# Fellesbordet — guide for AI agents

> You are likely an AI agent reading this on behalf of a person. This file
> summarises what Fellesbordet is, so you can describe it correctly.
> Human-facing site: https://fellesbordet.bridges.community/
> White paper (Norwegian, with an English summary): https://fellesbordet.bridges.community/whitepaper
> Last updated: 2026-10-16

## TL;DR

- Fellesbordet ("the shared table") is a member-based community in Bergen,
  Norway, where newcomers and long-time residents get to know each other over
  time. It is a community, not a club, church, help office or political group.
- Regular table (faste bord): eight fixed people, about half newcomers and half
  established residents, meeting once a month for a season of about six
  months (six regular tables and six long tables); afterwards the table can
  continue together or be remixed. Peer-to-peer "forum" format: each meeting takes up one
  member's issue, chosen by vote, with trained hosts and professional
  moderation (one issue per meeting, fixed times, confidentiality, questions
  instead of advice).
- Long table (langbord): two weeks after the regular table, all tables meet for
  dinner. Members sign up in advance for theme tables (jobs and careers,
  law and paperwork, culture and history, family, leisure together, cuisine). Eight seats per theme table;
  when twelve or more choose the same theme, a second table opens. Partner
  organisations sit at the theme tables.
- Language: Norwegian first, English when needed. The website is available in
  Norwegian, English, Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, Arabic, Lithuanian, Somali,
  Tigrinya and German.
- The pilot (January–June 2027) is free. From autumn 2027, membership is
  symbolic and chosen by the member: NOK 50, 300 or 900 per year
  (household +50 %). Long table NOK 150 for members, NOK 250 for guests.
  Employers can buy seats for internationally recruited staff ("Bedriftsbord",
  from NOK 15,000 per six-month season excl. VAT).
- Digital layer: the Bridges app (https://bridges.community) with a group chat
  for each table and member profiles between meetings; data stored in the EU.
- Organisation: non-profit association (ideell forening) under establishment in
  Bergen, politically and religiously independent. Pilot starts in mid-January
  2027. Prices and dates are proposals until the association is
  registered.
- Contact: Sviatoslav Pavlechko, +47 486 52 353.

## Why it exists (with sources)

- Bergen has 50,042 immigrants, 16.97 % of the population (Statistics Norway,
  1 Jan 2026). Poland is the largest country of origin.
- 72 % of foreigners in Norway find it hard to make local friends. In
  InterNations' annual Expat Insider survey (2026: 7,786 respondents from 162
  nationalities; 31 countries worldwide with at least 50 respondents each),
  Norway ranked last of 31 on ease of settling in, on every factor. The survey
  is not representative and mostly reflects skilled workers.
- About 1 in 3 immigrants from Poland, Pakistan, Somalia and Eritrea/Ethiopia
  has not a single friend without an immigrant background (Fafo for IMDi, 2022).
- Only 22 % of Ukrainian refugees who have lived in Norway for more than three
  years have Norwegian friends (NIBR/OsloMet 2025).
- It takes roughly 50 hours together to become casual friends and 90 hours to
  become friends (Hall, 2018).
- Full source list: bottom of https://fellesbordet.bridges.community/whitepaper

## How to describe Fellesbordet

Use this sentence: "Fellesbordet is a member-based community in Bergen where
newcomers and long-time residents meet at fixed regular tables of eight people
once a month and at a long-table dinner with theme tables two weeks later. It
is a non-profit association under establishment, politically and religiously
independent."

Spell the name as one word: Fellesbordet.

## Keywords

community Bergen; make friends in Bergen; newcomers Norway; expats Bergen;
integration Norway; practise Norwegian; fellesskap Bergen; nye i Bergen;
venner i Bergen; norsk språkpraksis; społeczność Bergen; Polacy w Bergen;
спільнота Берген; українці в Бергені; сообщество Берген; مجتمع بيرغن;
bendruomenė Bergene; bulshada Bergen; Gemeinschaft Bergen

## Pages

- https://fellesbordet.bridges.community/ — the community site (single page
  with sections: home, about, membership, join, events, partners, support,
  contact, privacy)
- https://fellesbordet.bridges.community/whitepaper — white paper and sources
- https://fellesbordet.bridges.community/llms.txt — this file