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WahlheYmat Post, Berlin (2026)

16/10/2026

1. Community is not about sameness

What holds a community together? Shared values? A safe space? A sense of belonging? A common problem? Or simply the circumstances that bring people together?

Being part of a community doesn't mean being the same. But there is usually something that connects us: a shared need, a common purpose or a sense of belonging.

2. How much can we rely on a community?

What is the minimum amount of community we need to feel supported? And how can we join a community without feeling excluded or losing our independence?

Perhaps the answer is that we can belong to a place, to a group – and to ourselves.

3. Communities start with small things

A neighbourhood community can grow out of almost anything: a welcoming pub or bar, a shared laundry room or simply an everyday problem.

Look around! Trust grows through small acts. Dare to rely on one another: ask for small favours and offer to help in return.

4. Coordination makes the difference

One of the biggest challenges for communities is effective coordination. How can we organise around our shared needs? How can we share what we have and make better use of our collective resources?

Having a community is one thing. Making it work for everyone is another.

5. Keeping all options open: freedom or a trap?

Berliners, in particular, love keeping their options open: staying flexible and exploring different possibilities.

But is keeping all our options open always a sign of freedom? Or can it make it harder to commit and stay together?

Editor's note: For more on this topic, see Svenja Flaßpöhler's thought-provoking new book, “Zusammenbleiben”.

Thank you for this great conversation Monika Jiang | Loneliness to Oneliness and Rüzgar. And thank you Marta Orosz for the great moderation.

12/10/2026

Research published earlier this year by the University of St Andrews as part of the European We-ID project found that immigrants across Europe tend to have greater trust in political institutions and higher satisfaction with democracy than native-born populations. But this advantage diminishes across generations.

Analysing European Social Survey data from 15 countries, researchers found that greater trust does not necessarily translate into greater participation. Among eligible voters in Germany, France and the UK, first- and second-generation immigrants were less likely to vote than native-born citizens. Experiences of discrimination, social exclusion and unmet expectations may help explain why.

In Berlin, many residents face an even more fundamental barrier: they cannot vote in state elections at all. Around one million Berliners do not hold a German passport, including approximately 851,000 adults who were excluded from the September 2026 election for the Berlin House of Representatives. EU citizens can vote in district elections, but non-EU residents cannot vote in either.

Ahead of the election, WahlheYmat launched StimmlosTrend 2026 to make the political perspectives of residents without voting rights visible. Among respondents who answered the voting question, 90.8% said they would vote if they could, while another 5.2% would do so under certain circumstances. Together, 96% expressed a potential willingness to vote.

The open online survey is not representative of all Berliners without voting rights. Nevertheless, its findings highlight an important distinction: not voting does not necessarily mean political disengagement. Sometimes the willingness to participate exists, but the right to do so does not.

The broader lesson is that democratic integration requires more than helping people understand institutions. It also means addressing discrimination, strengthening representation and creating opportunities to influence political decisions. As the We-ID researchers argue, integration should be treated as part of democratic infrastructure – built on trust, inclusion and meaningful participation.

09/10/2026

30% – Blockade – PISA

Three EU countries. Three very different perspectives on education.

Italy

A new decree introduces a 30% cap on certain groups of foreign students in newly formed classes, starting in the 2027/2028 school year. The idea: to create greater equality among students from different backgrounds. According to an Italian education expert, having 30% of classmates from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds enriches native Italian children as well!

France

Hundreds of high schools have been barricaded by teenagers. Students are protesting against inequality, poor infrastructure, insufficient funding and staff shortages.

Germany

The latest PISA results are worse than ever. No major changes. No new laws. No protests. Yet. So why does so little happen in Germany when it comes to education? On one of Germany’s most popular podcasts, Lanz & Precht, there was an hour-long discussion about the reasons behind Germany’s poor PISA results. Yet segregation was not mentioned even once as a possible problem.

Instead, the hosts argued that the results would be much better without children from migrant backgrounds.

This says something important about the roots of the problem in Germany: the deeply embedded belief that language and cultural background determine educational ability. We need a new social agreement on education. A child who does not yet speak German well enough should not be separated from German-speaking children. The child should be integrated into a regular classroom, with additional language support where needed. With the right support, the language gap can be overcome. Because what do we teach children when we tell them: if you are not good enough yet, you belong somewhere else?

And what do we expect from them later in life? To work together with people who are different from them? To enter universities and workplaces, and live in societies where not everyone will speak the same language or share the same background?

So why should school prepare them for the opposite? Education is not only about teaching children what they need to know. It is also about teaching them how to live together. Separate or integrate?

07/10/2026

At 15, Oleksandr Drevytskyi fled Kyiv with his mother and their dog Ozzy after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Four years later, he is studying mathematics at Humboldt University Berlin – and helping other Ukrainians find their way through the city.

“The war is here – those were the words my mom woke me up with that morning,” Oleks recalls. On February 24, 2022, his life changed forever. After initially fleeing Kyiv for central Ukraine, Oleksandr and his mother eventually left the country when she received a scholarship to work at the Max Planck Institute in Berlin. His father had to remain in Ukraine under martial law.

The family arrived in Berlin on March 11 after a tense three-day journey. Starting over was difficult. Oleksandr had been a top student in Kyiv and continued attending his Ukrainian school online, but finding a place at a German Gymnasium proved challenging. Lessing Gymnasium in Wedding eventually accepted him into 11th grade.

There, his exceptional talent for mathematics quickly became apparent. Encouraged by his teacher, he entered the Maths Olympiad, winning his district twice and eventually placing fourth in Berlin. He also achieved second prize in both rounds of the Bundeswettbewerb Mathematik, putting him among the top 1–2 percent of participants.

Just two years after arriving in Germany, Oleksandr graduated with the school’s best Abitur result: 845 out of 900 points and a perfect 1.0 average. His mathematics paper was judged to be at master’s thesis level.

Today, he studies mathematics at Humboldt University, supported by scholarships from the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes, which selects only around 0.5 percent of German students.

But Oleksandr’s life extends far beyond mathematics. He leads maths clubs at schools, encouraging students to discover the creativity of the subject. He also helps Ukrainians in Berlin by accompanying them to doctors’ appointments and immigration offices, translating and assisting with paperwork.

His connection to Ukraine remains strong. He follows the war closely, attends solidarity protests and stays in regular contact with family back home.

30/09/2026

How do strong communities emerge? What brings people from different backgrounds together and what keeps them together?

Berlin is one of the most diverse cities in Europe, shaped by people with different languages, cultures, experiences and stories. But diversity alone does not create community. It takes trust, connection, participation and spaces where people can meet and feel that they belong.

At the first WahlheYmat Talks after the summer break we invite Berlin community builders to explore what makes communities thrive:

How can we create meaningful connections across different backgrounds?
What turns a group of people into a community?
What can communities contribute to a more inclusive and democratic city?
And what can each of us do to help build stronger communities in Berlin?

Our guests:

Monika Jiang – Writer and Community Builder, The Oneliness Project
Sage Brewer – Founder, Health, Tech, Psych Network – Berlin
Rüzgar Imski – Coordination Systems Designer, Free Association Coalition
Moderation: Marta Orosz

As always, WahlheYmat Talks is not just a panel discussion. We want to hear from you, too. Bring your experiences, ideas and questions and join the conversation. The event will be held in English. Entry is free. Everyone who is interested in shaping Berlin and making the city even better is warmly welcome.

With the kind support of the Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin.

25/09/2026

What do the Berlin election results tell us? Our Top 3 takeaways:

1. Housing won
Housing is clearly the central issue in Berlin, as StimmlosTrend also showed. Die Linke won by putting housing at the top of its agenda. Many citizens now hope they can deliver.

2. Voting with gloves
Many people vote against a party or candidate rather than for one. Many voted against Kai Wegner. Many voted against governing parties that they felt had not delivered.

3. Survival
Once, elections were a celebration of democracy. Now, we hope to survive.

Our Fazit: A healthy democracy rests on some basic principles: People who live here should have equal rights to vote and be elected. Citizens should have opportunities to participate in solving common problems. Political institutions should reflect the diversity of the society they govern. These principles are still challenges rather than solid foundations of today’s democratic system. Society, public life and technology have changed, and democracy needs to change with them.

How can WahlheYmat respond to the election?

1. Put the issues that matter to us on the agenda of the new government. We will advocate for: Voting rights for long-term residents who contribute to Berlin through their work and taxes. Better ways to include the knowledge and experience of international residents in political decision-making. Three examples: Bürgerräte instead of Beiräte. A Co-Mayor or Deputy Mayor role representing international residents and their interests. Clear responsibility for civic participation within the Rotes Rathaus. We will share these proposals with the parties that could be part of Berlin’s next government and invite them to discuss how they could be implemented.

2. Build a coalition of civic forces: Berlin is full of amazing grassroots organisations working in almost every field. The question is: how can we come together, strengthen each other and build a stronger civic movement for democratic renewal? This is where we see an important role for WahlheYmat: connecting people, organisations and ideas that are already working for a more inclusive democracy and creating platforms to reach more people.

11/09/2026

No vote doesn’t mean no voice.

Around 1 million people in Berlin do not hold a German passport — 851,000 of them are adults and cannot vote in elections to the Berlin House of Representatives.

That’s why WahlheYmat created StimmlosTrend 2026: to make the political perspectives of international Berliners visible.

And the message is clear: people without voting rights still want to participate.

👉 90.8% say they would vote if they could. Including those who would vote under certain circumstances, the figure rises to 96%.

At the same time:
🔹 72.4% are concerned about Berlin’s future
🔹 73.9% feel they have little or no influence over it
🔹 55.5% are both concerned and feel they have little power to change things

🏠 Housing and rents are the biggest political issue: named by 50.7% as the most important problem, and by 63.6% when first and second mentions are combined.

And despite having no vote, people are engaged: 52.4% through family and friends, 33.3% through clubs, volunteering or welfare organisations, and 31.6% in their neighbourhood.

One striking finding: among people with good/very good German skills who are socially engaged, 32.9% feel they have a strong influence on Berlin’s future — compared with just 6.1% among those with limited/no German skills who are not socially engaged.

📊 StimmlosTrend ran from 11 July to 8 September 2026, in 8 languages. It is an open, non-representative online survey — a snapshot of people whose voices are largely missing from traditional election polling.

Because no vote should not mean no voice.

04/09/2026

Germany is becoming more international, while its political structures remain rooted in the nation-state. What can Charles de Gaulle’s extraordinary story teach us about leadership, persistence and the courage to rethink the status quo?

What does the story of Charles De Gaulle teach us? Antonin Baudry’s La Bataille de Gaulle tells, in five hours, the story of the General during the Second World War. A great movie. I learned a lot. Tenacity. De Gaulle arrives alone in London. On 18 June 1940, he makes his first BBC speech, speaking on behalf of a free France. Almost nobody follows him at first. France has fallen, and an armistice with Germany is imminent. Just because you’re alone doesn’t mean you’re wrong.

Lead. Don’t follow. Credibility.

He gathers a small team of early believers. He presents this tiny group as a serious force — against Vichy France and its hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
Churchill buys in. He sees a genius in need of support. Roosevelt doesn’t. He sees a liar. Both perspectives are understandable. History, however, takes Churchill’s side.

Focus. Nothing else matters. Just France. That was De Gaulle.

Narrow-minded? Perhaps. But if you do not speak up for your interests, who will? Sometimes talking about an inclusive, international society in Germany today seems almost as absurd as a free France must have seemed in 1940.
Yes, it can look like an impossible mission. Look at the rise of anti-migrant sentiment. Look at segregation in schools. Look at the reactions to voting rights for people without German citizenship. Germany is still largely a country for those who speak perfect German. The list is long. Lack of leadership.

Where are the charismatic leaders? The De Gaulles, Brandts, Schmidts?
In business? At home? In their gardens à la Voltaire? When will the turning point come — when someone finally risks entering the dirty arena of politics? How long is now? How long can today’s democratic system continue?

A system designed for nation-states in an analogue era. Can we redesign it without first going through a deep crisis? And how can the people who are thinking about these questions find each other?

Tenacity. Credibility. Focus.

02/09/2026

It's also kind of chic to live in Berlin, pay taxes, raise kids, build businesses, work, study, live, make friends, shape neighbourhoods... and still not be allowed to vote.

Berlin's 2026 election will include millions of voters. But a large share of people living in the city will still be excluded from Abgeordnetenhaus election because they don't have German citizenship. Our StimmlosTrend wants to find out what they think. Because no vote shouldn't mean no voice.

21/08/2026

Hey Berliner!

The first responses to StimmlosTrend are in, and two things are already becoming clear:

Housing is emerging as one of the biggest concerns. And almost everyone who has responded so far says they would vote if they had the right to do so.

In other words, the problem is not a lack of interest. It is a lack of opportunity.

But we need many more voices to get a meaningful picture of the nearly one million people who live in Berlin but cannot vote in elections to the House of Representatives.

Our aim is to make StimmlosTrend as representative as possible.To achieve that, we need strong participation from communities across the city.

And there is more good news: StimmlosTrend is now available in six languages: English, German, Turkish, Arabic, Ukrainian and Russian, helping us reach even more of Berlin's international communities.

The survey will remain open until around 7 September, and the results will be published before the Berlin election.

If you cannot vote in the Berlin House of Representatives election, please take part here.

And if you can vote, you can still help: share the survey with friends, colleagues, neighbours or communities who cannot.

Together with our media partners Berliner Morgenpost, 20Percent and Handpicked Berlin, and with the support of community organisations across Berlin, we want to make sure these perspectives become part of the public debate before election day.

Thank you to everyone who has already participated, translated, shared or supported StimmlosTrend. Every response brings us closer to a clearer picture of Berlin's missing voices.

WahlheYmat Post

16/10/2026

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