Mobility

Migration =/+/-economy

This time, as part of the Erasmus project "Migration in the EU - enrichment and / or threat?", we set off for our next, fourth meeting in Astillero, Spain. The program carried out on January 23-27, 2023, this time concerned the impact of migration on the country's economy.

After the integration meeting in Astillero and the tour of the Spanish school, we attended a lecture by Professor Adolfo Fernández Puentea from the University of Cantabria in Santander on "Migration, Myths and Reality", in which he defined the different meanings of the terms irregular and regular migrants and refugees. Then he presented global migration flows in figures and diagrams and justified these movements with various factors, e.g. economic considerations. In conclusion, he revised the myth that migration is mostly illegal. However, the main reason for immigration is still economic.

The next day we took part in a debate on the current migration situation. The representative of the Red Cross, María Cobo, presented the current migration situation in Spain. She informed that in recent years the number of migrants has increased significantly and it is difficult to provide all people with decent conditions of adaptation (accommodation, recognition of status). Integration turns out to be difficult for many reasons. One of them is the recognition of professional qualifications. Others knowledge of languages ​​needed to do the job. An important element of the meeting was learning about Ahmad Sajjadi's migration history. We had the opportunity to listen to the personal experience of an Afghan migrant, which was very moving. But also ask the questions that bother us and get the answer at the source.

Workshop on “Migration and Rural Development” in Villacarriedo led by Professor Fernando Collantes from Universidad de Oviedo showed interesting aspects of migration : from the countryside to the cities. Contrary to the European trend that villages are dying out more and more, Spain is an example of the opposite trend, thanks to application  incentives for both the local population and foreigners and the implementation of programs such as LEADER. In addition, Ms An Manrique Morales, an official of Europoint LAG Valles Pasiegos, presented a report on the regional network of the Cantabria region that promotes rural areas economically.

We also managed to visit amazing places such as the Magdalena Palace, the charming town of Santillana del Mar, we had the opportunity to taste a regional delicacy, Sobaos cake or cheese at the local La Jaradilla factory, and even to make our own cheese. Despite the rainy weather, we tried to take advantage of what the Spanish culture had to offer. The stay ended with the official presentation of diplomas by the local mayor Javier Fernández Soberón.

 Migration and politics

This time, as part of the Erasmus project "Migration in the EU - enrichment and / or threat?" we went to Turi in Italy. The theme of the meeting was national and European migration policy. Each of the groups (Polish, German, Spanish and Italian) presented the assumptions of the migration policy in their country. As part of the workshop, aspects of European policy were also discussed. The highlight of the visit was the debate w Auditorium IISS „Pertini-Anelli-Pinto”on migration with participation regional councilors, the mayors of Turi, Conversano and Polignano a Mare and a representative of the ACLI and ARCI. We had the opportunity to get clarification on political, legal, administrative and social aspects by asking questions of those who deal with these issues every day.

It was also very interesting to meet Bilal Khan, a young Pakistani squash master, and currently an instructor at the Squash Center in Bari. He told us about his dreams and the determination that accompanies their realization. But also about escaping from Pakistan, about his experiences as an immigrant. Despite many sacrifices, difficulties and difficult emotions that accompany it, he met people who were open and ready to help "the other, the stranger and the unknown" just like that, out of an impulse of the heart.

The topic was difficult, but the atmosphere accompanying the meeting was singing, dancing and full of impressions from the charming Trani, beautiful trulli houses (inscribed on the UNESCO list) and winding streets of Alberobello. The trip to it was fantastic too Castel del Monte – a castle considered to be one of the most perfect architectural works of the Middle Ages and also inscribed on world heritage list UNESCO.

Migration in the present: the contribution of vocational schools and companies to the integration of (young) immigrants

IN within the implementation of the Erasmus project "Migration in the EU - enrichment and / or threat?" our first meeting took place after two years of working online due to the pandemic. Unfortunatelythe meeting scheduled for March 2022 in Poland, in Krakow, was moved to September due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

On the first day, welcomed by the deputy director Norbert Damke from Berufskolleg Schloss Neuhaus and the starosta Hans-Bernd Janzen, we set to work. In international groups, we prepared an interview questionnaire, and then we interviewed students of the international class, the class teacher of this class on the concept of integration and the deputy headteacher on the integration of refugee students at school. We got to know their stories, positive and negative experiences, their fears, as well as their hopes and dreams.

The next day we took part in vocational workshops (Holland's model) conducted by members of the Business Training Academy (FAW). After these classes, we were presented with an analysis of personal potential (KaoA method), recommendations for individual professional fields, and we also received individual competence profiles.

The next day, we visited the workshops of the District Union of Craftsmen, learned about the conditions of education, as well as the requirements for young employees. The subsequent visit to various workplaces (Autohaus Hillebrand, Henry Schmidt GmbH & Co. KG, ETISA - Elektro Technik Industrie Service Avci e.K.) and getting to know the structure and specificity of a given company was an interesting experience. Conducting an interview with the company's management about the concept and innovation of implementing employees of different nationalities, but also talking to employees was very inspiring and shows what difficulties migrants face on the labor market.

last day we visitedWewelsburg District Museum.we took also participation inworkshops  “How to create a good exhibition? "

Traces of the past looking to the future

As part of the Erasmus+ project "Migration in the EU - enrichment and / or threat?", we met on 26.09-02.10.2022 with our colleagues from Germany, Italy and Spain. We explored migration in the past, focusing on Jewish immigration in Poland and Jewish culture and religion. In order to best show how the presence of Jews in Poland influenced the formation of culture and where racism and intolerance led, the meeting was held in Krakow.

We visited the former Jewish district of Kazimierz, the Remuh Synagogue built in 1558, which today is the religious center of the Krakow Jewish community, as well as the neighboring Remuh Cemetery and the former Jewish ghetto with Ghetto Heroes Square.

In the Galicia Jewish Museum, which preserves the memory of the Jewish-Polish culture of former Galicia and the victims of the Holocaust, we took part in the workshops "In the footsteps of memory" and "Diversity, tolerance, respect" looking for answers to questions not only about their past, but also about responsibility for their future.

We also had the honor of having a heart-tugging meeting with the Holocaust Survivor Monika Goldwasser, who wrote in her message “I was born at a time when most people of my origin were dying! I was one of the children who were born but had no right to live! A baby who had no right to grow up. I belong to the youngest generation of people who survived. I live and am as proof of great love and goodness that knew no fear at a time when evil triumphed.

Serious and focused, we faced the challenge of a few-hour visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. A visit full of difficult emotions and terrifying experiences. Then we considered the message of people such as Marian Turski, Halina Birenbaum, or Stanisław Zalewski during workshops at the ICEAH (International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust).

This thematically difficult and poignant week ended with a Shabbat dinner at the Jewish Community Center in Krakow (JCC). The dinner was an opportunity to meet the Jewish community (meeting with Jonathan Ornstein) and to experience Jewish culture in various areas: cuisine, customs during the Shabbat dinner. An additional value was the opportunity to get acquainted with the activities of JCC, from the history of its establishment to today's activities provided for the benefit of the Ukrainian community.

The program also included a guided tour of Krakow: the Old Town, the Wawel Cathedral, the Cloth Hall, a fascinating journey through the 1000-year history of the city in the Underground Museum and a visit to the Wieliczka Salt Mine

Next meetings in schools in Italy, Spain and Germany are ahead of us. There is also an exhibition crowning the project in Paderborn and the conference in Zielona Góra.

On November 9-11, 2021, a meeting of the coordinators of the Erasmus + project "Migration in the EU - enrichment and / or threat?" implemented by schools from Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland. Due to the pandemic, it was only in 2021 that coordinators could meet in person, not only at online meetings.

Italian teachers Ms. Tiziana Panaro and Mr. Palumbo conducted training on the eTwinning/TwinSpace digital platform and on working with video files. Partners from the German school, Mrs. dr. Ursula Olschewski and Mrs. Maria Dolores Vidal Garcia from BKSN presented Book Creator digital tools, Actionbound and Wonder.me conference tool.HisWithpaisscand coordinators, pani Fernandez Rodriguez and pani Saro Gomez, conducted a tutorial on how to use Kahoot and Padlet. Mrs. Jadwiga Tomczyk and Mr. Dominik Michalewski from Poland presented the Erasmus project website and the Time Tree application. Polish teachers also presented the assumptions of the methodological manual.

During our visit to "I.I.S.S. Pertini - Anelli", the principal, Ms. Caldararo, took the opportunity to present our Erasmus project to several classes and draw attention to the importance of international student exchanges. At the end of the training, a lively meeting with the students involved in the project took place in the school hall.

The training ended with an interesting accompanying program: in addition to Polignano, Monopoli, Locorotondo and Bari, the program included a visit to the trulli in Alberobello, which in 1996 were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

An article in the local press contained detailed information about the Erasmus project and our stay in Turi.