Hello dears! If you would like to start volunteering with us at Berlin Hauptbahnhof, or you have been here earlier in 2022 (but not since the beginning of October): Welcome / Welcome back ππ
Current Situation and Tasks
Currently, about 100-200 refugees arrive per day at Berlin HBF. Organizations and groups on site:
- DRK Welcome Guides: Meeting at platform, info point, communication with Tegel Arrival Center, helping people moving throughout the station β Intructed by LAF
- Kinderschutz: Children protection service, for vulnerable minors
- Mingru Jipen e.V.: Support for Roma fleeing from the war
- EOTO/Cusbu: Support for BIPOC and 3rd country nationals fleeing to Berlin
- Berlin Arrival Support - itβs us ππ
How we support (among other things)
- Meeting arriving refugees at the platform, together with the DRK, accompanying them to/from the bus to Tegel Center
- Providing information about possible next steps for every individual, helping with the travel onward (e.g. in Reisezentrum, with eTokens that are handed out by authorities).
- Distributing water (and food, if possible) to arriving refugees.
- Support for vulnerable people
- Information sharing and networking with volunteers from other countries and cities
- Covering other stations e.g. Ostbahnhof, Lichtenberg in times of construction works (sometimes, trains from Poland do not go to Hbf but to other Berlin stations).
How to participate
If you want to join us (or you have been before already, and want to come back):
Please join this Telegram group and arrange a time for briefing / onboarding. We will try to pair you up with someone of us with much experience or a coordinator.
Please read also through the additional information below - in particular our code of conduct, COVID precautions, etc.
Additional Information
- Covid / Sickness: please come only if you feel well. Wear a mask around other people. If you can arrange it, get also tested for COVID frequently.
- Code of Conduct: following certain rules in how we treat each other and refugees is crucial. Please read our Code of Conduct here.
- It is still getting cold - please prepare accordingly (jacket, bottle with hot tea for example) as we have no proper place to wait and warm up in the station π
Make sure to learn about your specific station as well as the general procedures.