Finding + supporting mentors for pupils in Berlin

Dear Friends and Supporters, 

The past four months have been filled with lively events, meaningful connections, and countless smiles, also thanks to your generous support of our mentoring project for elementary school children. We are happy to share the highlights of this busy yet rewarding time with you. 

A Fun-Filled Afternoon Despite the Weather On September 14th, our planned picnic in the park transformed into a lively games and activity afternoon at PaSch in the Fabrik. The windy and chilly weather couldn’t dampen our spirits! We started the day with a delicious buffet in our community center’s cozy café, with everyone contributing and sharing. The fun continued indoors, where the mentors and mentees enjoyed games and activities and parents enjoyed coffee and conversations. Then we headed outside to the courtyard to play Viking chess, tabletennis and basketball. The day wrapped up with some games of bingo, lots of laughter, and small treasures for everyone from our treasure chest. It was truly a memorable day for all involved! 

New Matches and Milestones This autumn brought exciting progress for our project: 

• 3 new tandems were matched, meeting for three consecutive weeks to build strong connections. 

• 3 tandems reached their three-month milestone and participated in their follow-up meetings. 

• 2 tandems celebrated their one-year anniversaries with special review sessions. 

• 3 tandems said good-bye PaSch-mentorship – hello strong friendship (after 5, 3 and 1,5 years of mentorship). We are proud of them and so happy to see, how strong this connection between mentor and mentee is. 

Feedback from these meetings has been overwhelmingly positive, with mentors, mentees, and parents all expressing that the mentorships feel like strong, supportive teams even within the first three months. This confirms what we see every day—the power of these relationships to create lasting impacts. One touching highlight was a photo book from one mentor to her mentee over their 5 year old mentorship.  

Celebrating Our Volunteers On October 18th, we hosted a special exchange meeting for our mentors, coinciding with our annual appreciation event for all volunteers and collaborators. The evening was a wonderful opportunity for our mentors to share experiences, enjoy delicious food, music, and great company. These moments of connection and gratitude highlight the strength of our community. 

A Cozy Winter Celebration On December 6th, we welcomed the holiday season with a delightful winter festival in our communtiy center. Families and tandems gathered for a children’s program, warm conversations around a courtyard fire, and the much-anticipated distribution of Christmas gift bags to our tandems. The joy and excitement on the children’s faces were heartwarming and reminded us of the magic of this season. 

Looking Ahead As the year draws to a close, we’re busy distributing the last giftbags, scheduling appointments for the new year, and reflecting on the incredible moments we’ve shared. This has been a beautiful year filled with personal connections, growth, and countless memories. 

We wish you a peaceful holiday season and a joyous start to the new year. We look forward to welcoming new volunteers, forming new tandems, and continuing to create wonderful stories together in the coming year. 

Thank you for your support—this helps us to make all of this possible! 

Warm regards, 

The PaSch Team