annamaria.olsson@gsbtb.org

Has over 10 years of NGO experience from Sweden, where Annamaria was also Director at SECO, one of the biggest Swedish NGOs. Studied German literature at the Humboldt Universität Berlin and has a BA in Political/Philosophy and Gender Studies from Uppsala University. Wrote her final thesis on political action in Hannah Arendt’s ”The Human Condition”. Took courses in Middle Eastern and Holocaust courses. Published her first book 2014 and has been developing the GSBTB concept since May 2012.

Currently Annamaria is responsible for overall strategy, external communications and marketing.

tom.young@gsbtb.org

He has lived in Berlin for 3 years and is the head coordinator of the GSBTB – Open Music School. He has spent the last ten years recording albums and touring the world with punk rock bands, and his solo act, Freddy Fudd Pucker.

sara.mardini@gsbtb.org

Sara brings in four years experiences in cultural mediations, community team building and migration advocacy. She has volunteered for three years in refugee hotspots in Berlin, Germany and Lesvos, Greece as a S.A.R swimmer, Arabic interpreter and team coordinator.

Sara is a Humanities and Social Thoughts student at Bard College Berlin. She is a humanitarian activist and human rights defender, working toward social justice rights for those in need. She made the migrant crossing journey from Syria to Germany herself five years ago. She is motivated to make sure no lives or rights getting lost in the crisis.

At GSBTB, Sara is responsible for the online campaigning and networking, and community building and management by bridging international and local events.

maya.tavor@gsbtb.org

Maya has been living in Berlin since 2015. She has a B.A. in Behavioral Science and has previously worked as an administrative manager, logistics manager, and project manager in various companies and NGOs.

Maya is the Office Manager of GSBTB, and she also likes to bake cookies to keep the team’s morale high.

ragip.zik@gsbtb.org

Ragıp brings in over 15 years’ experience in project management, communication, and international cooperation. Working for NGOs in Greece, Italy, and Turkey, Ragıp has coordinated multi-partner projects across the Euro-Mediterranean area, the Middle East, and the Caucasus. He is a member of the Council of Europe’s Pool of Trainers and occasionally serves as an educational consultant in human rights, democratic citizenship, and youth work. 

Ragıp is a pracademic who blends his practice with social inquiry. He is currently finalising his PhD in Sociology at the Freie Universität Berlin. His research on social movements, visual activism, and digital communication appeared in various academic and non-academic publications including several artistic formats.

At GSBTB Ragıp is responsible for developing communication strategies and partnerships. 

lisa.hoffmann@gsbtb.org

Prior to working at GSBTB, Lisa worked at an international consumer rights organisation, where she gained valuable fundraising experience.

She is responsible for the financial management, accounting and controlling of operations at GSBTB.

ricarda.bochat@gsbtb.org

Having done a Master in Fashion Marketing in the UK, Ricarda moved back to her native Germany in 2012. Here she briefly got involved with the cooking group before spending a year in Nepal and India, mainly doing earthquake relief work and teaching English to Tibetan monks. Upon returning in 2015, she took over the role of coordinating the GSBTB Open Kitchen project. Since November 2020 she has also taken on the coordination of the two language cafes.

She is now managing the Open Kitchen as well as the English Language Café on Tuesdays and the German Sprachcafé on Wednesdays.

antonina.stasiuk@gsbtb.org

Antonina, born and raised in Poland, has been living in Berlin for over a year.

Antonina holds a MA in Clinical Psychology and is currently working on a MA in Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology. In her academic work, her main area of interest is exploring the memory of Jewish history in Poland. In her professional work she has always been involved in projects related to community building. Contacting GSBTB, and asking if can help with the Open Hearts Space project seemed to be a natural step for her after arriving in Berlin.

She started off as a volunteer and is now the Manager of the Open Hearts Space.

hesham.marold@gsbtb.org

After having grown up in Egypt, Germany and the UK, Hesham finally graduated from the German school in Cairo and moved to Berlin in 2012. He attended universities in Germany, Greece and Spain, and graduated with an MSc in innovation and entrepreneurship. He has a background in international development and design thinking and loves to test ideas and come up with new ways to solve social problems and cater to people’s needs. Hesham has worked in initiatives fighting unemployment, providing legal and general assistance to refugees, and helping new Berliners arrive and navigate bureaucracies. He also has experience working on small film productions, which he still contributes to occasionally.

At GSBTB Hesham is responsible for fundraising and community management. If you have any questions about us, ideas for collaboration, or anything we can help you with, he will happily be your point of contact!

lucy.thomas@gsbtb.org

In 2013 Lucy started working as a volunteer at GSBTB and is today responsible for Operations, Project Management, HR as well as the co-development and strategy of the organisation.