About us
SMART Berlin is a project by HILFE-FÜR-JUNGS e.V., which is specifically aimed at (cis and trans) male, non-binary and trans female sex workers. With its focus on male and gender-diverse sex workers, the project is unique in Europe. However, the history and background of the project is also special.
SMART Berlin was created as part of the long-standing commitment of HILFE-FÜR-JUNGS e.V., an association founded in spring 1992 to help male adolescents and young men in difficult life situations. Since its foundation, the association has launched various projects to address the needs of its target group and continuously expand its own services.
The association HILFE-FÜR-JUNGS e.V. has existed since 1992 – at that time still under the name Subway. In spring 1994, the association began street social work in the male prostitution scene and opened the Subway contact point on December 1, 1994, which supports boys and young men on Berlin’s street prostitution scene.
The work of the association has been continuously expanded and, since 2002, it has maintained a mobile medical unit and a counselling bus for outreach work. In 2003 and 2004, the association conducted an extensive field study with a survey of over 2,000 boys and young men in Berlin on their experiences with sexual harassment and violence. Since 2006, the association has been running the“berliner jungs” and “Ambulante Hilfen” projects to help boys and young men who are threatened or affected by sexual violence. In November 2009, the association changed its name and has been called HILFE-FÜR-JUNGS e.V. ever since. Since 2017, there has been the MUT project, which offers trauma support for men who experience stress in connection with sexual violence. In 2018, the Subway project expanded to include the SMART Berlin service to specifically support (cis and trans) male, non-binary and trans female sex workers. The SMART Berlin project currently employs two people and has had its own contact point in Berlin Neukölln since summer 2023.
We see strength and critical awareness in the fact that SMART Berlin was created as part of the structure of HILFE-FÜR-JUNGS e.V. against the background of youth protection and the prevention of violence, with the recognition that adult sex workers also deserve respect, support and self-determination. At SMART Berlin, we are proud of this intersectional background and look forward to continuing our valuable (cooperative) work in the future.
Community Space
SMART Berlin’s space in Neukölln is not only a counselling centre for clients or an office for the staff, but also a community and event space where our communities can meet, connect and support each other. Some of our events are aimed at a gender- or profession-specific audience (e.g. cis and trans male, non-binary and trans female sex workers), some are open to the interested public. The best way to find out about the relevant information on events is to check the details in the announcement. Click Here for the calendar.
The library
A special jewel in our common rooms at SMART Berlin is our library. Here you will find a diverse and growing collection of books and magazines on topics related to sex work in German and in English.
Our library is open to everyone, without membership or user fees. Borrowing books is therefore extremely uncomplicated.
Click here for the (incomplete) inventory of our library.
We also welcome book donations to help us expand our collection and offer an even wider range of resources. Click here for our wish list. We are also open to other recommendations, so let us know!
In addition to the library, we have a monthly reading circle, which is open to all sex workers.
Team
The SMART Berlin team consists of two part-time employees who each work 30 hours per week.
The SMART Berlin employees are the contact persons for questions about sex work
The main focus of the team is Counselling, organization of group meetings, outreach, community events, concept development and networking.
We offer counseling in German, English and Romanian.
Annual report
SMART Berlin is funded by:
