Mobilities 2018

The first country visit took place from 7 to 13 April 2018 to Lebanon. The mobility organised by the Lebanese project team was guided by the motto “Borders and bridges between states, cultures and religions”. The current refugee situation (especially of Syrians) and its impact on Lebanon as a transit country is examined against the background of its history, its social and political situation (including postcolonial powers, the Palestinian refugee population, the civil war trauma and an interdenominationally institutionalised balance of power). Subjects like inclusion, exclusion, and illegality in the refugee context were discussed in workshops, during visits of institutions and in forums. The 20-member project team gained comprehensive insight into the Lebanese refugee situation and the work of governmental, international and civil society organisations in the field of migration management, humanitarian aid, and social integration in a country characterised by diversity.

In the northern part of the country the project team visited, among others, the educational organisation “Al Ihssan” and the NGO “Relief and Reconciliation for Syria”; in Beirut they visited the Palestinian refugee camp Chatila, the humanitarian organisation “Union of Relief and Development Association (URDA)” as well as two faculties of the Lebanese University. Additionally, the project team had the chance to talk to many social workers, representatives of UNRWA, the Ministry of Social Affairs, and the Lebanese Social Work Syndicate during several meetings. By visiting “Adyan”, a foundation for interreligious dialogue, and the civil society organisation “Permanent Peace Movement”, the group also focused on the topic “Religion as source for conflict and peace”. The project team looked into Lebanon’s historical past, the devastating civil war between 1975 and 1990, and the tense relation between the religious communities. This allowed them to learn how the Lebanese society attempts to handle diversity and difference and to promote peaceful co-existence of all sections of the population.

Permanent Peace Movement Organisation
Project group visiting the civil society organisation “Permanent Peace Movement”
Chatila Community Centre
Visiting the community centre at the Palestinian refugee camp Chatila
Lebanese Unversity, Faculty of Public Health
Projet group in front of Lebanese University’s building of the Faculty of Public Health
I love Beirut - group photo
Group photo taken after a historical city tour in Beirut’s city centre
Presentation about social work with refugees in Lebanon
Presentation about social work with refugees in Lebanon
Visiting the NGO “Relief and Reconciliation for Syria”
“Relief and Reconciliation for Syria” is working with Syrian refugees, the local population and international volunteers

In the second mobility, FHWS could welcome the project teams from Lebanon and Jordan during its International Week from 3 to 9 June 2018 in Würzburg and Schweinfurt. The teams looked into how refugees and migrants are received and integrated in Germany. Thus, relevant institutions were visited like the initial reception centre in Schweinfurt as well as the collective accommodation centre in Geldersheim, but also the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) in Nuremberg. In addition, the teams got information about the German migration situation. However, they also heard about local integration initiatives and projects by different organisations: The second mayor of Schweinfurt, Ms Sorya Lippert, presented the city’s as well as her own activities in the field of integration; FHWS introduced their DAAD-funded projects “Integra” and “Welcome”, both promoting the integration of refugees into the (higher) educational system; the Gesellschaft zur beruflichen Förderung (GbF), a subsidiary of the local Chamber of Crafts supporting professional development, gave a presentation about their measures to integrate refugees and migrants into the German labour market. Visiting a shared accommodation for unaccompanied minors offered by Diakonie Würzburg illustrated which different stages of the German asylum and integration system unaccompanied minors go through and how social work can contribute to accompany these youths.

As this visit took place during the FHWS International Week, the Lebanese and Jordanian professors had the opportunity to present to a wider audience the impact of the Syrian refugee crisis on their countries as well as action strategies of social work. Moreover, in a lecture followed by discussions the project-related topic “Extraterritorialisation and legal access for international refugee protection” was analysed from the perspective of asylum law.

The project group was also confronted with German history while visiting the concentration camp memorial site in Flossenbürg. During their visit of the former concentration camp and the accompanying exhibition, the project teams learnt about how the camp was created by the Nazis as an instrument of power and about the victims who had to suffer from inhumane treatment and enslavement due to unwanted and scorned political opinion, religion or sexual orientation. In an interactive workshop the group dealt with the question “How shall we live together?” and discussed the ideal society as well as fair rules, values and norms within a community.

The local newspaper published an article about the project group’s visit to the Schweinfurt town hall.

Visiting Schweinfurt town hall
The second mayor Sorya Lippert welcomes the project group in the town hall of Schweinfurt
Visiting the initial reception centre for asylum seekers in Schweinfurt
Visiting the initial reception centre for asylum seekers in Schweinfurt
Visiting the Diakonie Würzburg’s shared accommodation for unaccompanied minors
In conversation with a male social worker in a shared accommodation for unaccompanied minors
Visiting the concentration camp memorial site Flossenbürg
Learning about German history: Visiting the concentration camp memorial site Flossenbürg
Workshop in Flossenbürg “How shall we live?”
During a workshop event, the project group discusses the ideal society and social justice
Presentation by UNHCR
Visiting the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees: Presentation by UNHCR on their duties in a global and German context
The group in front of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees in Nuremberg
The group visited the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees meeting representatives of UNHCR and IOM
Collective accommodation for asylum seekers in Geldersheim
In conversation with a femal social worker and female residents in the collective accommodation for asylum seekers in Geldersheim
Historical tour through the village of Geldersheim
During a historical tour of the village of Geldersheim together with other international guests of FHWS and the mayor of Geldersheim

From 28 to 3 August 2018, the project group met in Jordan. During visits to institutions and workshops with experts, the group focused on the Syrian as well as the Palestinian refugee community. During the workshops “Alternative Voices on the Syrian Refugee Crisis in Jordan” at Yarmouk University in Irbid and “Palestine and the Palestinian Refugees” at GJU in Amman, speakers got a chance to speak who in the public (national or international) discourse disagree with the dominating social and political consensus. By visiting international organisations like UNHCR, UNICEF, and CARE Jordan, through encounters with representatives of local initiatives (e.g. Jordan Women Union, Identity Center), but also in meetings with representatives of public authorities (Municipality of Irbid, Syrian Refugees Affairs Directorate) the participants learnt about different, and in part controversial, perspectives on the Jordan refugee situation.  This charged relationship between the various actors involved was exemplary of the competing socio-political attitudes towards the refugee issue; dealing with these competing attitudes is challenging social work in the field of flight and migration – not only in Jordan, but also in Lebanon and Germany. A visit to the Catholic Center for Studies and Media also highlighted the rootedness of various (not only Islamic) religious communities in Jordan and the cultural significance of this historical co-existence for living together peacefully.

Group photo in Irbid
Group photo in Irbid
Workshop “Alternative Voices on the Syrian Refugee Crisis in Jordan” at Yarmouk University
Workshop “Alternative Voices on the Syrian Refugee Crisis in Jordan” at Yarmouk University in Irbid
Group photo in Irbid town hall
Group photo at the reception in the town hall of Irbid
Visiting the Museum of Archeology in Irbid
Visiting the Museum of Archeology in Irbid
Visiting UNHCR in Amman
Conversation with Senior Protection Officer Douglas DiSalvo about the work of UNHCR in Jordan
Visiting the Syrian Refugee Affairs Directorate in Amman
Visiting the Syrian Refugee Affairs Directorate in Amman
Group lunch at Madrasati in Amman
Group lunch at a “Madrasati”-School in Amman (an educational initiative by the Jordan River Foundation)
Group photo at the Catholic Center for Studies and Media
Meeting on interreligious dialogue with the Director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media in Jordan
 

The final mobility was held from 22-26. October 2018 at FHWS in Würzburg. The main programme item was the presentation of the projects' research results, conclusions and need for action for social work with refugees. On 23.10. the project group of Yarmouk University gave presentations about their research for all project members. On 24.10. the project members of the Lebanese University, German Jordanian University and FHWS presented their research results in a public event at FHWS to a larger audience (you can find the research of the students here). As a guest speaker, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jochen Pleines presented the results of his fact finding mission on the situation and support of refugee students at Jordanian universities.

Furthermore, the project team visited the Middle Franconian town of Rothenburg Ob der Tauber with its medieval old town and had a guided tour in the city of Würzburg to learn more about the history of these places.

Finally, the project was internally reflected and evaluated in order to draw conclusions from the experience gained for future cooperation. It became clear that the participation in and the exchange through the project was a great enrichment for all participants, but the prerequisites for a better learning effect for the student project members could be improved. The shared experiences and achievements motivated the members of the project group to stay in touch and to use the connections for further projects in the future.

Pictures: Final mobility

Group photo in front of the city wall of Rothenburg Ob der Tauber
Group photo in front of the city wall of Rothenburg Ob der Tauber.
City tour in Rothenburg Ob der Tauber
City tour in Rothenburg Ob der Tauber. The group learnt a lot about the medieval history of the city.
City tour in Würzburg
Prof. Dr. Achim Förster was the guide for the city tour in Würzburg.
Visit to the memorial of the bomb attack on Würzburg of 16.03.1945
The group looking at the city's relief showing the destruction of Würzburg after the bomb attack on 16.03.1945.
Final project evaluation
The project group reflecting and evaluating the shared experience.
Group photo in Würzburg
Final group photo in Würzburg before farwell.

Pictures: Presentation of Project Results

Project Manager Prof. Dr. Ralf Roßkopf welcomed the guests to the presentation of project results.
Project Assistant Lisa Ziegler introduced the project aims and activities to the audience.
Guest speaker Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jochen Pleines presented the results of his fact finding mission on "Refugee Students in Jordanian Universities".
Deiliany de Souza talked about "Extraterritorial Asylum Processing by EU Members States: Legal and Social Perspectives".
Stefanie Witter addressed "The Role of Social Work within the Resettlement Process in Pre-departure and Post-arrival Services in Germany"
Florian Blauth presented his research results on "Supporting Decision-making Processes of Syrian Refugees: Empirical Research on Expectations and Prospects ‘On the Move’"
Lebanese project assistant Aimée Ghanem together with Mira Mkanna presented research results on "Impact of the Transit Period on Syrian Refugees and Role of Social Workers: Case of Syrian Refugees Seeking Family Reunification from Lebanon to Germany".
Genevieve Youssef gave a presentation on "Effective Social Intervention in Relation to Child Labor and their Wellbeing"
The lecture held by Taghrid Abdallah dealt with the topic "The Convenient Work with Syrian Refugee Children Who Experienced Incest in Lebanon"
GJU project assistant Farah Al Hamouri presented her research results about "The Needs of Unaccompanied Minors in Jordan: The Social Work Perspective"
Bayan Zaitoun talked about "The Impact of Displacement on Gender Roles: Syrian Refugee Women in Jordan"
The lecture held by MHD Adib Ghazi was about "Social Worker’s Services in the Field of Child Maltreatment Prevention at Urban Areas in Jordan"
MHD Basel Shammout gave a presentation on "The Influence of Displacement on Syrian Children with Cancer in Jordan: A call for advocacy"
Architekt Safa' Sallam informed the audience about "The Impact of the Internationally Funded Rehabilitation Projects on the Jordanian Public Schools Environment after the Syrian Crisis"
Roa'a Taleb talked about "The Syrian Civil War" to a smaller group.
Majedah Al Smadi giving a presentation about "Barriers for Education among Syrian Refugee Girls"
Ghofran Ajawi presented her research results about "The Turnout of Syrian Refugee Women for Family Planning Methods in Zaatari Camp" to the project group.
Sondos Qur'an presenting her topic "Medical Services for Syrian Refugees in Jordan" to the project team.