Live · voice only
Campfires
Up to six people at one fire, one topic, 90 minutes. A firekeeper holds the space, and nothing is recorded.
- Alone by the firefree
- A fire for your groupon request
- Open evenings for everyonesoon
The word
mitwithmenschhuman being
Say it like “mit-mensh”.
Mitmensch is German for a fellow human: the human you are human with, someone you share this world with. Not a contact, not a customer, not a follower, but another person, with their own story, worries and hopes.
In German it is an everyday word. Most languages have no single word for it, so we kept the German one, everywhere.
Why
Why meet differently?
Behind every decision, every opinion and every sentence in passing, there’s a story. Hearing it changes how we understand each other, in small circles and in large ones.
With yourself
Pausing, looking into the fire, writing down your own thoughts. Listening to yourself makes it easier to listen to others.
Family and friends
Stories you never expected, from people you’ve known all your life.
At work
The person behind the role, across departments, offices and countries.
Neighbourhood and city
The people you pass every day, and the stories that hold a place together.
Across borders
Twin cities, exchanges, countries that want to grow closer: understanding starts with one person’s story, told to another.
A fire won’t answer the big questions. But it starts where all understanding starts: with one person listening to another.
Formats
Two ways to meet each other.
Both begin with the same principles. On your own, both are free; for your group, we shape them with you.
Slow · like on paper
Letters
You write to a Mitmensch you don’t know, and you get mail from another. Post by Sunday midnight, mail arrives on Monday, without names.
- Writing for yourselffree
- A letter round for youon request
- Letters to a Mitmenschsoon
Later, one account for both formats. What holds at the fire holds in every letter.
What we stand for
Everything we make follows the same words.
I come as me,and you come as you.
Read the whole poem
I come as me,and you come as you.
We listen with care,and speak what is true.
We wonder, we ask,before thinking we know.
We honor a boundary,and respect a clear no.
When we get it wrong,we own it, we grow.
We try to return,yet know when to go.
Whatever may come,one thing stays true:
The human in mesees the human in you
About us
Who’s behind it.
Hello, Mitmensch.
I don’t know who you are, where you are, or how your day has been. But I’m glad you’re here.
I started mitmensch.net because I can’t shake the feeling that our everyday lives are often missing something: time. Time to pause. Time to let go, for a moment, of the expectations we have of ourselves and of others. Time to listen to ourselves, and to the people around us.
Most of what we see of each other comes in fragments: a decision, an opinion, a sentence in passing. There’s rarely time to ask about the story behind it. I believe we’d understand each other better if we asked that question more often. Right now, that feels especially important to me.
That’s why there are places here that make it a little easier: a campfire where we listen to one another, and letters we can write without hurrying. On our own, too, we can pause, look into the fire or write down our own story, just for ourselves. That’s worth as much as any encounter.
When we share our stories – with people we already know as well as with people we’re only just meeting – a little of us stays with someone else every time.
mitmensch.net is open and unfinished. It’s only just taking shape. Maybe it grows into a community. Maybe it’s a letter, a quiet moment or an evening by the fire. That alone would be enough.
If this resonates with you, I’d be glad if you joined me for part of the way.
Warmly,Kevin
Write to me: kevin@mitmensch.net
For partners and funders
Create encounters with us
For everyone who cares about people meeting each other more often: companies, clubs and initiatives, schools and universities, cities and twin-city partnerships, foundations, communities and creators. You bring a topic; we bring the place and the principles.
Become a partnerFor your group
A fire or a letter round just for you.
Time for each other, and a chance to meet the people behind the roles: in your team, across departments and countries, in your club or group. On your topic, hosted by us.
Request a roundQuestions
What is mitmensch.net?
Places where we take time, for ourselves and for each other. We can’t give anyone time, but we can make it a little easier to take it: to pause, to share and to listen. To begin with there are two places: the Campfire, voice only, and Letters, slow like on paper. On your own, both are free; for your group, we shape them with you.
Do I need an account?
For anything with others, yes, and one account works for both formats. You can sit by the fire alone without signing up.
What does it cost?
Whatever you do on your own is free, and it will stay that way. A fire or a letter round for your group is something we shape with you, and the price depends on the scope. Open rounds for everyone are on their way.
Is anything recorded or sold?
No. Campfires are never recorded, and letters carry no names. We show no ads and sell no data.
Is this therapy?
No. mitmensch.net is a place for meeting people, not therapy or counselling. If you are not doing well, please seek professional help. In an emergency, call 112 or your local emergency number.
How old do I have to be?
18 or older.