City.Zen – A project by IPSO and the District Office Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg

In cooperation with and funded by the District Office Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg.

The “City.Zen” project aims to create a neighborhood where everyone feels seen, heard, and supported. Residents of refugee shelters in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg come together with the local community through shared activities and open dialogue. These interactions help build social bridges and foster a stronger sense of togetherness. At its core, the project promotes mutual understanding, and a trauma-sensitive, resilience-focused approach to individual experiences.

Filmmaker Zakir Mandegar has captured the highlights and achievements from the project’s early months in a short film, available on YouTube (click here)

How do we make this happen?

1. Multilingualism

Because our focus is on communication, we support residents in their native languages. Therefore, we provide support in Farsi, Arabic, Ukrainian and Russian.

2. Training for Community Mentors

At the heart of our project are the Community Mentors — dedicated community members who have been trained in topics such as collective trauma, resilience, and empathetic communication.

After completing the training, the mentors are better equipped to understand how personal and collective trauma can affect community dynamics and relationships.

Throughout the project, we support the mentors as they set up small programs that promote a lasting sense of safety, belonging, and dignity in their community.

3. Individual counselling

Residents of participating shelters in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg are invited to schedule individual psychosocial counseling sessions online or at the IPSO Care Center in Berlin-Schöneberg. Each person may partake in three to five sessions.

4. Workshops in psychosocial education

We encourage all participating residents to attend three of our workshops.  These teach basic skills in the areas of

• Stress management
• Building resilience
• Resource activation
• Trauma awareness
• Empathic and non-violent communication

The workshops aim to raise awareness of stress and trauma, as well as their effects on relationships and communities. Participants will also learn how to use language that promotes safety and belonging while preserving the dignity of those they are speaking with.

5. Info sessions for social workers

The social workers in the shelters are an important part of the local community and know the needs of the residents very well. Through German-language online sessions, we provide them with additional training in trauma-informed and resilience-oriented community support – and create space for their expertise to help shape the project.

Looking Ahead

The pilot phase launched in August 2024 under the name “Gemeinschaft für Morgen” (“Community for Tomorrow”) — and the response was encouraging. We’re now excited to continue under the new name, City.Zen.

If you have any questions about the project, please don’t hesitate to reach out via Mail at cityzen@ipsocare.org or via WhatsApp at: +49 155 60 950 447