At Questadtein, formerly homeless people and people with refugee experience each offer city tours in Berlin and Dresden:
Because the “life on the street [hat für Obdachlose] its own rules: Everything is public, nothing is private. Inevitably, one’s perspective on the city changes when one becomes homeless, when streets, parks, and train stations become food hubs.” And “city guides with refugee experience lead […] to the places that are important to them in their new home city and tell how it felt to arrive.”
Each guide offers their own perspective, their own experiences, their own perceptions, and the tours are correspondingly diverse. On the project’s website, the creators write: “On our tours, people speak out who are usually talked about a lot: Our formerly homeless city guides talk about life without a roof over their heads. They show the places in public space where they once lived. New Berliners and New Dresdeners who have fled Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq share their perspectives on their new home cities. The city tours through different neighborhoods offer space for dialogue as well as the chance to break down fears of contact and rethink one’s own prejudices.”
“Querstadtein” is a project of the non-profit association Stadtsichten e.V. and can also be found on facebook.