Moving stories are part of the "MePower" project, which is aimed at young refugees in Switzerland. At the summer camp, the participants creatively explored their own life stories. Among them was Mazlum Bashi, who told us when he felt like a fish in his life and what draws him to the mountains. Wednesday morning in [...]
Wednesday morning during the summer vacation. The streetcar travels past green meadows towards Hölstein in Baselland. "Ronaldo or Messi?" a boy asks the crowd. "Ronaldo" answers another, without hesitation. The European Championship is approaching the final and heroic stories are being written on the pitch. But this summer camp of the "MePower" project by terre des hommes schweiz is about a different kind of heroic story - that of the young refugees themselves.
Discover strengths
The realities of these young people's lives are characterized by major challenges: Far away from home, they try to build a new life in Switzerland, often without family support and clear prospects for the future. How do they still manage to discover their personal strengths? Psychosocial support focuses on this question.
Creative to the ego
In the afternoon, all you can hear is the scratching of pencils on paper. Ears and hair are drawn, noses are erased. The young people have bound notebooks and are working on their self-portraits. Irene Bush, an expert in psychosocial issues, is helping them to create their personal "herobooks": Drawing, writing and crafting, the young people grapple with the question of who they are. "On Friday, you are all the heroes of your own story," Irene Bush encourages them. Then the stories are shared in the group. Mazlum Bashi is particularly looking forward to this. The 28-year-old has already attended the summer camp several times. "I like learning more about the different people," he says.
Like a wriggling fish
Mazlum can easily put himself in the shoes of the younger generation: "When I came to Switzerland nine years ago, I felt like a fish wriggling on the table," he says. "Everything is foreign to you: the people, the culture, the language." Today, he feels at home in Switzerland: "I had to leave my first home in Kurdistan. I've found a second one here." To help others do the same, he spends his free time supporting refugees who are new to Switzerland.
Mazlum also shares his experiences at the summer camp and acts as a role model. When asked who his own role model is, he talks about his grandmother, with whom he grew up. "She was the most important person in my life. She looked after me as if I were her sheep. Everyone had respect for her," he recalls.
Freedom in the mountains
Mazlum spent many summers looking after flocks of sheep in the mountains of Kurdistan. His dream is to work with animals in Switzerland too, perhaps on an alpine pasture. "I'm a mountain person," he says with a laugh. "For me, mountains mean freedom." In Switzerland, Mazlum Bashi has found freedoms that he was denied in his home country. But he had to leave other things behind. "Everyone has a story," he concludes. "None are the same. My story is like that."
