Finding + supporting mentors for pupils in Berlin

Dear friends and supporters,

as we head into the summer, we would like to take a moment to look back on the past few months and thank you for making so many meaningful moments possible. Thanks to your continued support, we have been able to create spaces where children, families and volunteers can learn, grow, laugh and connect.

As announced in our last newsletter, we organized a two-day theatre workshop during the Easter holidays for PaSch mentees and children from the neighbourhood. Fifteen children joined us for two exciting days of exploring the local theatre. They discovered the stage, the props, the backstage areas and even the dressing rooms where the actors prepare for their performances. Together with professional theatre educators, the children developed their own short play. They talked about children's rights, chose the rights that were most important to them, and turned them into creative scenes for the stage. The workshop ended with a wonderful performance for parents and mentors, who were deeply impressed by the children's ideas, confidence and creativity.

The success of the first workshop encouraged us to offer it again at the beginning of the summer holidays. This time, 21 children participated. Together they reflected on their wishes and dreams—from a new mobile phone to world peace and wishing for their mothers to stay healthy. Some of their wishes became moving and imaginative theatre scenes that the children proudly presented to their families and mentors at the end of the workshop. Once again, it was a joyful and inspiring experience for everyone involved.

In April, we had the opportunity to visit a member of the German Parliament. Together with 25 participants—mentors, mentees and parents—we explored the Paul Löbe Building, learned more about the work of the Bundestag and finished our visit with a walk up to the dome of the Reichstag. For many families, this was their first visit to the German Parliament, making it a memorable and inspiring experience.

In May, we celebrated our annual Neighbourhood Festival once again. Delicious food, music, games and activities for children, as well as many wonderful conversations, created a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Events like these strengthen the sense of community and help families, volunteers and neighbours connect beyond their mentoring relationships.

Alongside these special events, our everyday work continued. We matched new mentoring tandems, held introductory meetings with committed new volunteers and families, and celebrated important milestones with our three-month and one-year meetings for existing mentoring partnerships. At the end of June, six new mentors completed another preparation workshop. We are looking forward to creating these new mentoring matches after the summer holidays, when families have returned and everyday life begins again.

For the families spending the summer in Berlin, we have collected and shared information about many free activities in the neighbourhood. For many children, our theatre workshop has already been a wonderful start to the holidays.

None of this would be possible without your generosity. Every donation helps us create opportunities for children to discover their talents, strengthen their confidence, build meaningful relationships and experience a sense of belonging. It also enables us to support families, prepare dedicated volunteers and continue building a strong, caring community.

We have also been working on our brand-new website and would be delighted if you stopped by to learn more about our work. Feel free to visit us at www.pasch-paten.de or follow us on Instagram for updates, stories and impressions from our mentoring community.

Thank you for standing by PaSch and making all of this possible.

We wish you a wonderful summer and look forward to many more shared experiences, celebrations and new mentoring tandems in the second half of the year.

With gratitude,

Your PaSch Team