Empowering contexts

Young people from six different European countries, who had to flee their respective countries of origin during the last five years, met in Berlin from March 7^th to March 10^th 2019. Collaboratively, they created a website where they published stories they created during the seminar based on an introduction to storytelling techniques.

The seminar also included an introduction to the topics „Refugee Reception in Europe“ and „Many Shades of Migration in Berlin”. Moreover, the participants discussed best-practice models from their countries and their personal experience focussing on three issues: “Access to Education”, “Leisure” and “Asylum Systems”. They also had a first-hand impression of social entrepreneurship at Kiron Berlin that offers open higher education for refugees.

Within creative elements they also experienced all kinds of music, food, dance and games and Berlin´s migration history at hand-picked locations. The diverse team made it their goal to create a safer space that also enables sharing and discussing difficult memories and fosters empowerment within the group. As an example for political empowerment, they spoke to members of the German Migrant Organization “Youth without Borders”. More than half the speakers and the entire Making Heimat Team have a refugee background themselves and the seminar was part of the team`s training to being multipliers of political education. 

You can find the entire program here.