Welcome!
FIRST OF ALL - A warm welcome and thank you for visiting this page! You might now wonder, what are we even doing here?
The Why Project amplifies the voices of first-generation students and purpose-driven individuals who are reshaping what’s possible.
We share stories that inspire, provide resources that empower, and build a community rooted in connection, courage, and clarity of purpose.
Through storytelling, shared experience, and honest conversations, we aim to break systemic and personal barriers – while building bridges across backgrounds, disciplines, and generations.
We believe everyone has a "why" – and by discovering and living it, we can change not just our own path, but the world around us.
Who are we and how did we get here?
We are two sisters, Natascha and Tamara, who founded this platform. We will both share more about ourselves in the coming posts, but for now, we want to emphasize that this site is our passion project. In German, we call it “Herzensprojekt” (which literally means heart project).
As two girls growing up in a family facing various health-related and financial hardships, we were often left feeling powerless without institutional support or role models in our environment to look up to. Now, we have both already attained the highest education levels in our entire family. However, this is not about education only; this is about what you believe is possible for yourself. We always felt like there was a lack of a space that was specifically tailored to us, as those who did not have the support from home to pursue our (professional) dreams. Yes, you can go online and find every university, every program out there, but you don’t even know where to start. You can find every organization that is selling language exchanges and Au Pair programs for thousands of euros, but you know you will never be able to afford them. And what about the community part of it? We always felt like the grown-up world was made for those who already know what they are doing, but we were still trying to figure out where to step. We always wanted to have a space where we felt that our needs and concerns were catered for. A space where you could see others with similar backgrounds to look up to. To know that we could make it. That no dream is too big. Now, years later, we also find that we would like to have a space where we can share all the knowledge and experiences we have gathered over time. That is why we founded the Why Project. Sharing is caring. Literally.
We have been wanting to launch this for years, and it is finally coming true because Tamara made this her Action Project for her 2024 Berlin Fellowship for Humanity in Action (we will talk about them in one of our upcoming posts). We both went in different directions and have different areas of expertise (if that’s what you wanna call it). Tamara, for example, has a lot to say about finding your purpose-driven career, and Natascha has more experience with making things possible without institutional support.
We can make this space what we want.
We see this substack as the first stepping stone for building a community. We want to make this a space where everyone can get involved. We don’t want to just hold monologues in the digital space; we are inviting everyone who wants to contribute. We can make this what we want.
If you want to get involved, share something, get in touch, or anything else, please get in touch! We would LOVE to hear from you!! You can do that by leaving a comment:
Or by sending us an email at hellothewhyproject@gmail.com.
And please subscribe, so you don’t miss anything!
Going forward.
We are aiming for weekly or bi-weekly posts in the long run. Please be patient in the beginning if the posts might come a bit irregularly - we are just two girls figuring this out as we go!
We are just getting started,
Tamara and Natascha from The Why Project