U.S. Civil War

**Stretch Festival 2026** April 03 2026 - April 05 2026 [www.stretch.berlin](https://www.stretch.berlin/) **For GBTQ men\*** **Sold out, waiting list per email on events@wearevillage.org** STRETCH FESTIVAL is a weekend festival for gay, bisexual, trans and queer men\* and people who identify somewhere on the spectrum from male-fluid to non-binary. We welcome all bodies, backgrounds, and identities within this larger and not-so-definable container of queer masculinities. Take the opportunity to discover and explore new ways of being to nourish your body, mind and spirit. We look forward to curious and adventurous participants. The festival takes place three times a year in the heart of Berlin. Experts\*, practitioners\*, therapists\*, healers\*, rebels\* and artists\* invite you to this unique gathering. There is a wealth of offerings to explore from the fields of bodywork, mindfulness, art, movement, sexuality, psychology, spirituality, gender, identity, ritual, performance and social engagement. Participants can put together their schedule from 36 workshops or lectures. Outside of the workshops, you’ll be able to socialize, mingle or deepen exchanges with people from many different places. We look forward to welcoming you! 🔵 **Stretch Festival 2026** 3\. April 2026 \- 5\. April 2026 **[www.stretch.berlin](https://www.stretch.berlin/home-de)** Fur **GBTQ men\*** Das **STRETCH FESTIVAL** ist ein Wochenendfestival für schwule, bisexuelle, trans und queere Männer\* und Menschen, die sich irgendwo auf dem Spektrum von männlich-fluid bis nicht-binär identifizieren. Wir heißen alle Körper, Hintergründe und Identitäten innerhalb dieses größeren und nicht so definierbaren Containers von queeren Männlichkeiten willkommen. Nutzt die Chance, neue Wege des Seins zu entdecken und zu erforschen, um euren Körper, euren Geist und eure Seele zu nähren. Wir freuen uns auf neugierige und abenteuerlustige Teilnehmende. Das Festival findet dreimal im Jahr im Herzen von Berlin statt. Experten\*, Praktiker\*, Therapeuten\*, Heiler\*, Rebellen\* und Künstler\* laden euch zu dieser einzigartigen Zusammenkunft ein. Es gibt eine Fülle von Angeboten aus den Bereichen Körperarbeit, Achtsamkeit, Kunst, Bewegung, Sexualität, Psychologie, Spiritualität, Gender, Identität, Ritual, Performance und sozialem Engagement zu erkunden. Teilnehmende können ihren Ablauf aus 36 Workshops oder Vorträgen zusammenstellen. Außerhalb der Workshops habt ihr die Möglichkeit, Kontakte zu knüpfen, euch zu unterhalten oder den Austausch mit Menschen aus vielen verschiedenen Ländern zu vertiefen. Wir freuen uns darauf, euch willkommen zu heißen!

Who is in the mood for some quiet togetherness while catching up on their reading? Let’s enjoy literature or non-fiction together and come to our Reading in Companionable Silence meeting on Friday (since it is a public holiday). Nathania will welcome members and there is time to socialize and to order some food or a beverage - ca. 30 min. Then we read for an hour in silence. After that - time to exchange impressions, suggestions, ask questions and generally have a good time. There might be a break in the middle in order to allow for more drinks, a bathroom break etc.

* SPECIAL 2€ Dark Comedy Meetup d[iscount if you use this link and say "Dark Meetup" at the door](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/dark-comedy-berlin-1667549) * A place for dark comedy and dark humour people! Not for the faint of heart - only the most vile, twisted and demented comedy will be seen! Every week we got a brilliantly twisted headliner for you. This week we will have the amazing Christoph Schmid for you. New Year, but our depressing lives move on. Time to make fun of it. Or end it after the show. Up to you. It's a dark and twisted show by demented people (us) for screwed up people (you)! RULES \- non smoking venue \- trigger warning \- we are trying stuff out so it might get sloppy \- tickets are 5€ up front\, you pay the rest at the door \(cash or via card\) \- show at 8\.30pm Do you enjoy dark jokes!? Is your sense of humour slightly twisted then this one is for you! The Dark Comedy is an OPEN MIC Comedy Show in English \- meant to help comedians test out their more twisted / darker material\. \- we expect that you are not easily offended if you decide to come to this show \- Berlin is the most active comedy scene in continental Europe and it caters to all types of humour including dark\! \- The show will feature comedians trying out tested and new jokes to hone them to the point where they really shock Tickets are: **15€ - What is wrong with me Ticket** \- you can save yourself a seat by paying 5€ up front and then 10€ at the door **13€ - What is wrong with my friends Ticket** \- you pay 3€ up front and only 10€ at the door if you are 4 or more people OR **19€ at the door** (if we have seats left) If you've made it all the way down here, just reserve a seat already. What more do you want from us?! Geez! Also, here are some more shows of ours: [Propaganda Comedy](https://linktr.ee/propagandacomedy "https://linktr.ee/propagandacomedy")

Join us for an upcoming in-person Lean Coffee meetup. Lean Coffee is a lightly-structured meeting format where the attendees create the agenda. Bring your management challenges; whether you're managing people, products, processes or beyond, and solve them together with peers from a diverse set of backgrounds. This event is great for anybody trying to create better ways of working and wants to share with + learn from others trying to do the same.

**🎟️ Get your tickets here: [https://fienta.com/pettyproblemsberlinapril2026?utm_source=meetup&utm_medium=event](https://fienta.com/pettyproblemsberlinapril2026?utm_source=meetup&utm_medium=event)** **Berlin's 1st & only mock trial comedy show!** In this new format improvised comedy show, comedian & host Žana Fejzić (BIH/USA) with the help of local Berlin comics will determine how petty your problems are in a mock trial. **You, the audience, get to play jury & decide on a guilty or innocent verdict. 👩🏼‍⚖️** Find out if the punishment fits the crime! **Like Judge Judy (or Barbara Salesch for the Germans) but nicer!** ⚖️ **👩🏼‍⚖️ HOW TO PARTICIPATE:** Before the show begins at the door you'll find a QR code to scan to submit your petty problem anonymously. Your problem remains anonymous unless you wish to state it's yours. **🗓️ WHEN:** Friday, 3. April Show begins 22:00 Doors open 21:30 **📍 WHERE:** Z-Bar Bergstr. 2 10115 Berlin **🎟️ TICKETS:** Starting from €11 when booked online €15 at the door, cash or card (subject to availability) **💁🏼‍♀️ ABOUT ŽANA (BIH/USA):** Born in Bosnia, raised in Florida, and living in Berlin, Žana’s comedy mirrors her eclectic cultural background and is best described as Balkan pessimism battling delusional American positivity sprinkled in with reggaeton flair. Within 5 months of starting comedy she became a finalist in the 2022 Berlin New Stand Up Awards and is now hosting & producing shows in Berlin & across Europe. **She was nominated for Manchester’s Women in Comedy Festival Awards as Best Newcomer in 2024 and has opened in English & Spanish for a variety of comedians across Europe in such as Dragos Christian, Dwayne Perkins, Rob Anderson, Elena Gabrielle & Silvia de Frente.** You can catch her perform regularly in Berlin to hear her fresh take on the absurdity of immigration laws, her Balkan background, and growing up in Florida. Žana hosts & produces themed & interactive comedy shows in Berlin & beyond, such as the Berlin Comedy Dating Game Show, Funny Fortunes (a comedy & live tarot reading show), Comedy Confessions (an introvert-friendly themed interactive comedy show), Petty Problems (a comedy mock trial show), & more. **She has performed in 40 cities across 18 countries and all of her shows are 100% self-produced. Thanks for supporting an independent artist!** [www.zanafejzic.com](http://www.zanafejzic.com/) [YouTube](http://youtube.com/@ZanaFejzic) [Instagram](http://instagram.com/zanafejzic) [TikTok](http://tiktok.com/@zanafejziccomedy) **🎟️ Get your tickets here: [https://fienta.com/pettyproblemsberlinapril2026?utm_source=meetup&utm_medium=event](https://fienta.com/pettyproblemsberlinapril2026?utm_source=meetup&utm_medium=event)**

Hi folks, this is the special meetup group for the weekly Sunday Blood on the Clocktower games in at BRLO Brwhaus in Berlin. We run beginner-friendly and intermediate-level games throughout the afternoon and evening. **Friendly newcomers of all skill levels are welcome, no experience required!** Our group aims to provide a fun and welcoming space to experience this thrilling game of social deception. **We focus on promoting a positive and fun group atmosphere, where players don’t take themselves or the game too seriously, whether they’re heroically winning or spectacularly losing.** Our players follow the code of conduct for the Berlin Board Gamers group and are expected to treat each other with respect and consideration – “killing with grace, and dying with dignity”. We are usually able to offer two simultaneous games on Sundays. If you are marked as "attending" in Meetup and are in your seat at 15:00, your place is guaranteed for as long as you want to stay. All other seats are first come, first served. We always run at least one beginner-friendly game of the basic version of Clocktower ("Trouble Brewing") throughout the afternoon and evening. We also usually have enough players for a second intermediate-level game. If you are already very familiar with Clocktower, consider also joining our Tuesday meetup for advanced players, when we play with complex custom scripts and characters. Blood on the Clocktower is a deep, mechanical game of murder and mystery, lies and logic, deduction and deception… think Werewolf on steroids. Each player receives a unique secret role and plays either for the good team – the uninformed majority, gathering info and working with others to solve the puzzle – or the evil team, the informed minority, scheming to eliminate good players and protect their demon from execution. In our beginner games no prior experience is expected and we will gladly explain the game rules to any newcomers. We play in English so players should be able to understand and express themselves in English: an exception is possible for one pair of players willing to play together (as a “Revolutionary” pair) where one player can interpret into and out of English. Please let us know in advance if this is the case.

**Instinct \#21 \| I feel you like the moon feels the earth** with ***Ahmed El Gendy*** for **LGBTQIA+** **Free Admission** For Instinct #20, Ahmed El Gendy ***I feel you like the moon feels the earth***, a 20-minute performance (spoken in English) that traces a memory of proximity, silence, and the charged tenderness of being led. The work starts from a simple confession—“I did not want to sleep upstairs because it was cold, and I did not dare to sleep next to him.”—and opens into a recounting of a 24-hour encounter with a stranger in Amsterdam, lived without words. **I feel you like the moon feels the earth** performance – 20 minutes spoken language in English “I did not want to sleep upstairs because it was cold, and I did not dare to sleep next to him.” As the audience pass me from hand to hand, I recount my memory of a long encounter with a stranger in Amsterdam. I spent 24 hours in silence with him, allowing him to lead the day, at his home and outside, while I quietly followed. 🔵 Für Instinct #20 präsentiert Ahmed El Gendy ***I feel you like the moon feels the earth***, eine 20-minütige Performance (auf Englisch gesprochen), die einer Erinnerung an Nähe, Stille und der aufgeladenen Zärtlichkeit des Sich-Führen-Lassens nachspürt. Die Arbeit beginnt mit einer einfachen Feststellung: „Ich wollte nicht oben schlafen, weil es kalt war, und ich wagte nicht, neben ihm zu schlafen.“—und öffnet sich zu einer Erzählung einer 24-stündigen Begegnung mit einem Fremden in Amsterdam, die ohne Worte gelebt wurde.

This week we are discussing **James Baldwin:** Giovanni's Room. We look forward to seeing you! If you have book suggestions, would like to vote on our next reads, or join us for additional activities, please ask someone at the meeting to add you to our WhatsApp group. **Also, if you're unable to attend, please update your RSVP so that someone from the waiting list can take your spot.**

Hello challengers, For those of you that survived the winters of Berlin, I'm getting geared up for our next meetup! In this workshop, we’ll go beyond simply taking photos, we’ll train your eye to see color with intention and use it as a powerful storytelling tool. Instead of focusing on subjects alone, this challenge invites you to explore Berlin through a single lens: **color**. You’ll be split into small groups and assigned a specific color. Your mission is to hunt for it, frame it, and bring it to life through a series of images. By the end, each group will become the storyteller of their color across the city. Along the way, you’ll learn how to use color not just as an aesthetic, but as a way to guide attention, create emotion, and build stronger compositions. Learn to see, compose, and tell stories through color using contrast, simplicity, and creative interpretation. 🧠 **How the Challenge Works** * You’ll be split into groups of **2–3 people** * Each group is assigned **one color** * You’ll have **\~60 minutes** to explore and shoot * Your goal: capture a small series of images that represent your color in Berlin **A Social Experience** As much as this is a photography group, it’s about connection and community. Within your group, you’ll collaborate, explore, and share perspectives. Whether you’re experienced or just starting out, this is a space to meet creatives that can learn from each other. 🎒 **What to Bring** • Your Camera – DSLR, mirrorless, or smartphones are allowed • Comfortable Clothing – We’ll be walking and exploring • Curiosity and open mindedness – Be ready to observe differently and go out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself! I’ll also compile the results into curated series like: **“Berlin in Red” \| “Berlin in Green” \| “Berlin in Blue”** Selected photos will be featured on our Instagram community. 💸 **Cost** **€10** – collected after the session or pre-pay via PayPal to secure your spot. Maximum limit of 55 participants. 🌱 **Why Join?** ✅ Experience Berlin in a completely new way ✅ Learn how to use color as a storytelling tool ✅ Build confidence shooting in real environments ✅ Meet and connect with creatives in Berlin ✅ Get featured in our growing photography community 🎁 **Exclusive Benefits for Donors** • Private WhatsApp Group Access • Instagram Features • Personalized Feedback • Bonus Meetups • Resource Library (tips, recaps, guides) 📷 WhatsApp Group: [https://chat.whatsapp.com/LxEb41NmxyK4oRJeM9o2KW](https://chat.whatsapp.com/LxEb41NmxyK4oRJeM9o2KW) 💸 Donate: [https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=W77YS88G5W8ZL](https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=W77YS88G5W8ZL) 📸 Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/berlinphotochallenge](https://www.instagram.com/berlinphotochallenge)

**Curatorial Tour – Instinct#20** for **LGBTQIA+** Free event **Group exhibition** During this **curatorial tour**, we will guide you through artworks that engage with conflict as a generative force and explore “Radical Empathy” as an active, transformative practice. Together, we will consider how empathy can be learned, challenged, and reimagined through queer artistic perspectives. The tour will examine how artists create spaces that embrace difference, resist dominant narratives, and invite us to remain open to discomfort, connection, and change. Moving beyond passive understanding, these works propose empathy as a relational encounter—one that has the potential to reshape how we live with and through conflict. **instinct #20** __ viewing 02.–12. April __ **Artists** Matthias Bade Josch Hoenes & Tomka Weiß Heami Lee Paul Harfleet Owa Mesa Dylan Mitro Monika Popiel & Paweł Świerczek Lars Reimers Tejal Shah Andrey Shental __ **Performance** Ahmed El Gendy Dumama __ **Guests (workshops / panel)** Joshua Amissah Antke Engel Jan Großer Lo Höckner Mati Klitgard __ **Film** *Prinz in Hölleland* (1993) von Michael Stock __ **Cooperation** Schwules Museum Berlin Salzgeber Verleih __ **Curatorial Team** Eric LeRouge in collaboration with Neo Seefried & Kristijan Radakovic *\*The exhibition **instinct#20 Radical Empathy** serves as an artistic reflection on two we are village projects, **Conflict and Resilience** and **Queer Connect**. Bringing these earlier initiatives into dialogue, instinct#20 Radical Empathy revisits their ideas, processes, and contexts, transforming them into a new curatorial framework that invites renewed interpretation.* 🔵 Während dieser **kuratorischen Führung** begleiten wir Sie durch Werke, die Konflikt als produktive Kraft begreifen und „Radikale Empathie“ als aktive, transformative Praxis erforschen. Gemeinsam betrachten wir, wie Empathie erlernt, hinterfragt und durch queere künstlerische Perspektiven neu gedacht werden kann. Die Führung untersucht, wie Künstler\*innen Räume schaffen, die Differenz zulassen, dominante Narrative hinterfragen und dazu einladen, offen für Unbehagen, Verbindung und Veränderung zu bleiben. Über ein passives Verständnis hinaus begreifen diese Arbeiten Empathie als relationale Begegnung – eine, die das Potenzial hat, unsere Art, mit Konflikten zu leben und durch sie zu wachsen, grundlegend zu verändern. **instinct #20** __ geöffnet 02.–12. April __ **Künstler:innen** Matthias Bade Josch Hoenes & Tomka Weiß Heami Lee Paul Harfleet Owa Mesa Dylan Mitro Monika Popiel & Paweł Świerczek Lars Reimers Tejal Shah Andrey Shental __ **Performance** Ahmed El Gendy Dumama __ **Gäste (workshops / panel)** Joshua Amissah Antke Engel Jan Großer Lo Höckner Mati Klitgard __ **Film** *Prinz in Hölleland* (1993) von Michael Stock __ **Kooperation** Schwules Museum Berlin Salzgeber Verleih __ **Kuratorisches Team** Eric LeRouge in Zusammenarbeit mit Neo Seefried & Kristijan Radakovic *\* Die Ausstellung **instinct#20 Radical Empathy** versteht sich als künstlerische Reflexion zweier we are village Projekte: **Conflict and Resilience** und **Queer Connect**. Indem diese früheren Initiativen miteinander in Dialog gebracht werden, nimmt instinct#20 Radical Empathy ihre Ideen, Prozesse und Kontexte erneut auf und überführt sie in einen neuen kuratorischen Rahmen, der zu einer erneuten Interpretation einlädt.*

This group is for everyone who is interested in drawing portraits! For me, drawing has been a wonderful way to gain a new perspective on the world and the people within it. Whether you are just starting out or have been drawing for ages — all levels are welcome :) How it works: 1\. We meet at The Castle pub in Mitte and do short sittings of 15 minutes for each other\. The first sitting is divided into 3 warm\-up sketches\, 5 minutes each\. 2\. Before we start\, everybody writes their name on a blank card \(provided by the organizer\); these cards are then used to randomly pick the model every 15 minutes\. 3\. Usually we do 8 sittings\, with a 15\-minute break in the middle \(so after 4 sittings\, or 1 hour\)\. -> The participation is free, but it is expected that everybody orders something from the bar to support the lovely location. Get out your pencils and let's start! Please bring your own art supplies!

An afternoon bookclub, organized by our member Patrick Rutledge. We will meet in the café of this cultural center and talk about what we are currently reading :) and, if we've time, chat in general about books. Please also feel free to read a sample from you book if you wish. Usually we read both fiction and non-fiction (history, philosophy, sociology, and other topics). Bring your Kindle, your tablet, or your paper books. The discussion will be in English, but of course feel free to bring books in any language.

The Humanist Monthly Program is our longest running event and still a community favorite. In the old days it used to be called "Going to HCCO" and we still like to think of it as our flagship event. We will be hearing from Becca Powell, Director of Advocacy and Outreach at Unchained At Last, an organization whose mission is dedication to ending forced and child marriage in the United States through direct services and systems change. Unchained At Last's mission clearly meshes and addresses several of our Humanist Ten Commitments. Becca will educate us about an issue many of us may not be familiar with--but should be. Food and drinks will be provided at the event. Feel free to show up a little bit early to hang out and talk. Going forward our meetings will be hybrid. You can meet us in-person or attend online Join Zoom Meeting [https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87836564953?pwd=4Mi57ElZkDIFlb1fnlNwOJ0NiOK4tP.1](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87836564953?pwd=4Mi57ElZkDIFlb1fnlNwOJ0NiOK4tP.1) Meeting ID: 878 3656 4953 Passcode: 760812 One tap mobile +19292056099,,87836564953#,,,,\*760812# US (New York) +13017158592,,87836564953#,,,,\*760812# US (Washington DC) The formal presentation will start at noon

WQC has weekly Thursday night social nights at the Westerville Java Central. Come and grab a coffee and connect with the community: low stakes, chill environment, and tasty drinks. No registration is required; come as you are.

**Connected Westerville Night of Networking** *April Edition: The Introduction Economy* You've been to the networking events. You've done the small talk. Collected the cards. Forgotten the names. And walked out feeling like you just wasted two hours of your life. The problem isn't you. It's the format. Most networking events put you in a room and tell you to figure it out. So everyone defaults to elevator pitches and business talk, and nothing real gets built. Here's the truth about networking that most people miss: Your network isn't just who you know. It's who thinks of you when they're talking to someone else. *That's* The Introduction Economy. And it only works when relationships are real. There's a reason people who come once keep coming back. It starts with seven minutes that feel nothing like networking. Then we open it up. Free networking. More conversations. More momentum. This is a room full of corporate professionals, entrepreneurs, business owners, creatives, and career builders in the Westerville and Columbus area. The mix is the magic. You might never do business with everyone you meet tonight. But someone in this room will think of *you.* **By name**. So, the next time someone needs exactly what you do, you get the recommendation. **April 14th. RSVP now.** **When:** Tuesday\, April 14th \| 6:15 PM \-\- 8:00 PM **Where:** Vineyard Community Center \| 6000 Cooper Rd\, Westerville\, OH 43081

Sleep in on Sundays. When you've had your fill of pajama-time, roll out and have some tasty brunch with your fellow Humanists!

On Thursday, April 16, 2026, we will meet at the 700N Conference Room at 700 N Hurstbourne Pkwy. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m., and the presentations will begin sharply at 6:30 p.m. Along with an excellent presentation, TEKsystems will provide food. Please RSVP so we know how much food to order. Afterward, we will go to Brick House Tavern for drinks and food to continue the conversation. The session will also be broadcast at https://twitch.tv/TaleLearnCode. ### What If Your AI Could Be a Team? GitHub Copilot is powerful, but what if you could scale from a solo AI assistant to an entire team of specialized agents working in parallel? This session introduces Squad: an open-source framework for multi-agent orchestration that lets you define teams of AI agents with specific roles, responsibilities, and expertise. We'll progress from Copilot basics to the Copilot CLI, explore how Agents add autonomy, and see how Instructions and Skills let you customize agent behavior. Then, the climax: a live demo where a Squad team of 3 agents (Lead, Developer, Tester) stands up and builds a working application in real-time, showcasing true multi-agent collaboration. Whether you're new to AI or exploring how to scale your use of Copilot, this session will show you what's possible when agents work as a team.