Beratungsstellen
The project of “Patenschaften”
25.04.2017
"When a new foreigner faces difficulties in communicating with a new society that almost speaks his language and then finds a volunteer who stands by his side to help, those difficulties quickly fade, on the contrary, the integration process is on track."
This is the main pillar upon which the team of the "Patenschaften" project depends. A year after the start of this project and the achievement of important steps, the team of youpod met with the project administrator Miss. Melanie Harendt, and conducted a dialogue with her to talk about the most
important points and achievements that took place during this year.
What is the "Patenschaften" and who is responsible for this project
Miss. Harendt: The project is called in German "Patenschaften" and this means exactly caring for foreigners, providing assistance and facilitating their integration into the community of Düsseldorf. This project is located in many cities in Germany because it is supported by government organizations in the country. In Düsseldorf, it is Diakonie who runs this project and I am the one who doing the job.
What task do you exactly have?
Miss. Harendt: I simply communicate with the volunteers in the city
after I explain to them the idea of the project, and then connect them with the
new foreigners or refugees.
Has the volunteer a hard time getting along with the foreigner?
Miss. Harendt: Of course volunteers ask about the person who will communicate with him, and sometimes the volunteer asks to help a family of refugee families, and there are those who ask for a refugee who speaks French, for example, because he also speaks the language.
At the same time, the refugees who need help are chosen based on their compatibility with the volunteers in terms of the area in which they live, is it close to where the volunteer lives? Do they have young children? And so on. For our part, we set a date for the first meeting, and this meeting certainly demonstrates the compatibility between the parties. If agreed, we will provide the parties with
support and assistance if problems happen.
When did the project start, and what statistics and figures did you get during this
period?
Miss. Harendt: The project started last year, specifically in May. The number of volunteers then was 24. Then the number began to increase until now it reached 54 volunteers. At first there were many volunteers and a few foreigners, but now the opposite is happening, we now lack volunteers.
How long does the volunteer stay in contact with the foreigner?
Miss. Harendt: This varied from one team to another and depends on how
much help the new foreigner needs in the city. Some are still asking for help
from the volunteer. There may also be some kind of amity so the communication
continues as friendship.
But some have stopped communicating after the end of the assistance or because
the volunteer traveled to live in another city, for example. There are some
cases where the volunteer does not agree with the foreigner as well.
Will the project go on this year as well or not? What changes or modifications will you add to the project?
Miss. Harendt: I think it is important to have projects like this one. Without a doubt, this
project is a one that has positive results for both parties “volunteer and foreigner”, so the project will continue. As for the changes, there will be no radical changes, but there may be some
minor reajustments that will move the project forward.
As a final word, what do you want to say?
Miss. Harendt: Frankly, I am surprised by the friendships between the volunteers and the families of foreigners in Düsseldorf, as well as the successful in the communication between them because the main difficulty was in the language. It has evolved from speaking through signs, such as using hands, to speaking German.
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