“One thing that the Fellowship gave me is the confidence of stepping into a new group with trust, knowing that beautiful thoughts and friendships will come out of it and that you form the best thoughts together with other people.”
Zaza van de Koppel, 2022 European Fellowship in Berlin and Amsterdam
The Berlin Fellowship
Overview
The Humanity in Action journey begins with a rich summer experience of inquiry, debate, and community building rooted in trust and empathy.
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Photo: ©Sharon Nathan, 2022 European Fellow
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Accepting Applicants from:
- Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Denmark
- Germany
- The Netherlands
- Poland
- USA
- ______
- Applications are now closed for 2024 Fellowships. Sign up to be notified when applications open for 2025:
July 7 – 22, 2025 | In-Person Fellowship
In 2025, our Berlin Fellowship will focus on Migration, Borders, and Citizenship in Germany, exploring historical lessons and modern strategies for inclusion and belonging.
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Photo: ©Sharon Nathan, 2022 European Fellow
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Against the backdrop of ongoing global migration and debates about national sovereignty, the importance of fostering inclusive communities and protecting the rights of all individuals becomes ever more urgent. The Berlin Fellowship program will delve into the historical and contemporary dynamics of migration, the significance of borders, and the evolving concepts of citizenship and belonging in Germany and beyond.
How do our memories and interpretations of past migrations influence our responses to current challenges, such as rising anti-immigrant sentiments and the integration of newcomers? What approaches might balance the protection of asylum seekers with the need to address security issues at national frontiers? How can we promote a sense of belonging and inclusivity in increasingly diverse societies, while combating discrimination and fostering social cohesion? What does a commitment to democracy, human rights, and pluralism look like in practice?
Berlin, with its complex history of division and reunification, offers a compelling environment to examine these questions. As a city that has been shaped by migration, both forced and voluntary, it provides a rich context for understanding the impact of borders on identity and belonging in both a local and global context. The remnants of the Berlin Wall remind us of the human consequences of dividing lines, urging us to reflect on how contemporary borders affect individuals and communities.
Through a combination of lectures, workshops, and community projects, the Fellowship bridges historical understanding with contemporary action. The fellowship adopts an interdisciplinary approach that enables a comprehensive understanding of migration’s complex dynamics, bridging macro-level structural analyses with individual human experiences and lived realities.
What to expect?
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Photo: Courtesy of EVZ Foundation, 2022 European Fellowship Fellows
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18 Fellows from different countries will gather in Berlin for an intensive 2.5 week educational program. Past Fellows have described it as a challenging and rewarding journey of personal and collective growth, meaningful connections, and collaboration across difference.
The daily program consists of guest lectures and workshops, site visits to memorials and museums, group discussions, reflections, and community building. You will get the opportunity to learn from eyewitnesses, alumni, activists, decision-makers, scholars, and your peers. The in-person program is a full-time commitment with some obligatory program on the weekends.
After the in-person program, you will be assisted by Humanity in Action’s staff and online community gatherings to help you develop your Action Project and give back to your community.
The Structure
- The International Program | Date TBA (virtual)
We will virtually join the entire international 2025 Humanity in Action cohort of about 75 Fellows to get to know Humanity in Action and your whole cohort. - Travel to Berlin | July 6, 2025
- The Berlin Fellowship | July 7 – 22, 2025 (in-person in Berlin, Germany)
18 Fellows will gather in Berlin for a daily full-time program, to learn from local experts, community members, and each other. There is some obligatory programming on the weekends. - Action Projects and Community Hubs | September 2025 – December 2025 (virtual)
From September 2025 to December 2025, Fellows work on their independent Action Project. They meet virtually for the Community Hubs, an online program designed to assist Fellows in implementing their projects and to keep in touch with the community.
Photo: ©Sharon Nathan, 2022 European Fellow
Recent Fellowship Speakers
Every day, Berlin Fellows meet and discuss with established activists, artists, community members, and policymakers with diverse perspectives on social justice and human rights.
Inside the Fellowship via Facebook Livestream
After the month in Berlin, Fellows run impactful Action Projects in their own communities.
For 5 months following their time in Berlin, Fellows work on their Action Project: an independent social justice venture in their own communities. Action Projects are as diverse as Humanity in Action Fellows. Fellows apply their new knowledge and perspectives to the communities they impact—in whatever format they find meaningful. Examples of past Action Projects include film documentaries, art shows, community events, and social awareness campaigns.
Senior Fellows of the Berlin Fellowship
Will Germans be able to integrate into this society? Check out our past campaign here.
Our Supporters for the Berlin Fellowship 2023
We thank the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach-Stiftung for their generous support.
Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach-Stiftung
Our Fellowship Supporters in the past included
We thank our supporters and partners, hosts, Senior Fellows and friends of Humanity in Action. Your contributions helped to prepare outstanding students for a lifelong commitment to civic responsibility and social justice.
Project of the Education Agenda NS-Injustice | 2022 European Fellowship in Berlin and Amsterdam
Foundation "Remembrance, Responsibility and Future"
Ursula Lachnit-Fixson Stiftung
The participation of Greek Fellows in Humanity in Action’s programs internationally is generously supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).
Become a Fellow
Every year, new Humanity in Action Fellows come together in five cities across Europe and the United States to study how and why people confront intolerance and protect democratic values.
