Neu in Berlin Port

Migrants use social media to create spaces for communication and to exchange information in their native languages about arriving and living in Berlin. Despite their networking efforts, the search for reliable information often takes place on an individual level. Individuals seeking advice are therefore frequently confronted with incomplete, misleading, or incorrect information. It is exactly at this point that the project “Neu in Berlin Port” reaches its target group through outreach and provides legally verified, needs-based orientation and referral counseling for Arabic, Bulgarian, English, Romanian, Russian, and Ukrainian-speaking online communities. Hard-to-reach groups such as workers in the courier and express delivery sector, domestic care workers, seasonal workers, and employees in the meat industry also gather there, ask their questions in online communities, and can be reached through the methodology of digital streetwork.

NiB Port uses accessible language and formats specific to its target group to explain how the digital administrative system in Berlin works and to create access to the services of Berlin’s public administration, which are often unknown or viewed with skepticism. In addition, the project connects with Berlin’s advisory and support structures so that tailored referral counseling can be provided. A continuous effort to build trust in public support services remains a central focus of the project.