Berlin Hub: A Floating Market of Ideas and Solidarity in Civil Society
Online Session "When a conversation gets difficult: how to work with difference and tension” / June 16 / 10:00–13:00 CEST
Payam Yuce Isik is an executive and team coach and a facilitator. Her work focuses on creating dialogue in the heat of conflict, facilitating change in the face of polarization and resistance, and supporting leaders to own their leadership through awareness. She brings a deep understanding of how organizations — and the leaders and teams within them — function, behave, and relate to each other, how they get stuck, deal with challenges, conflict and resistance as well as how they thrive and excel. Payam is an ICF accredited Professional Certified coach (PCC), organization and relationship systems coach (ORSC), and accredited Lewis Deep Democracy facilitator and trainer with over 15 years of teaching experience.
What is Berlin Hub?
Berlin Hub, a new initiative of the Civil Society Forum (CSF), embodies the belief that civil society thrives on real connections, honest conversations and mutual care. In a world increasingly shaped by disinformation, polarisation and isolation, Berlin Hub serves as a dynamic space where changemakers—artists, activists, scientists, journalists and exiled leaders—come together to collaborate and reimagine solutions to the challenges that divide us. The Hub reflects the spirit of a "floating market," allowing participants to organically exchange experiences and knowledge, much like neighbours shaping their community.
Berlin Hub serves as an incubator for those already driving change, providing a space to amplify their work. It is a platform where civil society flourishes through genuine connections rather than surface-level engagement.
CSF acknowledges that change is essential but cannot be achieved alone. Through Berlin Hub, we are prompted to reflect: How does this city shape our work and identity within civil society, across Europe and beyond? What happens when we connect—not just through projects, but by sharing our stories, dreams and aspirations?
Our Mission in Action
Berlin Hub was born from what we’ve witnessed—diaspora groups struggling in isolation, activists battling disinformation, and polarization deepening divides. Grassroots movements lack sustainable resources, while civil society remains fragmented. Berlin Hub exists to bridge these gaps, and this is why we invite you to be a part of it:
Capacity building and skill development:
We equip activists, artists and diaspora communities with tools in advocacy, storytelling, project management and facilitation.
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Fostering mutual awareness and network building:
We connect grassroots initiatives, diaspora leaders and exiled communities through platforms that promote meaningful exchange.
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Incubation and experimentation:
We co-create and test innovative ideas, providing space for initiatives that address societal and systemic challenges.
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Reflection and dialogue:
We create open spaces for civil society actors to question, disrupt and co-design solutions to systemic issues, promoting trust and collective action.
Ways to Engage
At Berlin Hub, we co-create spaces that unite people, fostering deep collaboration across sectors. By hosting diverse communities, we bring diverse voices into dialogue—through storytelling, performances, interactive workshops and many other formats.
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Host with Us:
Collaborate directly with CSF to co-design formats that reflect shared experiences and innovation.
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Host with Others:
Facilitate independent collaborations with microgrants supporting autonomous initiatives.
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Host Within:
Strengthen internal capacity-building and foster continuous learning spaces within communities.
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Host Beyond:
Extend the reach of Berlin Hub by activating spaces and events in Brandenburg, fostering regional connections and amplifying collaborative innovation
Kick-off event “Bridging capacity together: How does this city shape our work and identity within civil society across Europe and beyond?”
On April 11, we kicked off our project with Open Space “Bridging capacity together: How does this city shape our work and identity within civil society across Europe and beyond?” We explored how cities shape our identities and influence collaboration, activism and civic engagement across Europe and beyond. This is a space for exchange, learning and co-creation. Here you will find some photos from the kickoff event to get the vibe of Berlin Hub.
Online session "The Art of Hosting and Harvesting Meaningful Conversations" / 20 May / 10:00–13:00 CEST
In times of conflict and division, civil society actors need to hold space for dialogue and decision-making — even in difficult or high-pressure environments.
Join us for the online session on 20 May 2025 10:00–13:00 CEST, featuring Art of Hosting Steward Maria Scordialos and practitioner Alice Priori, as we explore the question: How can we host community spaces in light of our current challenges?
The Art of Hosting and Harvesting Meaningful Conversations is a practice-based approach to participatory leadership that moves from the personal to the systemic. It draws on dialogue, facilitation and co-creation to navigate complexity and unlock collective intelligence.
This session will offer a reflective learning space focused on:
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A worldview rooted in connectivity and living systems
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Mental and practice models that support navigating complexity
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Process design that enables meaningful participation and wise collective action
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Stories of application at community and institutional levels
About the hosts
Maria Scordialos is co-initiator of the Art of Hosting & Harvesting Meaningful Conversations, a practice that invites people to create new collective intelligence through generative dialogue. Maria specialises in strategic process design and dialogue of systemic transformation initiatives. She works with the principles of self-organisation and participation in order to create the conditions where both individual and collective learning and discovery can emerge. Maria is passionate about citizen-led democracy where people can be part of crafting their own lives by living their soul’s purpose. Maria has worked in strategic management positions and since 2000 has co-created learning opportunities and led projects in Europe, North America, Africa and the Middle East.
Alice Priori is the co-creator and coordinator of CitizensLab e.V., an organization based in Berlin and working across Europe aiming at achieving deep system change in the area of societal transformation. Alice is a facilitator and practitioner of the Art of Hosting Meaningful Conversations, where participatory leadership and collective organizing is at the centre. She is passionate about creating experiential learning formats that center relationality, embodiment, and decolonial thinking to nourish new radical imaginations and cultures of care. Alice has been working in Italy, Palestine and the Middle East before moving to Berlin.
Online Session "Facilitating (in) Complexity" / June 2 / 10:00–13:00 CEST
In today’s world of deep division, systemic uncertainty and social pressure, facilitation is no longer just a professional skill—it is a systemic practice which helps us hold space for dialogue, reflection and collective meaning-making.
As part of our Facilitating Real Dialogue series within the Berlin Hub initiative, we warmly invite you to our next online session: "Facilitating (in) Complexity" with Zoya Lukyanova and Ruslan Kildeev from resense360. With over a decade of experience in facilitating organisations, networks and multi-stakeholder partnerships, they’ll lead us through:
- How a processual worldview can reshape our approach to change and facilitation
- Key facilitation capabilities for working in complex environments
- The power of visual facilitation for working with groups in complex settings
- Practical tools & exercises to experience facilitation first-hand
This space is open to facilitators, changemakers, curious minds and anyone navigating complexity and holding space for transformation.
Please be sure to register for the upcoming session HERE.
About the hosts:
Zoya Lukyanova is co-founder of resense360 and Network partner of the School of System Change. She works at the intersection of system change, strategy and learning, supporting organizations, networks, and leaders in navigating complexity and driving meaningful transformation processes. Zoya is co-author of a series of educational courses on systems change including Delta and co-developer of Ecosystem Cards.
Ruslan Kildeev is a co-founder of resense360 and Partner Producer at the School of System Change. He is a program and event producer, visual and digital facilitator, and co-designer of several courses and programs on systems change (e. g. Delta). Ruslan’s current work focus is to accompany teams and organizations in designing and producing end-to-end learning journeys, and hosting online, offline, and hybrid gatherings of varying scales and complexity.
Note: this is the second out of five virtual sessions exploring practical, field-tested facilitation approaches that support genuine participation, deeper understanding and stronger collective action.
Online Session “Towards Dialogue — An Introduction to Nonviolent Communication” / June 6 / 10:00–13:00 CEST
In today’s world of deep division, systemic uncertainty and social pressure, facilitation is no longer just a professional skill—it is a systemic practice which helps us hold space for dialogue, reflection and collective meaning-making.
As part of our Facilitating Real Dialogue series within the Berlin Hub initiative, we warmly invite you to our next online session: "An Introduction to Nonviolent Communication” with Vesna Lorenc and Bětka Wójcik.
➨ Practice new skills on real-life scenarios and exercises
➨ Explore why we struggle to hear or be heard in difficult conversations
➨ Learn how awareness of feelings and needs can support us and transform our communication and relationships
Vesna Lorenc is a consultant, intercultural trainer and business coach, certified CNVC trainer, ICF MCC coach, NVC facilitator, author of books. She has worked in an international environment for more than 25 years, supporting the development and processes of internal and external communication at various levels. She trains in Poland and abroad. Often working in the context of conflict resolution and improvement of communication processes in organisations.
Bětka Wójcik is a trainer and facilitator with a background in pedagogy. She is passionate about creating safe spaces for authentic exchange and collaborative learning - both in-person and online. Her areas of expertise include dialogue, Nonviolent Communication (NVC), conflict transformation, stress and trauma awareness, and trauma-sensitive collaboration. She also delivers training for trainers and teaches facilitation skills.
Online Session "Trauma-Informed Facilitation — A systemic lens for holding civic spaces” / June 10 / 10:00–13:00 CEST
Christa Cocciole supports changemakers, teams, and organizations navigating complexity by bridging inner transformation with systemic impact and future-oriented thinking. As a Transformation Doula, she designs and hosts processes rooted in trauma-informed embodiment, systems thinking, and collective imagination. Her work sits at the intersection of healing and social transformation — where inner clarity fuels regenerative action.
Julia Hoffmann is a facilitator, host and scribe who creates spaces for deep listening, collective learning, and regenerative collaboration. Her work blends systems thinking, embodied practice, and a deep trust in the creativity that emerges between people. With over a decade of experience across civic innovation, education, and social change in Europe, Julia brings the ability to help people feel safe enough to explore silence, the unknown, and their own creative depths.
Host With Us & Host with Each Other
Berlin Hub is inviting civil society actors, artists, journalists, educators, social entrepreneurs, researchers, socially responsible businesses and feminist and queer collectives to co-create spaces for reflection, experimentation and collaboration. Apply now to join our hosting model, grounded in participatory leadership and disruptive design. Hosts have the opportunity to design and execute their desired concept for a Berlin Hub event. Read more details here. Apply till 15 May 2025 via Application form.