Be part of a more inclusive society
Connecting locals and newcomers over homecooked dinners. All across the world.
ABOUT
As people continue to migrate across the globe, there’s never been a greater need for community and connection. And nothing is more important to someone’s integration in a new country than an individual relationship.
Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, United Invitations is a nonprofit that connects locals and newcomers within a community, by having them share a delicious, homecooked meal.
In the last few years, we’ve already accomplished so much:
- Cities reached: 50+
- Countries reached: 8
- Dinners hosted: 5,000+
- Guests fed: 25,000+
How it works
We enlist the support of United Invitations Ambassadors in each city we operate.
Our Ambassadors help us find locals and newcomers interested in participating in the program.
A local is anyone who speaks the native language and feels “at home” in the country
A newcomer is anyone who was born in another country and is looking to be more integrated into the community
Each meal must include at least one local and one newcomer, but participants are allowed to invite family or friends to the dinner as well.
We ask either the locals or newcomers to host the meal. Once we find a match, the host prepares the food and invites the guest to a free meal and great conversation in their home.
All we ask is for participants to commit to one dinner. No strings attached.
Where we are today
We’re currently located in:
Austria
Belgium
England
Germany
Greece
Norway
Sweden
Switzerland
Check the map to see if we’re in a city near you, and reach out to the local ambassador for more information.
Want to bring United Invitations to a new city? Find out more below!
Do you have a dot we should add? Send an email to info@unitedinvitations.org
Bring us to your city
It’s easy to bring our program to your city! It starts with a simple conversation.
Reach out to someone in your community who either needs a stronger connection to the country, or could help you integrate better. Find out if they’d be willing to share a dinner and start a friendship.
If you want to help build a more formal program in your city, we also have a manual that explains how we got started.
Contact us at info@unitedinvitations.org with any questions.
What people are saying about us
“…has the potential to enlighten everyone involved.”
“Imagine how easy it can be – how far we can get over a piece of food.”
“…the food, culture and friendship that can arise is a nice bonus.”
Ebba Åkerman, Founder
ebba@unitedinvitations.org.
Our story
As a substitute teacher in Sweden, I spent most of my time helping immigrants learn to speak Swedish. Through that, I saw how difficult it is to learn a new language when you have no one to speak it with and how important language is to feeling at home in a new country. I also realized how segregated my hometown, Stockholm, really was.
Early on my students invited me to share delicious meals in their homes. It was a great way to learn more about each other and our cultures, and we quickly felt closer to each other.
I was convinced that if others could meet as peers over a homecooked meal, we could make the world a happier, more inclusive place.
And thus began United Invitations!
