Radical Empathy – Tools for Togetherness

Workshop series with Neo Seefried & guests

How can we stay connected—especially when things get tough? This workshop series moves from collective storytelling toward a collective practice. It strengthens queer community in all its diversity.

Hosted by Neo Seefried, this series combines storytelling with somatic, communicative, and creative tools—to help participants remain capable of taking action in queer contexts when faced with conflicts, emotions, and differences: not by avoiding or escalating them, but with greater clarity, care, and relational skills.

Tools:

• From storytelling to practicing together
• Somatic, communicative, creative – for conflicts, emotions, and differences
• Listening, Empathy, and Resonance as Skills That Can Be Developed

Each session has its own focus—ranging from grief and death to relationships, migration, and HIV/AIDS, as well as club culture, substance use, and trans/inter/non-binary perspectives—and is explored in depth by a guest speaker. At the heart of it all is the Resonance Circle: a space for sharing stories, mindful listening, and genuine connection, where we practice empathy together and carry that practice into our daily lives.

Our Guest Facilitators:

Friday, April 17, 2026, 4:00–7:00 p.m.: Relationships and Partnerships with Maximilian Popp, systemic couples therapist

Sunday, May 31, 2026, 2:00–5:00 p.m.: Empathy with a Focus on TIN* Perspectives with Béla Hackenberg, a trans-femme activist

Friday, June 12, 2026, 4:00–7:00 p.m.: Candid and honest conversations about HIV with Madi Adwalla, author and educator at the intersection of sexual health and care

Three more events will take place starting in September and will be announced soon!

Participation by registration only – limited spaces available. In case you missed one of the sessions, you can join for the next sessions. The workshops will be held in English or in a mix of German and English.

Not in Berlin? Your story still matters.

To allow people outside of Berlin to take part in the project, a digital story archive is being created. Through the online form, queer individuals can submit their personal stories – anonymously or with their name. This collection will become a living archive of queer memory, resilience, and contradictions. It demonstrates the diversity of conflict experiences and invites us to understand them not as rupture, but as a source of strength and community.

Here you can share your story:

Three sessions for professional exchange on the topic of conflicts as opportunity

📅 Dates: September 16 | October 21 | November 18

In this working group, we bring together committed individuals from various organizations and communities. Moderated by Rashin Rejaei Mardakhi (mediator, coach, supervisor) and Jan Großer (psychiatrist & psychotherapist), participants will explore strategies for using conflicts constructively – as a driver for empowerment, resilience, and collective action. The working group is aimed at individuals representing their organization or initiative and who can attend all three sessions. Participation is free, and spaces are limited.

Thematic Focus Areas:

Session 1: Wednesday, September 16, 1:00–5:30 p.m.
Focus: Orientation and strategies for dealing with conflicts

Session 2: Wednesday, October 21, 1:00–5:30 p.m.
Focus: Individual and collective conflict resolution strategies

Session 3: Wednesday, November 18, 1:00–5:30 p.m.
Focus: Reframing conflicts to make them productive

Please register by August 15 by mail to: info@wearevillage.org

For questions, comments, or feedback regarding the working group, you can use this contact form:

We’d love to hear from you. Your insights will help us understand how conflicts arise in the queer community, what support might be missing, and how we can develop initiatives to better empower LGBTQIA+ individuals.
We would like to know where and how conflicts show up in your life, what strategies you use to navigate them, and what would make you feel more supported in those moments.

Concept by Kai Ehrhardt & Neo Seefried

Hosted by we are village | queer matters gGmbH

Supported by the Berlin Senate Department for the Interior and Sports – Berlin State Commission Against Violence