TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Lukas H.
In order to promote the inclusion of refugees in German society, to prevent discrimination against refugees and to foster voluntary work in favor of and in collaboration with refugees, three seminars were organized.
The first seminar gave insights into the situation of refugees in Germany, into the legal aspects of applying for asylum, into possibilities of supporting refugees and opened a space of exchange between refugees and neighbors of a refugee shelter in Berlin wedding to identify how to involve refugees into creating projects that promote those objectives.
The second seminar focused on psychologically challenging situations some refugees may find themselves confronted with and contained a workshop on the intercultural encounter between refugees and their new neighbors.
The third seminar was created in a marketplace-setting. Several projects and organizations that offer volunteering opportunities for and with refugees presented themselves to visitors of the event. Parallely, workshops were held that introduced volunteer work in the Berlin-Wedding neighborhood, initiatives of the public administration towards integrating refugees and the experiences of a welfare organization running a refugee shelter.
The target group of the workshops consisted of refugees themselves, neighbors of a refugee shelter in Berlin Wedding, youth workers and potential volunteers interested in supporting refugees.
The 112 attendants of the workshops consisted of Syrian, German, British, French, Dutch and Turkish nationals.
In order to reach the goals of the project, methods of non-fermal learning were used. As such, participants were engaged in group discussions and role plays. During the market of opportunities the exhibiting organizations presented themselves on posters and in dialogues with participants.
Also, some presentations and handouts were used in order to give some initial inputs and to document the activities.
Participants gave really positive feedback on the three seminars. Participants experienced a very lively demonstration of a diverse, participative local (and within this global) culture. Also contact between refugees and neighbors of the refugee shelter was established
Together with my colleague Valeska Cordier, I planned, administrated, realized the seminars. Also, I created, organized and offered workshops at each of the seminar days and moderated group discussions during all of the three days.
Also, I applied for the seminar funds, and together with my colleague documented and evaluated the activities.