Religious Education

Religious education : something to be taught in the private family circles or something that belongs in the public classroom ? For some countries like France school and religion shouldn’t have anything to do together whereas in some states in Germany religion is handled as a mandatory subject at school.

Who is right ?

I spent my whole school time in a french school in Munich Germany. I so have been raised in a setting where religion and school were strictly separated. Religion is treated as a private thing which has no place in the public domain of school education. And I understand it. Religion is our outmost privacy: wether you are a christian, jew, muslim or atheist, it is what personally relates you to god and your beliefs. Also the separation of religion and State gives us the assurance that education doesn’t favor or discrminate any kind of religion

But we also have to take into consideration that religion is also a big part of culture. The Notre Dame in Paris, the Blue Mosque in Istanbul or the Dohány Street Synagogue in Budapest are all buildings that are culturally and religiously relevant. They are the result of centuries of beliefs that integrated themselves in our everyday culture and make for some of the most beautiful landmarks we have in Europe. It therefore seems all the more shocking that once I graduated from highschool I knew close to nothing about our constantly surrounding religions.

So is teaching religion in schools the right way to go?

We can take the example of Germany where religion classes are mandatory in most States. They teach the beliefs and traditions of one specific religion, most often christianism. However there are also classes teaching about Islam or Judaism so that people who do not affiliate to christianity still can pursue a religious upbringing. If the kid does not express himself as belonging to any religion or to none of the religion taught, the parents can also disengage their kid of religion classes by having an official meeting with the school’s headmaster. Every school is then responsible to offer a separate non-religious class in exchange.

This kind of religious education seems however to be a quite tunnel-visioned view as the classes stay limited to one religion and are designed in a religious setting rather than a purely educational one.

Which solution seems to be the right one then ?

I think neither of them. In a as religiously diverse social setting as we are in now in Europe, we have to acknowledge the importance of knowledge about these different religions. Therefore, I believe that there is a need for an impartial class on religion, so that the fundamentals of religion are acquainted by the time a student reaches his majority. Something like the Ethic classes in Germany. The goal is not to brainwash students into another religion or ensure a religious upbringing in any kind, it should rather be designed as a classic school teaching explaining the different religions by exposing the facts; much like a history class. It might be a step forward to build up tolerance towards different cohabiting religions and deconstruct false stereotypes about them. It might even be a step towards a more harmonial Europe.

About the author
Clara (20) took part in our “My Europe”workshop in Munich in 2013. She is one of the winners of the international writing contest from the workshop and has been actively representing the voice of young Europeans through the “Youth Council for the Future” (YCF). She is the Project Coordinator of the Working Group on Religion. Clara is currently studying at SciencesPo Paris Campus Nancy She likes to write and play basketball.

Interview: Faourou vient de Gao au nord du Mali

Qu’est ce qui vous a amené à quitter votre pays?

J’ai été mis à la porte de chez moi quand j’avais 16 ans parce que j’ai refusé un mariage arrangé par mon demi frère. C’est lui qui prenait les décisions pour moi parce que j’ai perdu mon père à 7 ans. Alors ne sachant plus où aller, j’ai vécu dans la rue pendant quelques mois. Ceux qu’on appelle les rebelles Touaregs venaient souvent dans notre ville du nord du Mali et propageaient la terreur en tirant. Parfois ils motivaient aussi des jeunes garçons à les suivre. Le jour où j’ai quitté ma ville, les Touaregs y étaient venus. Moi, je jouais au football avec des amis de la rue et un homme a eu peur pour nous et nous a proposé de fuir dans sa voiture. Je n’avais que 16 ans, j’étais rejeté de chez moi, je n’avais pas d’argent, j’avais peur des rebelles, mais surtout je ne me sentais pas protégé. Comme je n’avais plus rien à perdre, j’ai décidé de partir. C’est comme ça qu’a commencé mon exil.

Par quels pays êtes vous passé ?
L’Algérie, puis la Libye où j’ai été fait prisonnier et où j’ai travaillé durant 7 mois. Avant d’arriver en Allemagne, j’étais en Italie.

Un jour, en prison, on nous a proposé avec quelques autres jeunes de travailler sur un chantier.

Pourquoi avez vous été fait prisonnier en Libye?
J’ai travaillé quelques semaines pour un homme dans son champ et au moment de me payer, il a refusé et il a appelé la police. Puis, j’ai été conduit en prison. Il y avait beaucoup de jeunes africains mineurs comme moi en prison. Ils avaient tous plus ou moins vécu la même situation. Un jour, en prison, on nous a proposé avec quelques autres jeunes de travailler sur un chantier. On a accepté, puis on a fui.

Depuis combien de temps êtes vous en Europe ?
Je suis arrivé à 17 ans. Tout d’abord en Italie j’y suis resté jusqu’à mes 18 ans et après je suis venu en Allemagne. Ça fait maintenant 2 ans à peu près.

Quelle était votre première impression quand vous êtes arrivé en Europe ?
C’était un soulagement. Je venais de vivre la pire période de ma vie. Je me rappelle qu’avant de monter sur le bateau pneumatique pour la traversée je me suis dit : “peut-être demain tu seras mort”

Je fais beaucoup de cauchemars où je revis cette traversée.

Votre expérience durant votre exil la plus difficile ?
La traversée de la Méditerranée. C’était terrifiant. Nous sommes partis à 3 gros bateaux pneumatiques bondés. Des copains d’exil étaient montés dans un des 2 autres. Mais, juste le notre n’a pas coulé. Nous avons été recueilli par les secours italiens. Tout le monde était si effrayé. Il y a quelques temps, j’ai vu aux infos des bateaux remplis de réfugiés, j’ai dû détourner le regard. C’était trop dur. Je me suis senti physiquement très mal. Je fais beaucoup de cauchemars où je revis cette traversée.

Est-ce que vous pensez que ça valait la peine de prendre tant de risques?
Je ne sais pas. C’est trop tôt pour le dire. Je suis plein d’espoir pour l’avenir bien que je sois perturbé par tous ce que j’ai vécu durant mon exil.

Comment étaient vos conditions de vie quand vous êtes arrivé en Europe ?
Lorsqu’on est arrivé en bateau en Italie, on nous a partagé en 2 groupes les mineurs et les majeurs. Comme mineur j’ai été dirigé vers un centre où j’ai été nourri et logé jusqu’à mes 18 ans. J’en suis sorti le jour de mon anniversaire et j’ai été enregistré officiellement comme réfugié. Peu de temps après j’ai pris un train pour Munich en Allemagne.

Comment a évolué votre vie depuis ?
À mon arrivée à Munich, j’ai été accueilli dans un centre d’urgence réservé aux jeunes hommes pas loin du centre ville. J’ai reçu 170€ par mois pour vivre. Et on m’a vite proposé de suivre des cours d’allemand. Depuis quelques mois, je suis installé dans un immeuble qui accueille des jeunes hommes réfugiés. Une association s’est occupée de moi. Et, on m’a proposé de suivre une formation en hôtellerie. J’aime beaucoup cela, parce que tous les jours je vais à l’école. Ça me fait beaucoup de bien même si c’est difficile parce que je ne parle pas très bien allemand. D’ailleurs, beaucoup d’entre nous, ont après un an à Munich eu la possibilité de suivre une formation professionnelle ou ont commencé à travailler.

On m’a proposé de suivre une formation en hôtellerie.

Faites vous d’autres activités ?
Je fais du football en club. C’est un sport que j’adore. C’est Thomas, un bénévole allemand qui s’est occupé de mon intégration dans un club. J’y suis depuis presque un an. J’ai même mon nom inscrit sur mon maillot de football. Pour nous qui ne sommes plus dans notre pays, ça nous touche vraiment quand des gens se préoccupent de nous. Je me rappelle qu’un jour, je regardais les stands au marché aux puces et une dame âgée avec qui j’avais un peu parlé, m’a offert un tableau qu’elle avait peint et sur lequel était dessiné un gros coeur. Ce geste restera à jamais dans mon coeur.

Comment se passe votre vie avec les autres réfugiés ?
Je partage un immeuble avec d’autres hommes venant d’Afghanistan, d’Irak, d’Iran, de Syrie mais aussi de différents pays d’Afrique comme l’Erytree , la Somalie,l’Ethiopie… Cela se passe plutôt bien. J’essaie surtout de m’occuper juste de mes affaires. Les communautés se côtoient mais ne se parlent pas trop.

Pensez-vous souvent à votre pays?
Oui, tous les jours. Mon pays me manque beaucoup.

Pensez-vous y retourner?
Plus tard. Pour l’instant ce n’est pas mon but.

Avez vous beaucoup de problèmes avec la bureaucratie ?
Pas vraiment. Lorsque je suis arrivé en Allemagne, on m’a donné une carte allemande me donnant la permission d’être sur le territoire bavarois. Puis, on m’a rapidement attribué un lieu où vivre. J’ai été convoqué à un entretien pour ma demande d’asile. Maintenant, j’attends la réponse.

Pouvez-vous dire que vous êtes intégré maintenant ?
Je ne sais pas, si je suis intégré mais je me sens en sécurité.

Avez-vous peur d’être renvoyé ?
Oui, j’y pense toujours. Cela produit chez moi un stress permanent. C’est une peur qu’ont tous les réfugiés que je connais. C’est très dur.

 

About the author:

Picture Clara HachmannClara took part in our “My Europe”workshop in Munich in 2013. She is one of the winners of the international writing contest from the workshop and has been actively representing the voice of young Europeans through the “Youth Council for the Future” (YCF). Read more…

A Helping Hand for the Refugees

1The closing of the Serbo-Hungarian border in October 2015 caused a massive influx of refugees seizing their last chance to make it into the European-Union through Hungary. Katharina* (54), housewife and mother of three children in Munich decided in October 2015 to go to the Serbo-Hungarian border to offer her help to the refugees.

She agreed to share her experience with us in this interview.

YCF: What motivated you to go to the Serbo-Hungarian border?

Katharina: I decided to go there, when the refugee crisis and particularly the position of the European-Union at its borders were at the center of media attention. The spotlight was put on the Syrian refugees and their struggles at the borders to get into the European-Union by land or by sea. When I saw these people in Hungary walking by feet on the streets direction Austria I couldn’t stop thinking of them.

Furthermore, there was a wave of solidarity coming up in Munich, the city in which I live, as well as in Germany in general.

But the thing, that pushed me the most, was the urge of the situation and the will to face it. I mean, there was a huge humanitarian crisis just about 500 miles away and I couldn’t stand it, just to stay in my comfort zone and not do anything about it.

YCF: How did you go? And who did you take with you?

Katharina: I got in contact with a small group of people in my neighborhood who also wanted to do something. Most of them helped by donating stuff and/or money, but two of them were willing to come with me to the border to help the refugees there – a German architect who was about 40 years and a Syrian man who has lived in Munich for over 40 years.

Once the group was formed we decided to rent a truck and fill it with the donations. We even got supported by a charity organization which gave us among other things strollers and baby-carriers.

We first arrived in Budapest, where we originally wanted to help, but we were quickly told that there were enough people willing to help in the city. However, there was a huge lack of people at the Serbo-Hungarian border.

YCF: Once there, what was your first impression?

Katharina: I was surprised by the lack of infrastructure when we arrived. We first had to clean the surface to even think about creating a kind of infrastructure where we can welcome the arriving refugees. Then we distributed tents and made a plan to create a structure.

I was also surprised, that there were just very few people who came for humanitarian causes and a lot of journalists. I even felt, that there were more journalists than volunteers that came to the border. And there were quite a lot of Hungarian policeman at the border as well.2

YCF: What were your main activities at the border?

Katharina: Well, the activities varied. As already said, we installed tents to welcome the refugees, but we also gave them dry clothes when they arrived wet from head to toe because of the heavy rain. And we gave shelter and information to the disoriented refugees. We even gave money once in a while when they lost everything on their way. We also gave the often terrified children some toys and brought families to main train stations so that they could continue their way from there. As you can see, we always had something to do.

3YCF: What impressed you the most?

Katharina: I think it was to see so many families. Of course, I expected to see some families, but I was surprised to see that many families with small kids I thought meeting a lot more young to middle-aged men, who made the way to get their wives and kids later.

I was also surprised by the dignity and the decision of the refugees. Some of them had made very tough ways to get to the border and most were very tired. But all people were incredibly respectful and helpful one to another. I’ve never noticed a violent skid or even a feeling of aggressiveness.

Last but not least, I was surprised by the fact that there were not only Syrians trying to cross the border, but also a lot of Iraqis and Afghans fleeing terror and war.

4YCF: What was your most shocking experience

Katharina: One evening we were looking out at the border, if there was anyone who could need our help. We noticed someone hiding in the bushes, so we went a little closer. It was a young woman with a newborn in her arms. The young mother just gave birth a very few days ago in Serbia. But she didn’t have the time to recover from the birth. She had to continue her way direction Hungary. Once they arrived at the border, she sat down in a bush and stopped moving. She stayed in a severe state of shock with her newborn for one day and one night. The baby was almost not dressed. He wouldn’t have survived one more night like this in the cold.

At the example of this woman you can see how the refugees are going to their extremes. There is no going back for them.

YCF: Are you still active in the help for refugees today?

Katharina: I am indeed. I joined an organization in my city that offers different types of workshops for the refugees. The aim is, to integrate them and to offer them something to do during the long days. The workshops vary from German-classes and help in the bureaucratic steps to sports and cooking workshops. I personally lead a painting workshop with another woman. With this workshop we try to give them an opportunity to show their artistic skills and to express their experience. At the end of the workshop we’ll expose the paintings in a gallery to show it to a broad public.

* name changed as requested

Interview: Clara Hachmann

About the author:

Picture Clara HachmannClara took part in our “My Europe”workshop in Munich in 2013. She is one of the winners of the international writing contest from the workshop and has been actively representing the voice of young Europeans through the “Youth Council for the Future” (YCF). Read more…

“I Still Have the Dream to Go Home One Day”

Two women sitting near the Black Lake, Montenegro, Spotlight Europe
Two different ladies with a different background – yet they both still long for their home countries. (Flickr: amira_a/licensed under CC BY 2.0)

Clara: Where are you from? How long do you already live in Germany? What motivated you to come?

Biljana: Originally, I am from Kosovo. I fled to Germany about 15 years ago, due to war in my country. It wasn’t safe anymore for me in my home country.

Karina: I am from Montenegro. My husband and I were pursued due to our political convictions and so we decided to flee to Germany about 17 years ago.

Clara: How did you come?

Biljana: Since I had the right to come to Germany as a war refugee, I came by plane. Although I came legally, the bureaucratic process was really hard and took me an enormous amount of effort and time.

Karina: I am what you can call an illegal immigrant, but actually, once I arrived, we were all treated the same way. For me, the bureaucratic process was also really tough. Since we were classified as numbers, we felt quite humiliated. We kind of feared the administration, because they could decide if you stay or if you have to return where you came from. At that time, I always feared opening my mailbox, because I thought there could be a letter telling me I have to go back. And I know I wasn’t the only one having that fear.

Clara: Have you had difficulties with the language?

Biljana: The switch from Montenegrin to German was really difficult, because both languages are quite different. I still have some difficulties nowadays, although I have lived here for 15 years now. Additionally it was not mandatory to learn German at that time as it is now. There weren’t free German courses. We had to learn everything on our own.

Clara: What was your economic situation before you came? How did it change?

Karina: In fact, I had a good life: I liked my city, I liked my job and I had a good income. When I arrived in Germany, everything changed for me. Although the German and Montenegrin cultures weren’t so different, I couldn’t speak German and therefore I was only able to do the most basic jobs. That was a big economic and professional crash for me.

Clara: How did the Germans receive you?

Karina: In fact, the Germans were quite different. There were Germans who were very nice to me. They gave me help and shelter and they helped me to integrate.

Biljana: There were also people who weren’t nice. One day my son was on a school excursion and there was one bed, which was broken and nobody wanted to sleep on it. So, the teacher decided, that my son had to sleep there, although there was no reason except for the fact that he was a refugee.

Clara: Was it worth for you to come to Germany?

Karina: Yes, I think so. I still have the dream to go home one day, but my children live here and I am quite integrated today. So I can say, I have a new and normal life, which I definitely wouldn’t have had if I had stayed in Kosovo.

Biljana: If you ask me, I’m still not sure, if it was worth it. I still dream a lot of my home country and I still want to go back there. But it was not possible to stay in Montenegro during the war. And so things happened like they did. I can’t change it today. But sometimes I regret having left my home country.

About the interviewer:
Picture Clara Hachmann_small, Spotlight Europe
Clara

Clara (18) participated at the My Europe workshop in Munich, Germany, in 2013. She is involved in the work with the Youth Council for the Future.

Laura G. from Madrid

Call- button with a nurse figure on it, Spotlight Europe
Laura found a job as a nurse in Germany – a profession still demanded there. (Flickr: Nat/licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Due to great unemployment among the youth, many young people from Spain have decided to come to Germany to find a job. Laura G. (name changed as requested) is a young women from Madrid, who was fed up of not finding a job in her home country and decided to try her luck in Germany. She agreed to share her experience with me in this interview:

Clara: What motivated you to move to Germany?

Laura: After finishing my schooling to become a nurse, I waited two years for a job in Spain. A friend of mine (also a nurse) had already moved to Germany and told me there was still work left. As I couldn’t wait for a job any longer, I decided to move to Germany.

Clara: How did you get to Germany?

Laura: I saw an announcement on the web, proposing such a travel. First I contacted a company in Spain, which then contacted a company in Munich. I worked in this temporary employment agency in Munich as a nurse for a year, then changed for a private hospital. The whole organisation of this change cost me a lot of effort and time.

Clara: Did you have great difficulties with the language?

Laura: Since I’ve never learned German at school or anywhere else while I was in Spain, it surely was quite difficult. I began to have German classes three weeks before my departure, but it wasn’t enough.

Clara: Has your move been a big change in your life?

Laura: Yes, since I moved alone. My whole family still lives in Spain and even though the support they give me, I miss them a lot. Also, you have here a different culture, different weather…

Clara: Do you feel integrated now?

Laura: The people are really nice here and give their best to make me feel integrated, but since my German isn’t that good, I cannot say that I am perfectly integrated now. I can’t go to the Bank, the doctor or the hairdresser without having difficulties to express myself and I think if you really want to feel integrated you have to do all these things without major difficulties.

Clara: Was it worth it?

Laura: It surely was worth it! I now have a great job with great colleagues and friends. I am really satisfied with my decision to move here!

This interview was translated from German to English

About the interviewer:
Picture Clara Hachmann_small, Spotlight Europe
Clara

Clara (18) participated at the My Europe workshop in Munich, Germany, in 2013. She is involved in the work with the Youth Council for the Future.

Can Youth Revitalise Democracy?

Session with young people in the Council of Europe, Strasbourg 2014, Spotlight Europe
Council session with young people in the Council of Europe, Strasbourg 2014 (picture ©Council of Europe/Klara Beck )

Youth Council for the Future member Clara was invited to participate at the “World Forum for Democracy” in Strasbourg in November 2014. It was initiated by the Council of Europe and centred the debate how to make young people engage in parliamentary elections. (More information)

The World Forum for Democracy is a gathering to debate key challenges of democracies worldwide. As a participant of this meeting in 2014, I thought it might be interesting to share my impressions of this event.

Is a big event of three days regarding “Youth in Democracy” enough to give the European youth its place in important decision-making processes? No, definitely not. But it may be a start, and every great step needs a beginning. Since the focus of this year’s Forum was the youth, more than 240 young people from all over the world were invited to discuss democracy. The event should give young people the opportunity to share their ideas of democracy with influential personalities from politics and business exchange.

Clara and Sofia with the Youth Council Manifesto at the World Forum for Democracy, Spotlight Europe
Clara and Sofia with the Youth Youncil Manifesto at the World Forum for Democracy in Strasbourg. (Picture by Clara Hachmann)

The 3days-meeting was split into three different categories: There were the large “hemicycle speeches” about youth, there were “LABs” in which youth projects were presented including small discussions, and finally there were “prototype groups” in which young people could develop their ideas of democracy for a better future. Additionally, there was a fourth category, the “Unconferences”, where the major issues of today were discussed. But these topics were discussed at the same time with the prototype-groups. So I could not participate in this.

The speeches in the big hemicycles included several topics – from “digitalisation of our society” up to “youth in elections”. I listened to Daniela Chacon, Vice-Mayor of Quito. Her subject was the low youth participation in elections. „In order to change the system, it is necessary to participate in the system”, she quoted. Unfortunately, there was not enough time for discussion. So, more than three quarters of the questions asked were not answered.

The Labs presented special projects of youth and democracy from all over the world. At first a project was described, then some experts (university professors and journalists) gave their opinion and finally there was a discussion with the audience – of cause mainly composed of young people.

After this we started the prototype-groups. They were the “heart” of the forum, since we already prepared them 3 days before with intensive work and we even had a lot of online chats for months on this subject. In the direct discussion with young people from all over the world, we all got another, much richer perspective of “youth in democracy”.

Apart from speeches and discussions with experts, there were 4 prototype-groups, each with 12 participants. We already started months ago via Internet with the objective to find new, innovative or also naive ideas for creating a “perfect democracy”. I belonged to one of these groups, the “yellow” prototype. Together we dreamed our perfect democracy and then we tried to find ways to get closer to these ideas.

Young people standing in a row with their mouths shut by a plaster, Spotlight Europe
Meeting with other young people from all over the world inspired many to discuss new, innovative ways of promoting democracy.(picture ©Council of Europe/Candice Imbert)

To discuss sometimes maybe foolish ideas with other young people from all over the world was quite inspiring. We thought about “online votes for every political decision” or “the right for children to vote” – certainly, sometimes our ideas were a little crazy or unrealistic, but: Any change always starts with a dream, doesn’t it? In the end after a long, sometimes productive, sometimes rather less productive days, our work of a couple of months was finally finished. We called it “We dreamed democracy … NOW WHAT?!!?”

Last but not least there was leisure time. It’s definitely easier to get to know people in the evening at the bar instead of in the sometimes stressy work on the daytime. We talked, sang and danced the night away! I found some really good friends within those few days. It is great to meet so many people from all over the world.

To cut a long story short: The forum was definitely a lot of work, stress, and a lot of English speaking… However: If you ever get the chance to go there – don’t miss it!

About the author:
Clara Hachmann, Spotlight Europe
Clara – Author at Spotlight Europe

Clara (18) participated at the My Europe workshop in Munich, Germany, in 2013. She is involved in the work with the Youth Council for the Future.