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Description
Although Poland is very reluctant to accept refugees and even more reluctant to grant them protection, it is estimated that there are several thousand people in our country who are under various forms of protection or are seeking it. According to a 2018 study by the Center for Public Opinion Research, as many as 61% of Poles surveyed declared that "Poland should not accept refugees" - this is an increase of 40%points in 3 years. Negative social attitudes have a direct impact on the life and functioning of refugees: violence, discrimination or negative attitudes. Observations show this results mostly from little knowledge about other cultures and reluctance to meet people who are different from us. We aim to change this situation thanks to integration and educational activities, that will reduce manifestations of discrimination against specific individuals, as well as social tensions around the subject itself. We will be targeting our activities at inhabitants of Warsaw and its surroundings. It will be conducted in the dialogue process and educational activities, focused on integration and good practice. We will run a series of open meetings the participants of which will learn about the integration process and will come up with their own ideas for optimising it. The ‘Otwarty Dom’ foundation, which held pilot workshops devoted to this topic in 2020, will support us with organising these meetings. We will carry open workshops devoted to migration and refugeeism at libraries or local cultural centres. In schools in Warsaw and in Mazowieckie province we will organise lessons devoted to refugeeism, migration, multiculturality, cross-cultural communication and anti-discriminatory practices. We will set up a ‘Friends’ Club’ – an integration platform for Polish and refugee families and expand the functioning of the existing podcast, debunking myths on refugeeism. The participants will be able to change their attitude towards refugees, basing it on more rational grounds.
Summary of project results
The last few years have witnessed an increase in negative emotions towards migration in Poland. We have diagnosed a growing wave of resentment and sometimes even contempt and hatred towards refugees. As part of the project, we wanted to reach out to the refugee hosting community in Warsaw and influence their opinions on migration.
The project included integration and educational activities. As part of the Club of Friends, 20 Polish and refugee family meetings were held, creating a space for intercultural integration. We also conducted 55 workshops for over 1,300 pupils and 8 open meetings for adults. We have created a collection of lesson plans and a toolbox with the theme of borders and walls as an axis. There is also an educational element in the 6 episodes of the podcast, which complete the lesson plans.
In addition, we held six meetings in different districts of Warsaw, where we worked together with residents to develop recommendations on integration policy for the City of Warsaw.
The report with the recommendations is publicly available on our website and has also been sent to the City Council''s Office for Assistance and Social Projects and to the Social Affairs Departments of the individual districts. It has also been received by those participating in the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee on Foreigners at the Co-operation Office. The educational tools are available to the public for use by teachers and educators.
From the surveys, we know that the project participants evaluated the participation positively and say that these methods of inclusion in the creation of recommendations should be used more widely.