DW has created an entertaining series for refugees that will help them integrate into life in Germany. For the more than 1 million refugees that arrived in Germany last year, orientation and information are very important. DW has been playing an important role from the beginning, with everything from comprehensive news coverage, to an online guide for refugees in six languages.

The latest DW project, Open your heart (Mach dein Herz auf), is a website created for refugees and the people who are helping them. In a series of four-minute videos, the project provides an entertaining guide to Germany for beginners. Light hearted subjects like how Germans spend free time are joined by more serious issues like gender equality and dealing with psychological trauma.

The series of 10 videos, in English and Arabic, paint an easy-to-understand picture of essential cultural and procedural elements that people new to Germany and German culture will confront.

The topics covered include housing, work culture, free time, men and women, tolerance, family, friendship, learning German, cultural differences and emotions.

The website also provides links to organizations that help refugees integrate into the community, help them learn German and allow them access to support and assistance. Included is a section for helpers and volunteers that they can use to better understand how to help people in need. The series would also interesting for any newcomer to Germany who is interested in learning about the German culture, lifestyle and language.

Open your heart was produced in cooperation with DW, DW Akademie and of the German Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.