Promoting Empowerment and Integration of Asylum Seekers: Key Lessons from 2012 Conference
At the 2012 conference, we shared impactful stories on empowering asylum seekers and facilitating their integration into society. Two major themes emerged: 1) fostering independence through self-care initiatives, such as providing living arrangements in apartments, and language courses organized by parents; 2) the necessity of psychological support in reception centers beyond mere accommodation. Emphasizing a survivor approach allows individuals to build self-esteem and independence. We aim to create a European network for sharing best practices and developing strategies to address the challenges faced by asylum seekers.
Promoting Empowerment and Integration of Asylum Seekers: Key Lessons from 2012 Conference
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Presentation Transcript
Individual learning-good stories • Two major topics came foreward in our stories: 1.)empowerment/ integration/taking care of themselves (for example: living in apartments in stead of centers, daycare organized by parents of the children, providing computer courses to learn the language, children of the centers go to daycare outside of the center,…).
2)Reception of asylum seekers is more than accommodation and procedure-providing psychological care to those who need it is important to help healthy integration in society. (For example: a special center for people who can’t fit in in the regular centers because of psychological problems, psychological help available inside the centers)
Learning values 1. To have another approach to asylum seekers: • ‘how can you help yourself?’ instead of ‘How can I help you’? Building on peoples coping mechanisms. • Not victimize people-approach them as survivors. So they can have self-esteem, be successful and independent in the long run.
2.People in need should get suiteable help due to helth problems including psychological; medical and social issues: Human right to have decent living conditions To make returning home more human and easier and/or to integrate them better in society
1.) Smaller reception centers divided over the country. Solutions: -Living in society in apartments: people take more care of themselves- it empowers people and costs less. -Living in their own support system with financial help of the government.
2.) Lack of awareness on political level about the necessary financial support to provide sufficient care for the reception of asylum seeker. Solutions: -To arrange the reception of asylum seekers on European level. To set a standard of what we should provide and the financial support needed for that. -Use our experience for creating a future toolkit for how to address/ approach asylum seekers. This can come from ENARO cooperation who can use the knowledge achieved in the exchange program and the congress to help politicians in their decisions.
3.) What should happen with minors who don’t apply for asylum but seek education, jobs,… Solutions: Open for discussion/no clear solution
Knowledge sharing -Sharing the report of the exchange on the internet site where all colleagues have access to. -Talking about what you have learned on a staff meeting and on a congress. -Networking with people that do the same job in your organization.
Ideas for the future • Set up a European network to share best practices and knowledge in an internet database. Create an updated ENARO-network.
