland.com/en/home-en/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/singadeutschland/Do not forget to subscribe to Migration Talks not to miss the first episode of the second season in September! Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/ru/podcast/migration-talks/id1469219788?l=en Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8zNjExMjQucnNz Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/natalia-gontsova/migration-talks?refid=stprCheck out the Migration Talks Website https://migrationtalks.com/Or Get in touch with comments, suggestions or interview recommendations:Migration Talks Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/MigrationTalks Email: info@migrationtalks.com

Welcome to the second season of Migration Talks, which we will spend in Germany.In the first episode of the second season Natalia is visiting Migration Hub Network a social enterprise in Berlin which connects grassroots, NGOs and businesses. The founder and the CEO, Ana Alvarez Monge, talks about the ways networks can support grassroots, how experiences that NGOs received in Germany can be replicated in other parts of the world and why project based funding is not helping sustainability.Migration Hub Network website - https://www.migrationhub.network/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/migrationhubnetwork/German Chancellor Fellowship - https://www.humboldt-foundation.de/web/german-chancellor-fellowship.htmlData sources used in the episode:https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/mediterranean/location/5179 https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/sm.pop.refghttps://www.rescue.org/country/greecehttps://www.rescue.org/country/germanyDo not forget to subscribe to Migration Talks not to miss the first episode of the second season in September! Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/ru/podcast/migration-talks/id1469219788?l=enGoogle Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8zNjExMjQucnNzStitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/natalia-gontsova/migration-talks?refid=stprCheck out the Migration Talks Website https://migrationtalks.com/Or Get in touch with comments, suggestions or interview recommendations:Migration Talks Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/MigrationTalksEmail: info@migrationtalks.com

In the last episode from the first season of Migration Talks, Natalia is visiting the Project Layali, a social enterprise in Athens which creates small businesses that employ migrants and refugees. The project coordinator Manuela Vlahaki Cepeda shares her experience using a social enterprise model as a path to sustainability.Project Layali website - https://www.projectlayali.org/Project Layali Shop https://www.projectlayali.org/layali-shop/Project Layali Salon https://www.projectlayali.org/layali-salon/Zaatar NGO - https://zaatarngo.org/The Orange House https://zaatarngo.org/projectsDo not forget to subscribe to Migration Talks not to miss the first episode of the second season in September! Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/ru/podcast/migration-talks/id1469219788?l=en Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8zNjExMjQucnNz Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/natalia-gontsova/migration-talks?refid=stprCheck out the Migration Talks Website https://migrationtalks.com/Or Get in touch with comments, suggestions or interview recommendations: Migration Talks Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/MigrationTalks Email: info@migrationtalks.com

In this episode Migration Talks are invited to a community center for residents of Moria and Kara Tepe refugee camps on Lesvos, Greece. The day center was founded in 2017 by a Swiss NGO One Happy Family. Julia Burge, a coordinator and a social media person for One Happy Family is introducing the center’s activities and talks about humanising power of personal choice, a perfect way to find out what refugees really need and why international volunteers are still required in a community successfully run by residents.One Happy Family website - https://ohf-lesvos.org/enVolunteer with One Happy Family - https://ohf-lesvos.org/en/volunteering/The EU Turkey Deal The EU Turkey refugee deal - explained https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/1879/the-eu-turkey-refugee-deal-explained Turkey Threatens to Suspend EU Migrant Deal Due to Lack of Visa-free Travel to EU https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/turkey-suspends-deal-with-the-eu-on-migrant-readmission/Subscribe to Migration Talks Podcast and rate us on:Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/ru/podcast/migration-talks/id1469219788?l=en Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8zNjExMjQucnNz Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/natalia-gontsova/migration-talks?refid=stprCheck out the Migration Talks Website https://migrationtalks.com/Or Get in touch with comments, suggestions or interview recommendations:Migration Talks Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/MigrationTalks Email: info@migrationtalks.com

Migration Talks is back to Lesvos and in this episode Natalia is talking with Claudia Drost, a “professional volunteer” who has been staying on Lesvos for the past 2 years. Claudia is currently volunteering with Because We Carry a Dutch NGO that rotates teams of international volunteers to provide various services and support to refugees living Moria and Kara Tepe camps on Lesvos. Claudia explained the difference between the two refugee camps and talked about the way Because We Carry operates. Because we carry website - https://www.becausewecarry.org/en/Moria refugee camp https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/16018/anyone-who-thinks-they-can-do-better-than-us-is-welcome-to-try-says-director-of-moria-camp-on-lesbosKara Tepe refugee camp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kara_Tepe_Refugee_CamBlaming the Rescuers Report produced by Forensic Oceanography (Charles Heller and Lorenzo Pezzani), part of the Forensic Architecture agency (Directed by Eyal Weizman) at Goldsmiths (University of London) https://blamingtherescuers.org/report/Migration Trail Multi Media project https://migrationtrail.com/Migration Trail Podcast Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/alisonkillingSticher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/alison-killing/migrationwatchBobiras café in Mitilini where we recorded the interview (highly recommended for food and hang out) https://goo.gl/maps/DaPH7xokZB2YtepH6 Subscribe to Migration Talks Podcast and rate us on:Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/ru/podcast/migration-talks/id1469219788?l=enGoogle Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8zNjExMjQucnNzStitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/natalia-gontsova/migration-talks?refid=stprCheck out the Migration Talks Website https://migrationtalks.com/Or Get in touch with comments, suggestions or interview recommendations:Migration Talks Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/MigrationTalksEmail: info@migrationtalks.com

In this episode Natalia is talking with Lauraine Velez, a co-founder of Hestia Hellas, an NGO in Athens that provides psycho-social support to people in need and empowers vulnerable communities by improving mental health and job skills. Lauraine is talking about why is it so important to empower women, what do volunteers bring to the organisation in addition to their time and skills, and in what way can the UN still be useful despite all the bureaucracy. Hestia Hellas website - https://www.hestiahellas.orgMigration Talks Podcast Website - https://migrationtalks.com/Join to the Migrtion Talks Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/MigrationTalks

In this episode Natalia is talking with Trude Jackobson, the founder of A Drop in the Ocean, a Norwegian NGO that sends volunters to work with asylum seekers in Greek refugee camps. Trude is talking about why a Norwegian organization is present in Greece, when were asylum seekers happier on the Greek islands, and how can you yourself help refugees.Volunteer with A Drop in the Ocean - https://www.drapenihavet.no/en/volunteer/

In this episode Natalia speaks with Ioanna Theodorou, the founder of Campfire Innovation, a Greek NGO that supports local initiatives and promotes the concept of Smart Aid.Joanna talks about the unique powers of grassroots initiatives, why she would never stop working with volunteers and what different types of donors bring to an organisation other than money.Campfire Innovation's website: https://www.campfireinnovation.org

In this Episode Natalia is talking with Antonis Zeimbekis, a field coordinator of a local Lesvos NGO Iliaktida. They provide housing for 700 unaccompanied refugee minors living on Lesvos and run several projects for refugees and locals.

In this episode Natalia introduces herself and talks about why she decided to record Migration Talks.Migration Talks website http://migrationtalks.comMigration Talks Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MigrationTalks