Many young people with a refugee background are under enormous psychological pressure in Switzerland. In addition to the uncertainty as to whether they will be allowed to stay in Switzerland, the culture shock and the language barrier, traumatic experiences place a heavy burden on these young people. With the “MePower” project, terre des hommes schweiz closes a gap and offers psycho-social support for young migrants.
In the “MePower” project, young people learn about their strengths and options for action and are given the opportunity to network. terre des hommes schweiz has many years of experience in working with traumatized young people through its project work in southern Africa and Latin America. In our projects, we work successfully with thesolution focussed approach (SFA). Instead of focusing on the problems and weaknesses of those affected, SFA focuses on their strengths and resources. They learn to recognize and develop these so that they can take action on their own and give their lives a positive turn.
As part of the project, a monthly get-together, several workshops and a summer camp with young refugees take place throughout the year. The theme of this year’s camp from August 7-9 was “Home”, which the young people had chosen themselves beforehand.
Not all wishes can be fulfilled
The event kicked off with an introduction to the topic of home. The young participants discussed their understanding of home in the group and shared their different perspectives on it. In small teams, the young people also presented the concept of home as a “statue”. Good communication between the participants was important here. A challenge that the young people mastered well, despite their different native languages, experiences and perspectives. Statements such as “Home is a place without borders where I feel free”, “You can’t forget home” or “Home is a place where you can put down roots” were made on the subject of “home”. Mazlum, a young man from Kurdistan, had a similar view. He had found a second “home” after around 8 years in Switzerland. However, not all the challenges that young people face when they come to Switzerland can be overcome. Nor can you always realize your own dreams and wishes. “I would like to work with animals, I love animals and nature. I used to work as a veterinary assistant in my village. I don’t know whether I’ll be able to continue living this dream here in Switzerland at some point. But I’m happy and free, that’s important.
Your own place of strength provides support and confidence
On the second day, the participants created so-called body maps in an inspiring SFA workshop, with which they were able to express their personal feelings, thoughts and memories in the context of home in a creative way. The young people were given the task of looking within themselves and finding their own place of power and drawing it on the body map. According to art therapist Irene Bush, everyone has their own personal place of strength that can give them support and confidence in difficult situations. She took part in the camp as a workshop leader and set up the psychosocial support for young people at terre des hommes schweiz many years ago. This approach to strengthening identity and community not only fostered collaboration, but also provided space for each person’s different perspectives and stories. During the process, participants had the opportunity to share their own experiences and relationships to home.
Another highlight of the camp was the joint creation of a city map by young migrants for young migrants in Basel. The young people want to use it to help other young people find their way around the city more quickly and point out places where they like to spend time. The body maps and the designed city map, which will be further developed in the coming months, will not only be physical artifacts, but also symbolic representations of the individual and collective journeys undertaken by the young people with a refugee background.
