What we carry
does not
end with us.
First Gen is a dialogue series for people who are the first in their families to build a life in Germany — and for those who carry what comes with it.
Each edition brings people together around a specific theme: migration, mental health, belonging, family expectation, work, care, and identity.
The series is free to attend, community-led, and built so the conversations continue through recordings, materials, and relationships.
In partnership with Afrotopia
Why this work
matters.
Across communities, access to support is shaped by stigma, structural gaps, and expectations of resilience. First Gen creates space where these realities can be spoken about — and where knowledge is shared beyond formal systems.
The questions we
bring into the room.
Each edition focuses on questions people are already carrying: family pressure, mental health, racism, burnout, belonging, and ways of healing that make sense in community.
- 01 Intergenerational trauma and migration-related stress Inheritance
- 02 Pressure to succeed as the first Expectation
- 03 Racism and everyday microaggressions Environment
- 04 Identity across cultures and expectations Belonging
- 05 Mental health and stigma within communities Stigma
- 06 Burnout, anxiety, and emotional fatigue Fatigue
- 07 Ways of healing beyond conventional models Practice
- 08 Community, Philanthropy & Media Category
- 09 Democracy & Civic Participation Category
- 10 Digital Rights & Online Safety Category
- 11 Climate & Environmental Justice Category
- 12 Children, Youth & Family Category
- 13 Health & Patient Rights Category
- 14 Disability & Accessibility Category
- 15 Gender & Women's Rights Category
- 16 Anti-Discrimination & Equality Category
More than
a panel.
The format combines conversation, listening, reflection, and shared resources. People speak from lived experience and professional practice, without turning complex lives into simple answers.
The people shaping
the conversation.
Across editions, First Gen has brought together therapists, organisers, artists, researchers, hosts, editors, and community voices. The work is stronger because the room is shaped by both lived experience and professional practice.
If your work, experience, or perspective fits the conversation, reach out about speaking, facilitating, documenting, or volunteering.
The
Program.
Saturday, 25 April 2026, 12:30–19:30. The day moves through arrival, welcome remarks, keynote, panel conversation, workshops, plenary reflections, closing remarks, and community dinner.
Three editions in.
Still building.
Since 2023, First Gen has gathered communities across editions. Each one leaves behind recordings, materials, relationships, and a clearer sense of what the next room needs.
Browse the full archive →Help build
the 2027 edition.
- Space and production
- Documentation and archiving
- Community access
- Speakers and contributors
Before you
support.
Explore what the series
has produced.
Read, watch, and listen back to materials from past editions: conversations, recordings, references, and resources published with care and consent.
Explore archive →Held by
many.
First Gen is made possible by volunteers, partners, contributors, hosts, and community members who give time, skills, space, care, and trust to each edition.
