In all the three countries participating in the project (Germany, Austria and Sweden), the question of the right handling of the refugee relief is the dominant theme. Also the adult education is affected by this, because almost every adult education provider offers courses either for these refugees/new arrivals itself or for the professionals and volunteers, because the need of further training regarding the educational work with refugees/new arrivals increases.This one year lasting European partnership, consciously planned with partners of just three, but - from the adult education perspective - relevant countries, wants to start an exchange about successful concepts and methods in the educational work with refugees/new arrivals. At the same time, we want to esteem the different educational traditions and adult education systems: while in Germany and Austria the providers normally work with structured courses, the Swedish partners e.g. use the established method of study circles also for the integration of refugees. The project partners would like to learn more about the existing approaches and about the frame conditions of educational work with refugees/new arrivals. In a second step, we want to start a most broad exchange in the whole field of adult education about successful concepts and methods. At the same time, we want to reflect together, to what extent the new experiences can be integrated into the own work.To reach the defined objectives, we have chosen partners from different levels of adult education in each country. We are three umbrella organisations operating nationwide and six adult education providers working on local and/or regional level. These providers will be represented each by somebody of the management staff and a teacher/trainer.With this project team, we can assure the maximum local scope as well as we can cover all levels of educational work with adult refugees. The direct target audience of this project are the project partners’ institutions themselves. During the project phase, we want to develop ideas how to integrate the new knowledge and the experiences of the partners into our own work for the benefit of all partners. Moreover, we want to use our existing networks to start a most possible exchange about the different concepts.For the dialogue between the project partners, the most relevant activities will be the three transnational meetings. There we will learn more about the frame conditions and about the concrete educational work with adult refugees/new arrivals in the participating organisations. For having a more structured and bigger basis of information and reflection, we will ask other relevant members of the existing networks via questionnaires about the offers for refugees and about further trainings they offer for professional and volunteer staff in this field. All the interested institutions will be informed via special project newsletter and they will have the possibility to participate in the exchange, e.g. by posting on the website.For collaborating, the project partners will use the methods of transformative learning with its steps experiences, rational discourse and critical reflection. We chose this method because of regarding adult education institutions, as well as the single participant, as learning subjects.Expected results will be the deep knowledge of different educational approaches and methods, which are used in the work with refugees/new arrivals and about the frame conditions, in which the partners work. This will help us to find new and successful way for offering learning events for refugees/new arrivals as well as for professional and volunteer staff working with refugees/new arrivals
In the EDREF-project, overall 9 partners exchanged about the question, which concepts, methods and approaches are offered especially successful and expedient in pedagogical work with refugees in the different institutions. We have learned exciting concepts and approaches and we have recognized, how important the professional exchange – also transnational – is. The core of this project of good exchange have been three project meetings in Munich, Vienna and Stockholm. When planning the project, we were very much concerned to integrate local cooperation partners, volunteers and refugees, because who else could tell better what is needed? As a result, the participating institutions implemented the newly acquired knowledge into their work at home. Here are some examples for the implementation: - Münchner Bildungswerk has been planning and developing the project „Schatzfinder“. This project is designed as follow-up to German language courses and it is organized as guided equal educational offer for the participants. Methodological approach is the concept of study circles – a method, the Swedish partners presented to us. The concept of „Elternchat“, which is carried out successfully in Katholisches Bildungswerk Vorarlberg , will be part of a further training with the project partners from Sweden. In exchange the Swedish partners will offer a further training for the methods of study circles. - During the project period KBW Vorarlberg (Hans Rapp as the chairman of the ARGE Vorarlberg Erwachsenenbildung) organized an excursion of the heads of Vorarlberg´s adult educators to Sweden to study organization, methods and impacts of the study circles in Sweden. The excursion will take place from October 25th to 27th 2017. - KEB RLP is looking for a way to establish study circles especially in basic adult education. They have brought that on the agenda of a conference of adult education leaders in November 2017 with the focus how to find ways to integrate that in the adult education system in Rhineland-Palatinate. Furthermore, we have defined keywords, which for us are especially important when working pedagogically with refugees. - Regarding people with flight background: keywords for us are: simplicity, ease of access, closeness to daily life, resource orientation. - Regarding educators/facilitators etc.: keywords for us are: resource orientation, diversity approach, suitable framework conditions As we think that, many of our member institutions have developed offers, which follow these key words, we are inviting them to share these offers with others. More information you will find at the project website at www.edref.eu. Project partners: German institutions: KEB Deutschland, KEB Rheinland-Pfalz, Münchner Bildungswerk Austrian institutions: Forum Kath. Erwachsenenbildung, Kath. Bildungswerk Eisenstadt, Kath. Bildungswerk Vorarlberg Swedish institutions: Studieförbunden, Folkuniversitetet, Studieförbundet Bilda The project was coordinated by KEB Deutschland. Please contact us for more information: [email protected] The project website at www.edref.eu will at least be opened until the end of October 2018. Then we will decide upon the further procedure. The texts that were published on the website (meeting reports, questionnaires, keywords) will in any case be accessible after this period through the coordinator of the project.