Back on Track

What Back on Track does

Back on Track e.V. is a Berlin-based registered nonprofit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 2016 by Syrian academics who arrived in Germany starting in 2012. The organization delivers free educational support to refugee and displaced children and youth in Germany who have lost years of schooling due to war, flight, and displacement, with the explicit goal of enabling successful transitions into the German school system and preparation for secondary school qualifications (Mittlerer Schulabschluss and Berufsbildungsreife).

The core service architecture is a self-organized learning model adapted from the Evangelische Schule Berlin Zentrum (ESBZ), in which students determine their own learning pace and subject focus and are supported by volunteer mentors rather than receiving traditional classroom instruction. Mentors deliver tutoring in children's native languages (Arabic, Dari/Farsi, Ukrainian, Turkish) before bridging to German technical vocabulary, and apply a resource-oriented perspective to design personalized learning pathways. Methodology was professionalized through a long-running cooperation with Pädagogische Hochschule Schwäbisch Gmünd covering multilingualism, trauma management, and self-directed learning. Delivery occurs across six weekend learning locations in Berlin (Stresemannstraße headquarters, Kiezspinne, Ulme 35, Emser Str. 6, KultSchule, and Back on Track) plus online mentoring, supported by a workforce of 7 full-time staff, 7 minijobbers, and approximately 120 volunteer mentors — many of whom are alumni of the program. Dedicated project lines (Qadir:a, JA!BB, PartEl, BAB/SMS, Enable/PARENTable) address specialized cohorts and parent engagement.

The business model is non-commercial: services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries, and the organization is funded primarily through institutional grants from AMIF (administered by BAMF), Stiftung Deutsche Klassenlotterie, and the Berlin Senate Administration (SENASGIVA), with supplemental individual donations accepted via Betterplace and direct bank transfer. Back on Track holds confirmed tax-exempt charitable status and is a member of Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft. As a registered nonprofit, it does not generate product revenue, has no parent company or subsidiaries, and publishes no commercial financial figures.

Name

Back on Track

Legal name

Back on Track e.V.

Website

https://backontrackev.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Back on Track e.V. is a Berlin-based nonprofit founded in 2016 that provides free self-organized learning support, native-language tutoring, and exam preparation to refugee and displaced children and youth in Germany, delivered through 120 volunteer mentors across six weekend learning locations and online sessions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Newcomer & Refugee Student Support Programs (EDAJAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Remedial & Academic Intervention Programs (Reading/Math Recovery) (EDAJAGAC), Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI), Immigrant & Refugee Community Education (Integration/Navigation) (EDAAAFAH), Transition Programs (Reentry, Workforce Readiness & Life Skills for At-Risk Youth) (EDAJAEAF)

Keywords

• Refugee education services
• Self-organized learning
• Mentor tutoring programs
• Educational counseling
• Community-led learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Government Grants: Primary funding comes from institutional donors including AMIF (BAMF), Stiftung Deutsche Klassenlotterie, and Senatsverwaltung für Arbeit, Soziales, Gleichstellung, Integration, Vielfalt und Antidiskriminierung (SENASGIVA). These represent government and foundation grants as a non-profit organization.
2. Donations: Individual donations accepted via the Betterplace platform and direct bank transfers. The organization is registered as a charitable non-profit (gemeinnützig) with tax-exempt status.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Back on Track e.V. is a Berlin-based non-profit that provides free educational mentoring and tutoring to refugee children and youth who have missed school due to war and displacement. Its core delivery combines physical learning centers (Präsenzlernorte) with online mentoring sessions, supported by volunteer tutors and pedagogical staff offering native-language instruction and exam preparation for MSA and BBR school-leaving certificates.

Product overview

Back on Track e.V. is a nonprofit educational organization offering a portfolio of learning programs and support services for refugee children and youth in Germany. The core offering is self-organized learning mentorship at multiple physical learning centers in Berlin (Kiezspinne, Ulme 35, Emser Str. 6, KultSchule), supplemented by online mentoring and exam preparation programs (MSA/BBR). The organization operates dedicated projects including Qadir:a, JA!BB, PartEl, BAB/SMS, and Enable/PARENTable, complemented by native language learning support in Arabic, Dari/Farsi, Ukrainian, and Turkish. Educational and social counseling, parent seminars, and volunteer/BFD mentorship programs round out the service portfolio. The organization is built on a self-directed learning methodology adapted from the Evangelische Schule Berlin Zentrum (ESBZ).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Learning Centers (Präsenzlernorte)

Quantifiable outcome

• Self-reported success: children voluntarily attend weekly sessions and associate learning with well-being

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pädagogische Hochschule Schwäbisch GmündcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeacher training university that collaborated with Back on Track to professionalize their volunteer work through training in multilingualism, trauma management, and self-organized learning methodologies.
• BetterplaceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGerman donation platform used for accepting individual donations, enabling supporters to contribute to the organization's educational programs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Schülerpaten Berlin e.V. Berlin-based nonprofit pairing volunteer mentors with schoolchildren from refugee, migrant, and low-income backgrounds. Most directly comparable peer — same city, similar 1:1 volunteer mentor model, and overlapping beneficiary population with Back on Track.
• Teach First Deutschland: Nonprofit deploying Fellows into schools serving disadvantaged students, including newcomer and refugee children in Berlin-Neukölln and other districts. Directly comparable in mission to support educational equity for underrepresented youth, with stronger outcome measurement infrastructure.
• ArbeiterKind.de: Germany-wide nonprofit supporting students from non-academic families in accessing higher education. Comparable in using volunteer mentors to address educational gaps for underrepresented populations, though focused on university transition rather than K-12 catch-up.

Broad incumbents

• Bundesfreiwilligendienst (BFD): Federal volunteer service program through which Back on Track recruits some of its mentors. Functions both as a talent pipeline source and as a competing volunteer deployment channel for civil-society organizations serving similar populations.
• Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO) Berlin: Large established welfare organization running refugee integration programs, language courses, and youth services across Berlin. Provides overlapping capabilities at much greater scale, often as a government contract partner for similar refugee education work.
• Caritas Berlin: Major Catholic welfare provider operating refugee counseling, language courses, and youth programs across Berlin. Competes for the same SENASGIVA and federal funding pools and serves overlapping refugee and migrant populations.
• Diakonie Berlin: Protestant welfare umbrella organization with extensive refugee integration, youth education, and migration counseling services. Operates at significantly larger scale across Berlin with multiple specialized programs for refugee children and youth.
• Malteser Berlin: Established humanitarian organization with refugee integration and youth education programs across Germany. Comparable in target population and Berlin presence but offers much broader service portfolio including health and emergency services.

Emerging players

• Start mit einem Traum: Smaller Germany-wide mentoring initiative for refugee and migrant children with educational support. Operates in multiple cities, providing a potential benchmark for what scaled-out Back on Track programming could look like beyond Berlin.
• Internationaler Bund (IB) Berlin-Brandenburg: Large free carrier in youth, education, and migration services with significant Berlin presence. Offers Welcome Class support, youth migration services, and educational catch-up programs that partially overlap with Back on Track's scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/backontrackev
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/back-on-track-e-v
• Instagraminstagram.com/backontrackev

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Back on Track