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Young people in Göttingen: Together for a clean future!
15 young refugees from Afghanistan are involved in a garbage collection campaign in Göttingen to promote integration.
Young people in Göttingen: Together for a clean future!
Today, 15 young refugees and 7 carers came together to collect rubbish at the Kiessee in Göttingen. Under the guidance of Christian Stoll, head of the Young Refugees Göttingen specialist team, and his colleague Nils Lingemann, the participants tirelessly collect cigarette butts, bottle caps and scraps of plastic. It is an initiative that not only helps clean up the environment but also gives young people a sense of community and responsibility. Göttinger Tageblatt reports that among the participants are Ali and Farid, both 19 years old and who fled Afghanistan two years ago.
Ali not only learned the language in Germany, but is now aiming for a high school diploma and works at Rewe. The distraction from the initial stress and escape seems to be good for him. “I want to get an education and start a family,” says Ali. His friend Farid has similar plans. The two young men met through refugee aid and spend their free time together. This positive link between help and integration is crucial because, as the supervisor Mautaullah, who works as an interpreter, reports: “Göttingen is well positioned when it comes to discrimination, but media reporting should show fair perspectives on the refugees.”
Integration on many levels
Trash collection goes beyond the physical. Supervisor Linda Feger warns against reducing support for refugees. “These young people have many plans for their future and need our help,” she explains. Integration is a key issue that is important not only for the current generations of refugees, but also for the history of Germany as a whole. Deutschlandfunk culture illuminated, how the term “integration” was virtually forgotten in German history for a long time. After the Second World War, around 14 million displaced people came to Germany, and their integration was anything but easy.
The challenges then and now couldn't be more different, but there are still parallels. Refugees from Asia and Africa bring with them a wealth of cultural and linguistic diversity that enriches society. It becomes clear that education is the basis for participation. As in the archive of the escape based on the interviews, understanding the experiences of migrants is a central part of honoring their contributions to society.
The interviews were carried out in a diverse team. The stories are part of a multi-layered historical narrative that is intended to sharpen the view of migration and flight in German society. This work is particularly important to combat stereotyping and discrimination. Initiatives like today's garbage collection campaign are small steps in this direction, but they bring people together in concrete terms and create an awareness of collective responsibility.