Buddy Program Meetup

Find your people. Build meaningful connections.

Conversational Cruising is this month’s theme in our Buddy Program meet-up: a guided evening that borrows the somatic logic of cruising—presence, attunement, desire, and a little risk—and brings it into honest conversations about what shapes queer community today.

We begin with a gentle warm-up to arrive in the body. From there, structured connection rounds guide you through the evening—with clear, accessible formats that support openness, consent, and real talk. You’ll have space to meet new people at your own pace, notice who you click with, and take connections with you that you can continue through the we are village app after the event. The evening is intentionally designed as a space for queer friendship and mutual support beyond nightlife and club culture.

Afterwards, there’s time to hang out informally with drinks and snacks.

More about the Program
The Buddy Program was created for queer people in Berlin—whether you’re new to the city, you’ve lived here for years and want to share it with others, or you’re already settled but want to deepen your relationships. The Buddy Program values deep connection, meaningful conversation, and community care. Through a combination of in-person meet-ups, online interaction via the we are village app, and interest-based matching, the program creates space for mutual support, deeper connection, and a sense of solidarity.

J.L. McKain (BOOKDADDY) J.L. McKain (BOOKDADDY) is a Sinto-Romani American choreographer, director, and author based in Berlin. Trained in film, visual art, and choreography, his practice sits at the intersection of performance, cinema, and text. Working with autofiction and myth-making, he explores the body as a site of rupture, intensity, and regeneration. For McKain, writing and language function as choreographic tools—an embodied archive that can be activated in the present moment. At we are village, he creates safe, well-structured spaces for queer connection and creative expression through somatics and choreographic scores. He has been a danceWEB fellow and has taught at the ImPulsTanz Festival.
At we are village, he creates safe, clearly structured spaces for queer connection and creative expression through somatics and choreographic scores.

General Information
Language: we speak English and German.
Cost: The event is free of charge.

** This event is part of our program Queer Matters Digital, supported by the Deutsche Fernsehlotterie Stiftung. Learn more about the program here.