Frauensprachcafé: The conversations that connect us

Every Thursday, as you enter the Project Space, you are welcomed by a lively atmosphere. Conversations fill both rooms: voices overlapping, laughter breaking out, and women sharing stories, questions and experiences with each other. In every corner, small conversations unfold and with it moments of curiosity, exchange and the joy of getting to know someone new.

The topics that bring these conversations to life are as diverse as the perspectives in the room. To spark discussions, we prepare questions around themes ranging from social media and artificial intelligence to identity and migration politics. But we wanted to know: which conversations stay with the participants? What makes them excited to come back? And what is at the heart of Frauensprachcafé?

When asking about their favourite topics, one common thread emerged: conversations about the experience of being a woman. Participants mentioned feminism, empowerment and International Women’s Day as topics that particularly resonated with them. They highlighted how meaningful it is to hear perspectives from women with different backgrounds, cultures and experiences, and to discover how many hopes, challenges and questions they share.

For many participants, Frauensprachcafé is a place where women can empower each other, step by step, and word by word. Learning German is not only about expanding vocabulary; it is also about gaining the confidence to express opinions, share experiences and make their voices heard.

What makes Frauensprachcafé so special is not only that participants learn and practise a language. It is also a space where women support each other, listen to one another and build connections across borders. Even with limited vocabulary, understanding is possible. Sometimes, it is not the perfect words that matter most, but the willingness to listen.

Didem

I always like the topic of International Women’s Day. Although we come from different countries, we have similar problems and challenges in our countries.

In Sprachcafé, we come from different countries with different levels of development, sociological backgrounds, religions, languages, and cultures. Maybe some of us have more rights as women in our countries, while others are still fighting for their existence. Yet during our meetings, I realize that in none of these countries can we truly say that women and men are 100% equal in every aspect.

The right to abortion is still questioned. Feeling safe is still not guaranteed. Since my area of expertise is career management, I am also very interested in women’s experiences in business life. Even though in some countries there is theoretically and legally no difference between men and women in the workplace, fewer women are still promoted to managerial positions.

Discussing these problems and hearing about them through first-hand experiences makes me feel both included and sad that this is still an issue in 2026. Moreover, discussing these topics in German is challenging. But the most interesting part is that, even with our limited German vocabulary, we fully understand each other.

For these reasons, talking about women’s rights and women’s problems is both unforgettable and important to me.

Doina

I wasn’t there for all the topics, but the ones that stayed with me the most were feminism and empowerment.
The topic of empowerment was very important to me because I believe it is a big part of building a community. Questions like: “What do you do to help other people/women feel empowered?” or “When was the last time someone made you feel empowered?”

Ilayda

Topics related to women are very important to me because I have the feeling that these topics are not discussed very often in my home country. As a woman, it is very interesting to learn about other perspectives and cultures, for example in Iran. We exchange ideas and see how we can make this world a better place for women. :)

Rosa

One of my favourite topics was generations, because it was very interesting to observe how new ways of thinking, behaviours and ideas develop between different generations and in different countries. It is a powerful topic because it allows us to compare ways of thinking, traditions and understandings of family from both a collective and a personal perspective. Afterwards, we can compare our own perspectives with those of people from other countries. This creates a diversity of different ways of understanding and living in the world and in modern society.

These spaces are made possible thanks to the generous support of the Alstom Foundation that funds language exchanges and workshops for our FLINTA community.