Many young people with a refugee background are under enormous psychological pressure in Switzerland. In addition to xenophobia, uncertainty as to whether they will be allowed to stay in Switzerland, culture shock and the language barrier, traumatic experiences are a major burden for these young people. High time for a power-up in the picturesque Jura. In the MePower workshop, young refugees learn about their strengths and resources and make new contacts.
Ava carefully puts one foot in front of the other. She has already climbed one step, now comes the steep part. The rules state that she is not allowed to feel her way anywhere. The young Afghan woman can only rely entirely on Tushari, who gives her instructions and whose eyes are not blindfolded. “Watch out, here comes another one”. Ava masters the steps and lets Tushari from Sri Lanka lead her into the garden, where the two of them sit down in the sun.
The “Blind trust” exercise is designed to help participants sharpen their sense of what gives them the security they need in such situations in a playful way. “Good communication was important to most of them in this game,” says co-project manager Sylvia Valentin, “they had to know what was right in front of them and how to behave.” A challenge, as the young people have different native languages.
Great psychological pressure
The extent to which the game resembles real life is probably a little different for all participants in the second MePower workshop. What is certain, however, is that there is no shortage of challenges for young refugees in Switzerland: restrictions during the asylum procedure, dealing with the authorities, finding their way in a culture that is foreign to them and, last but not least, exclusion in society. And even more serious: they constantly carry the images and impressions of traumatic experiences in their country of origin and during their flight with them.
The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) estimates that 50 to 60 percent of asylum seekers suffer from trauma-related disorders. Almost every third person suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, every third person from depression and the vast majority from chronic pain, write the psychologists from the Psy4Asyl network.
However, there are too few psychotherapeutic services in Switzerland. The consequences of untreated mental health problems have a negative impact on the social and professional integration of migrants, where they face high demands, Psy4Asyl continues. This causes additional costs in the long term.
For many young people, the loss of family and a supportive social environment is a major burden. Making new contacts and building a healthy social environment under this psychological pressure is a major challenge. However, this is precisely what is important for good integration and as a basis for treating the trauma. Low-threshold psychosocial support can help young migrants with this. But here, too, there is a lack of services.
Reach your goal with 1 to 10
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 abroad, we work successfully with the Solution Focused 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.
For example, with intermediate steps from 1 to 10. In this exercise, the participants thought about a goal that they would like to achieve. Ava writes down that she wants to find accommodation for her sister. Others write that they want to get an apprenticeship or learn German. The goal is given the number 10 and now everyone thinks about whether they are just at the beginning, step 1 or 2, or whether they are already further along the way. And what do the remaining steps represent? What needs to happen for the project to take a step forward?
Leaving problems behind
The participants got to know these and other exercises during the four-day workshop in the Jura, which took place for the second time in July. The teenagers and young adults with different residence statuses playfully discovered how many resources, strengths and abilities they have.
With our support, they were able to start developing personal coping strategies and visions for the future and find out what concrete, small steps they could take. They discovered what room for maneuver they have despite all their limitations and how they can use it. To do this, they were allowed to leave their problems behind for once and realize what their own strengths are.
“It was impressive how well the young migrants knew what their next steps were,” says co-head Sylvia Valentin. “They have a clear idea of what training they want to do and what professions they want to learn.” They should not be held back by the hurdles of their residence status. And with a healthy environment, they have the power to come to terms with their history and settle into life in Switzerland.
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