At the end of April, we held a workshop with 14 young war refugees from Ukraine. The aim of the meeting was for the young people to actively contribute to the program content and express their ideas and needs.
It’s a sunny Thursday afternoon at the end of April. An unusual group has gathered in the pavilion of the Gartenstadt restaurant in Münchenstein – 14 young people aged 16 to 21, 4 supervisors from terre des hommes schweiz and two translators. The latter are essential, as some of the young people do not speak English. Just a few weeks ago, they lived in their home country, Ukraine. War and destruction have driven them to flee to the West. A journey full of uncertainty and without a destination.
Given these circumstances, the motivation with which the young refugees took part in the meeting was all the more impressive: “We met open, curious and open-minded young people that afternoon. Only very few were shy and didn’t want to talk, the vast majority were full of energy. They really enjoyed being able to talk to each other in Ukrainian,” reports Catherine Brunold, MePower project coordinator at terre des hommes schweiz.
By young people for young people
Participatory cooperation is the core idea of the MePower project: the young people were able to share their feelings, fears and perspectives and network through creative work and lively discussions. They also learn more about their rights and opportunities as asylum seekers in Switzerland as part of the MePower project.
The positive feedback from the participants is motivating and makes them look forward to the next Stammtisch. “The participatory work made an impression on the young people, many of them would like to actively help organize the project. This makes solution-oriented work fun. It made my heart beat faster!” adds Catherine Brunold.
Get hold of furniture & support MePower
As we are moving to the kHaus in Kleinbasel in mid-June, we are selling our office furniture that we no longer need on tutti.ch. Your purchase will support our MePower project for young refugees from Ukraine. You can find all advertisements via this link.
And if you don’t need new furniture at the moment, you can also support the “MePower Ukraine” project directly with a donation. Thank you very much!
The MePower project at terre des hommes schweiz helps young people with a refugee background to discover their strengths and opportunities. It also creates a supportive network of peers that enables them to develop new perspectives. More about the MePower project.
