Syrian refugees tell their personal stories at schools for secondary education and tertiary vocational education. This helps students to understand and experience what it’s like to have to flee, and the dilemmas that refugees must face.
With the Story of a Refugee project, PAX offers a special educational package relating to Syria and refugees. Students follow three consecutive classes, each one reinforcing the other demonstrably.
The programme kicks off with a serious game, where students take on the role of a Syrian and have to deal with various dilemmas relating to war and fleeing. Then, a Syrian guest speaker comes to tell the class about his or her experience during the war in Syria, why they had to flee, how their journey happened, and how they are doing in the Netherlands. This helps young people to understand, first hand, what it’s like to have to flee from violence, and the dilemmas that refugees must face. Finally, the programme concludes with a discussion supervised by the teacher. The students get the chance to have a difficult conversation with a nuanced understanding and with respect for each other’s opinions.
PAX trains the teachers with its partner, Critical Mass, in how to handle socially sensitive topics, like refugees and the ‘us-versus-them’ way of thinking.
More at verhaalvaneenvluchteling.nl (in Dutch)