THE IDEA

Welcome Dinners are encounters on eye level. People with and without the experience of flight or migration meet for a shared dinner at the kitchen table.

It is our goal to facilitate newcomers’ access to our society and at the same time pave the way for locals to meet new people and make new experiences.

A classic supper with bread, cheese and cold cuts, your favorite recipe or a 3-course-meal – you choose what you prefer: the focus is on meeting and getting to know people!

What’s next after the dinner? That is completely up to you and your guests!

ABOUT US

The first Welcome Dinner took place in Stockholm in 2014. Ebba, then a language teacher, had the idea to welcome newcomers in Stockholm with a dinner at home and founded the Invitationsdepartementet.

Far away in Hamburg, Julia, David, Ines and Julia read an inspiring article about the Swedish initiative and decided immediately to start a Welcome Dinner initiative in Hamburg.

What started as a volunteer project with a team of four is now a registered association with 15 active members. Since the beginning of 2015, we successfully match hosts and guests for their Welcome Dinners. More than 10.000 people from 78 different nations already participated in over 2500 dinners.

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

Welcome Dinners are special encounters while sharing a meal. We bring people with varying degrees of proficiency in the German language together at their kitchen table. Participating in a Welcome Dinner provides the opportunity to meet new people and to get a glimpse into the daily lives of others. Thus, inhibitions are reduced, interaction is facilitated, and social cohesion is strengthened.

Our actions are guided by these values:

– Welcome Dinner e.V. is promoting openness and respect toward the diverse realities of people with and without the experience of flight or migration. By arranging a communal dinner at the host’s home, we facilitate encounters at eye level.

– Our vision is a society in which all members are valued equally. We practice equality actively, both internally and in our public activities as an organization.

– Our team works together with commitment and passion. We strive towards open communication within our team and create a safe space to learn from one another, and with each other.

THE IDEA

ABOUT US

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

OUR TEAM