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Syrians Willkommen A German organisation

Special Report: Syrian Refugee Crisis

 Interview by Sana Khan
Communications Officer, UNESCO MGIEP

Why do you think it is important to focus on education in the context of refugee integration?
Education plays a critical role in the acceptance and integration of refugees. Our organization came into being during the re-integration of East and West Germany. It has been our experience that awareness and empathy not only work to reduce friction but also pre-emptively resolve a lot of other issues. We have also observed that in regions where there is a lower presence of foreigners, there tends to be higher prejudice against the “other”. It is really quite remarkable how people’s views change once they have to deal with people from diverse backgrounds.

Our work is currently focussed on rural areas in northeast Germany. This region has a high rate of youth unemployment and ranks low in population diversity. These conditions make it easier for extreme ideologies to take root and we have observed a direct correlation between low exposure to people from diverse backgrounds and high unemployment vis-à-vis a rise in fundamentalist ideologies. Hence, education plays a central role in raising awareness and empowering people to make informed decisions about their present and future.

What is your typical mode of functioning?
Education is not restricted to schools and formal systems alone. Awareness campaigns, hands-on workshops, public talks – all form a part of education for us. Often our intervention goes beyond schools kids, to their parents and neighbourhoods. It is important to bring about a shift in thinking about the complete environment of a young person.

We run programmes for young people and adults, which are tailored for both local residents and refugees. We often pair up a local German-speaking trainer with a person who is currently, or has in the past held the status of an asylum seeker. This helps put a face to large numbers of previously faceless refugees and make their stories real. These sessions are interactive and we have seen a lot of friction diffuse after people talk with one another.

For the refugees, we offer courses in German language and also try to inform them about their rights under existing legislation. Mixed sessions also help the refugees share their concerns and to develop a better understanding of their new environment. Our aim is to reach a maximum number of people, so we focus on the training of trainers. These ‘multipliers’ are mostly volunteers and freelancers committed to the cause of education and integration.

A challenge in the near future is to ensure the integration of refugee children as soon as possible. There needs to be a concerted effort to make sure that these children gain access to equal opportunities.

What are some of the challenges you foresee in the near future?
A challenge in the near future is to ensure the integration of refugee children as soon as possible. There needs to be a concerted effort to make sure that these children gain access to equal opportunities. Due to Germany’s low birth rate and the migration of East Germans to western Germany, much educational infrastructure, especially in East Germany, was rendered useless due to the low population.  However, with the current surge in pupil numbers, there is a sudden need to rejuvenate the old redundant infrastructure and create more of it. In addition, we need more teachers who can teach German as a foreign language to Arabic speakers. At the same time, we need to integrate young teachers who can improvise pedagogies and make our curricula relevant to Syrian children.

A wall graffiti with a message displaying ‘Refugees Welcome to Germany’. What have been some of your lessons learned over the past few years?
We have learned that raising levels of empathy can change people’s attitudes. On many occasions, it has been helpful to just talk about simple issues like why people leave their homes. And there are a number of reasons for migration, ranging from climate change to hunger and war. Perceptions change when you ask a person to step into the shoes of someone who has had to leave their home behind. When people actually think of the difficult journeys undertaken by refugees and the challenges posed by statelessness, their attitudes begin to change drastically.

At our public events, we talk about the lives of refugees before the crisis. This helps overcome pre-conceived notions about the new arrivals. We speak about their day-to-day struggles such as language barriers, loss of privacy, and lack of medical care. Our overall effort is to raise levels of empathy amongst people and this can only happen through education and vibrant public discourse.

We have also seen that the best ideas and greatest success stories come from the people themselves. Change happens when people take initiative and responsibility for their projects. Global challenges are not only about the negative. The coming of refugees is also an opportunity for Germany to become more diverse.

Jessica Weiss

Jessica Weiss is currently the Program Manager of the Division of Education at the non- governmental organization Ökohause.V. Rostock, Germany. She is leading the Training of Trainers programme at the organization and is responsible for the implementation and evaluation of projects within the context of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). She has extensive experience in working with rural youth, youth in difficult circumstances, and in issues such as migration of displaced populations and ESD. Jessica has been actively involved with designing and implementing educational projects and workshops for the better integration of refugees in Germany. For the past three years she has been responsible for the coordination of the international cooperation project Learning Across Borders.