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Be Part of the Change, Support the Berlin Fellowship

Invest in the leaders of tomorrow—one Fellow at a time!

Berlin Fellowship 2024

Join us in making the Humanity in Action Fellowship a reality for selected young and ambitious leaders. We are looking for eight people or companies, each to sponsor one spot in our Berlin Fellowship.

Your contributions support participation in the year-long Fellowship, launched by the in-person program in Berlin. With your help, we can bridge the gap between the funding we’ve secured and the remaining needs.

Your Gift, Our Future

Your donation of €2,500 helps opening the door for one of eight emerging leaders from Germany to participate in the 2025 Berlin Fellowship. 

This amount covers the costs of full participation for one person in the 2,5 weeks in-person portion of the Fellowship in Berlin, featuring skills-building, access to renowned speakers, civically focused study visits, and leadership-focused networking. Your donation covers:

  • Accommodation, some meals and transportation during the Fellowship period.
  • Fees for the speakers. 
  • Learning materials.

Your donation will go exclusively toward the direct program costs, as staff and structural expenses are covered through other funding sources.

Your generosity enables us to give a promising young person the chance to join this impactful program in Berlin. The in-person part is followed by an 11 month virtual program. The Fellows are assisted by Humanity in Action’s team and online community gatherings to help finalize their civic projects  and give back to your community. 

The Goal

We aim to raise €20,000 by the end of February to cover the participation costs for eight young people from Germany for this year’s Fellowship.

Overall, what I certainly liked most about Humanity in Action are the people. No doubt. Characters. People with that sense of curiosity that only permits one to immediately start rethinking the prospects of this world. Reconsider futures.”

 

Berlin Fellow, 2020

Berlin Fellowship 2025

The Berlin Fellowship empowers participants with the knowledge, skills, and connections to make meaningful change. Together, they envision societies where inclusive leadership and solidarity prevail. The Berlin Fellowship is located at the intersection of education, civic leadership, and community. 

18 Fellows from different countries will gather in Berlin for an intensive educational program with guest lectures and workshops, site visits to memorials and museums, group discussions, reflections, and community building.

The program in 2025 focuses on the theme of “Belonging and Cohesion in an Immigration Society.” The Fellows will explore the following aspects:

  • Historical and contemporary dynamics of migration
  • The significance of borders in today’s world
  • Concepts of citizenship and belonging

The program also addresses current migration debates, examining:

  • Common myths about migration and strategies to debunk them
  • Challenges posed by large migration and refugee movements

Participants critically engage with the realities of living in a diverse society and explore how integration and cohesion can be promoted within an immigration context.

You can donate through betterplace.org or directly by transferring your donation to the Humanity in Action bank account.

Jetzt Spenden! Das Spendenformular wird von betterplace.org bereit gestellt.

If you choose to donating directly to HIA, please include “Berlin Fellowship Donation” as a reference in the subject line of the tranfer.

  • Kontoinhaber Humanity in Action – Deutschland e.V. 
  • IBAN: DE63 4306 0967 1233 3865 00
  • BIC: GENODEM1GLS

Your donation is tax-deductible as a special contribution in Germany. After making your donation, you will automatically receive a donation receipt from us within the following month (sent via email, so please check your spam folder).

We will include your name in the list of our supporters on our website and materials connected to the Berlin Fellowship. If you don’t wish for us to do so, let us know. 

If you have any questions please send us an email k.siemasz@humanityinaction.org

Voices from the past Fellowships

(European Fellow 2022): Many people have asked me about my absence during the summer. They were all interested in Humanity in Action and wanted to know more. For me, it is the most incredible space I have ever entered. 

(Berlin Fellow 2024): Projects and initiatives like these can keep people engaged and motivated, not fall into helplessness in such crucial times, and ensure and empower the values that we all want to see in the world around us.  …  The program exceeded my expectations and highlighted that there are still civic initiatives that are not just passively embracing these changes in the political status quo but trying to get involved and contribute to the narrative. 

(European Fellow 2022) Overall, this has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life. The Fellowship was a laboratory, a space full of stimulus and thus potentialities. What I like about Humanity in Action is that, just like social realities are multifaceted and intersectional, Humanity in Action is a network of people who come from different backgrounds and sectors.

(Berlin Fellow 2021) I was extremely happy with the lectures that were chosen, I thought that all of the speakers were very inspiring and could deliver their content in an understandable and interesting manner.

(European Fellow 2022): At each step of the program and every new topic, I was grateful for the multitude of experiences the fellows shared and the complexity those added. This granted us with, and also demanded from us, the need to question arguments presented to us and enabled rich and highly critical exchanges. 

(Berlin Fellow 2024): My personal biggest takeaway from this fellowship experience is that while we need knowledge and expertise to make an impact, more importantly, we need allyship. We need people around us, a tight-knit community, to remind us that we are not alone in this fight. The fellowship helped us to build authentic relationships that are built on shared values and a vision for a better world. This is our biggest resource, and that alone is so empowering. 

Notable Alumni of Our Programs

Our programs have nurtured remarkable individuals, including:

  • Ben Allen (1999 Amsterdam Fellowship): California State Senator, representing the 26th district (2015–2022) and the 24th district since 2022.
  • Christiana Bukalo (2020 Landecker Democracy Fellowship) the co-founder of the platform and nonprofit organization Statefree, which advocates for the rights of stateless individuals. 
  • Esra Karakaya (2022 Landecker Democracy Fellowship, 2017 John Lewis Fellowship): Award-winning journalist and founder of Karakaya Talks.
  • Saim Saeed (2014 Berlin Fellowship): Reporter for Politico Europe, with bylines in The New York Times, Al Jazeera, Haaretz, and other publications.
  • Arne Semsrott (2014 Berlin Fellowship): Author and freelance journalist, project coordinator at the Open Knowledge Foundation, managing the Freedom of Information Portal FragDenStaat.de.
  • Dr. Carolin Wiedemann (2010 Berlin Fellowship): Journalist and author for media outlets like Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Missy Magazine.