Kilometres through the desert, for days in a small boat, on foot over borders – the means of reaching Europe is different for every refugee. Likewise, the reasons and situations leading to escape differ amongst refugees. For the most part, it is war, hunger and poverty that drive these refugees to risk everything. Arriving in Germany, their newly-found liberty is, however, accompanied by a series of new challenges. The refugee's status is uncertain, the fear of deportation ever-present. Because refugees have no rights to political and social co-operation, they remain a fringe group in society. In addition, traumatic experiences have often been an aspect of escape and hinder refugees from successfully establishing themselves socially. Young adult refugees lack the self-assurance to simply be capable of approaching others. In their homelands, social activities such as sports, music, crafts and active exchange of ideas played an integral role in the lives of these youth.

In response to this issue, we have decided to uncover new municipal integration potentials and, moreover, have brought to life the project „Extraction of integration mediators for young adult refugees in the Schwalm Eder Area“.

The project is carried out by the Felsberger Institute for Education and Science (inc. FIBW), and by the initiative ‘Violence does not go!’, and it is promoted by the federal program ‘Tolerance - competence strengthen promoted.’ The aim of the project is to win sensitization and motivation, means of integration for young adult refugees in the Schwalm Eder District.

The project will include interactive workshops, among other events, intended to assist with the process of integration (term till December, 2013). If you would like to receive more information about the project and workshops, you can contact Alexander Kliewer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .