Participation and Career Start

As part of the ‘Participation and Career Start’ project, run by the Cemevi (the Alevi house of worship) with the support of the European Union and the Berlin Senate, people with roots in Türkiye who have long lived in Germany or have recently arrived receive free information and advice on their legal rights and responsibilities.

FREE ADVICE

VENUE: ALEVI COMMUNITY OF BERLIN – CEMEVI

MONDAYS AND FRIDAYS

FROM 15:00 TO 18:00

Get advice, stay one step ahead / Contact e-mail: biradimondesin@gmx.de /

In 2024, the Alevi Community of Berlin – Cemevi launched the ‘Participation and Career Start’ (‘Start in Teilhabe und Beruf‘) project together with the Berlin Senate and the European Union. Running until July 2026, the project offers information and advice for people from Türkiye.

‘Get advice, stay one step ahead’ is the motto under which the project works. Its aim is to inform people who have come to Germany under the Skilled Immigration Act, as well as political asylum seekers and those who have arrived through family reunification, about many aspects of life in Germany, including politics, law, social matters and education, and to support them in their new lives here. The project also supports and informs people who have lived in Germany for a long time on the same topics.

You can use our free advice service to obtain accurate and complete information about Germany.

We help you find the right places to go to learn about your rights and responsibilities.

Learning German: Where can I learn German?

School and work: Where and how can I have my school diploma and vocational training recognised?

Marriage, family and education: Who can help me during pregnancy? Which advice centres can I turn to about nurseries and schools? How can I get in touch?

Our advice centre can answer all these questions and many more.

MP Aydın (SPD) explained tenants’ rights and responsibilities

The ‘Participation and Career Start’ project, run jointly by the European Union, the Berlin Senate and the Alevi Community of Berlin – Cemevi, held a meeting on tenancy law and tenants’ rights. The speaker at the breakfast meeting, held at Çorum Der, was Sevim Aydın, a Berlin MP for the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Aydın spoke about the high rents and housing shortage in Berlin. She also gave information on the work being done in this area and answered participants’ questions. Emphasising that tenants enjoy legal protection, Aydın asked that arbitrary rent increases be reported to the Senate’s advice office for tenants.

Participants asked questions in particular about the recent rise in rents and disputes between landlords and tenants. Aydın also took note of participants’ suggestions and said she would take the suggestions and complaints to her party’s parliamentary group and to the state parliament.

Germany’s new Military Service Act explained

As part of the ‘Participation and Career Start’ project, run jointly by the European Union, the Berlin Senate and the Alevi Community of Berlin – Cemevi, a meeting looked at Germany’s new Military Service Act, which has now come into force, and the responsibilities it places on young people. At the information meeting, with a presentation by Kenan Kolat, former national chair of the Turkish Community in Germany (Türkische Gemeinde in Deutschland), information was also given on how those born in 2008 should fill in the questionnaire. Speaking at the meeting, Selçuk Erkan shared his experiences of military service in the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) with participants. Highlighting the importance of discipline, responsibility and team spirit, Erkan gave young people valuable advice. At the well-attended event, questions about the obligations and procedures introduced by the new law were answered. The meeting was regarded as an important step in raising awareness among young people.

ŞAHİN GIVES AN OVERVIEW OF THE BERLIN EDUCATION SYSTEM

This month, the ‘Participation and Career Start’ project held a meeting at the Gaziantep Çepnileri Derneği on the topic ‘The Berlin Education System and the Role of Parents in Education’. The presentation at the meeting, held as part of the project run jointly by the European Union, the Berlin Senate and the Alevi Community of Berlin – Cemevi, was given by Kadir Şahin. Describing the education system from primary school through to university, Şahin also touched on the importance of vocational training. Stressing that parents are an integral part of education, he also highlighted the importance of parent representation.

PROJECT ACTIVITIES

In 2024, workshops were organised on citizenship, housing, asylum, political participation, residence law, the Skilled Immigration Act, education, the separation of powers and the constitution. This year, the experts who informed participants on various topics at the workshops were members of the Bundestag Canan Bayram and Hakan Demir, together with former GEW (German Education Union) chair Safter Çınar, former chair of the Turkish Community in Germany Kenan Kolat, lawyer Nurali Turan and Kadir Şahin, a member of the Executive Board of the Alevi Community of Berlin – Cemevi.

Another important pillar of the project is the advice service, which is offered in person, by telephone and by e-mail. Face-to-face appointments take place two days a week. The free face-to-face advice service is provided at the Cemevi on Mondays and Fridays from 15.00 to 18.00. If you would like to receive advice by e-mail, you can reach us at biradimondesin@gmx.de.

Anyone interested in the project’s workshops can follow the topics and dates on the Cemevi’s social media channels and on the project’s Facebook page ‘biradimöndesin’.

Contact us: You can reach us at the e-mail address ‘biradimondesin@gmx.de.

OUR WORK

At our events, held at certain times of the year on a set theme, expert speakers first inform participants about the topic and the related laws and then answer their questions. Our events are open to everyone and are announced publicly in advance via social media and posters. In the photo gallery below you can see pictures from our events.