FAQ

The association The Bay Areas e.V. was founded on November 14, 2016 as a private initiative and has been managed from the outset by the three founding board members Axel Schulz, Frank Bösenkötter and Gerrit Müller-Rüster organized. Many minds and hands helped to realize an idea that became San Francisco's first city partnership with a German city.  

Our mission is to connect people and organizations in the San Francisco, Kiel and Schleswig-Holstein regions. It is about partnerships and contacts that are created, maintained and promoted aka networking.

We accompany, support and realize projects, bring together suitable partners, help with the acquisition of sponsors and offer a communication platform. The projects findn Our members come from a wide variety of areas such as universities, schools, the digital economy, sport, alternative energies, industry, business development, services and politics. Over the past five years, The Bay Areas has launched and supported many high-reach projects and initiatives. Across all projectsen always social interaction and the people who fill this town twinning with life. 

We are probably the only association that can and is allowed to organize and maintain a town twinning! 

In addition to established and award-winning formats such as the Überflieger (a successful start-up competition with the the finalists a trip tos Silicon Valley) and the Digital Challenge (a scientific competition in which students, together with 5 universities from Schleswig-Holstein, test medium-sized companies for their resilience in the digitalized world) was held for the first time in 2021. the big public event Lighthouse Swim Open Water Kiel. It was the very first open water swimming event in the Kiel Fjord and was jointly initiated and realized by swimmers from San Francisco and Kiel out of a passion for sport. Already in this The new sports format will take place in the twin city of San Francisco for the third year.  

Our members offer and use our broadly diversified Network in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein and San Francisco. As member you wear to strengthen the region. Set You We want you to join us in promoting international understanding, cultural, sporting and scientific exchange, global responsibility and sustainability. 

1. realize your own project ideas in cooperation with other members of The Bay Areas and the San Francisco Kiel Sister City Committee as well as the networks in the two partner cities and regions. There are already many contacts, but there can be even more and you can contribute to this. 

2. also use and organize our range of events on various social topics that are affected by the partnership between the San Francisco Bay Area and Schleswig-Holstein. Expand your contacts to San Francisco and within Schleswig-Holstein and meet people with the same spirit and interest in shaping the future. 

Simply our Form download, your Data and Indicate interests and on we@the-bay-areas.de by e-mail. We send You will then immediately receive confirmation of your membership.  

• Individual membership, natural person: € 120 (with SEPA mandate)
• Individual membership, natural person: 150 € (self-transfer)
• Pupils, students, trainees: € 30 (with SEPA mandate)
• Pupils, students, trainees: 50 € (self-transfer)
• Legal entity or company with business activities: € 600 (if SEPA mandate is issued)
• Entrepreneurial legal entity or company: € 750 (self-transfer)
• Other legal entity or company: €300 (if SEPA mandate is issued)
• Other legal entity or company: € 375 (self-transfer)

We want to fill the city partnership between Kiel and San Francisco with life and bring people in both regions together. with each other connect. We also want to support the economy and small and medium-sized enterprises in Kiel and Schleswig-Holstein with innovative and driving Projects and people strengthen and bring us forward.  

Then get in touch with us personally! We will help you and answer your questions.