We are preparing a series of comic books dealing with different aspects of a refugee/asylum seeker’s life (such as living in a refugee camp, resettlement, fleeing their own country, etc….). The comics will be printed out in 6 different languages and distributed through our partners to vocational high schools, student associations, universities, NGOs working with children, civil societies etc….. of 8 different countries (Belgium, England, Ireland, France, Germany, Slovenia, Portugal, and Spain).  The purpose is to spread awareness in a fun way about refugees and refugee issues amongst European children, teenagers, young adults and adults.

In 2007, there were about 14 millions refugees and asylum seekers in the World, according to the World Refugee Survey 2007.  Middle East and Africa (5,931,000 coming mainly from former Palestine, Iraq and Sudan) generated more refugees and asylum seekers followed by Africa (2,932,000 coming mainly from Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, Burundi and Angola) and South and central Asia (2,914,200 mainly from Afghanistan).  Europe was the continent with less refugees and asylum seekers (569,200 mainly from Afghanistan, Georgia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina).

People of different cultures that have to coexist constitute today’s societies.  This situation has generated and is still generating fear, rejection and problems of coexistence which is expressed through racism and xenophobic acts and intolerance against refugees and asylum seekers.  The latter need to adapt themselves to their new environment/community or country during their stay whether this is for short or long term but this is only possible if they don’t experience rejection from the people of the asylum countries and get their support.  To achieve it, people – children, teenagers, adults - living in the asylum countries have to make an effort to build social relationships that base itself on the cultural diversity of nowadays’ society and on equality in rights and democracy and we think that educating these people and inform them about refugees/asylum seekers’ situation through awareness campaign can help eradicate ignorance that mostly causes rejection of the “others” and promote solidarity and activism.  Our campaign is mainly aimed at youth as they can influence the present and future situation and constitutes citizens of the future.

Main goal

• Spread awareness on refugee and refugee issues among youth aged between 12 and 25 years old.
• Make available a material that will help spread awareness on refugees in the long term among youth and adult. Spread awareness on refugee and refugee issues among youth aged between 12 and 25 years old and adult.
• Promote a multicultural society, tolerance and activism among youth.
• Make available a material that will help spread awareness on refugees in the long term among youth and adult.

Specific goals

• Erase prejudice and show that diversity can enrich ones culture.
• Promote activism among teenagers and young adults.
• Increase people knowledge regarding refugees/asylum seekers and make them want to know more about them.
• Convince students to join the pen pal letter exchange so they can write directly to a refugee student (we will do so by telling the story of a refugee receiving letter and school materials from his pen pal). We hope in the same way to convince schools as a whole to partner with a refugee school so they can provide some direct help and therefore increase our now existing network of schools participating in our letter exchange program.
• If a success, edit more copies and extend the awareness campaign to more countries.

]]> http://respectrefugiados.org/EN/refugee-awareness-raising-through-comic-books/feed/ http://respectrefugiados.org/EN/training-on-psycho-social-needs-of-refugees/ http://respectrefugiados.org/EN/training-on-psycho-social-needs-of-refugees/#comments Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:28:32 +0000 admin http://respectrefugiados.org/EN/training-on-psycho-social-needs-of-refugees/ Our new Training on Psycho-Social Needs of Refugees Project (TPSNRD) aims to increase the quality for training activities on Psycho-social needs of refugees by sharing knowledge and experiences and producing a website for dissemination among several European organisations. This partnership offers exchange of experiences and knowledge between the organizations who have training for human rights activists working for providing psycho-social support to refugees.

The direct target group of the project is human rights activists and the trainers of human rights activists. The main result of the project will be a curriculum of training of human rights activists on psycho-social needs of refugees and migrants. The participating institutions will carry out education of human rights activists on psycho-social needs of refugees and migrants after this project.  We will share our knowledge and experience on this issue.
All participating institutions have some associate partners by the purpose of having some other partners for dissemination activities. External evaluation method will be implemented for this project. An experienced human rights activist who will be determined by coordinating organization will be responsible to evaluate the project.

Refugees, in particular, experience sequential stresses that may compound each other over prolonged periods of time. All the participating institutions want to improve their training of humanitarian assistance workers in response to the psychosocial needs of refugees.
This project is targeting the development of critical competences in the planning, implementation and evaluation of psychosocial programmes.

Charter of fundamental rights of the European Union (2000/C 364/01) Article 18 says that: ‘’The right to asylum shall be guaranteed with due respect for the rules of the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951 and the Protocol of 31 January 1967 relating to the status of refugees and in accordance with the Treaty establishing the European Community. All the partner institutions believe that this Project will assist to increase quality of the refugee’s lives.

The refugees and human rights activists will participate the project actively. Refugees have role in every phase of the project. From the general aspect the participants and the target group of this project are refugees.

• Improving the quality and competency of human rights activists who work in the field of psycho-social needs of refugees.
• Sharing experiences and knowledge on psycho-social needs of refugees.
• Exchanging about strategies and ways of learning.
• Sharing knowledge on different kinds of psycho-social problems of refugees.
• Increasing the conscious and awareness of people on psycho-social needs of refugees.
• Sharing experience on problems of NGO’s which has activities on psycho-social needs of refugees.
• Sharing experience on evaluation methods of activities for refugees. How can we evaluate an human rights activist?

The ability to coordinate a project, to manage a meeting, to do a presentation, to lead a team or to solve a dispute among co-workers is even more important that all your specialised knowledge in one single field.

We have developed this online course explaining and teaching the basics of all soft-skills that anyone, either working in the field or in the headquarters, should have in order to achieve more easily the goals of their organizations.

The course is structured in several sections each of them covering one soft-skill. Together with the lessons in our online platform, you will find as well an exam. Should you wish to obtain a certificate of completion, please complete the exam questions and send it back to us. The course is always available for subscription and there is no minimum requirements to take it.

The average course duration is 45 hours. There is no deadline to complete the course or to send us the exam. We have designed this training to fit into your own rythm and convinience so you can study whenever it is suitable for you.

The course main areas are:

INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT
DEFINING A PROJECT
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
MONITORING AND EVALUATION
INTRODUCTION TO TEAM MANAGEMENT
TEAM MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
TEAMBUILDING EXERCISES
BASIC COMMUNICATION MODEL
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT
ROLE OF THE LEADER
MOTIVATE YOUR TEAM
ADAPT TO YOUR TEAM
DELEGATE
CONFLICT HANDLING SKILLS
HOW TO SOLVE CRISES
EFFECTIVE MEETINGS: INTRODUCTION
HOW TO DESIGN & SET UP A MEETING FOR SUCCESS
HOW TO MANAGE THE PROCESS FOR RESULTS
HOW TO HANDLE INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS
TIME MANAGEMENT
INFORMATION FLOW
NEGOTIATION TECHNIQUES

Each section has an end of section exercise

Price: 150 euros

In order to register, please follow the instructions on next page. Once you have submitted your payment via credit card or paypal, you will be redirected to our online platform where you can choose an username and a password which will grant you access to the training materials. You will find there as well other tools like forums, useful links, related news, etc, so you take maximum profit of the course.

Click here to register.

Alternatively,you can pay by submitting a bank transfer to the account indicated below:

RESPECT Refugees
Bank: Caixa Estalvis i Pensions de Barcelona
Account Number: 2100 0303 02 0102207088
IBAN ES67 2100 0303 02 0102207088
BIC CAIXESBB

Do not forget to include your name and the training you are purchasing. Please send us an email to respect@respectrefugiados.org so when we have received your transfer we can create an user on the online platform for you and give you immediate access to the materials.

RESPECT is a very active organization in ICT for development solutions. We strongly believe on the need of empower people by taking the maximum profit of the resources that internet and new technologies can bring to all Europeans.

In our daily contact with many European youth and civil organizations, we noticed the lack of preparation in soft skills that many of our partners had: the ability to coordinate a project, to manage a meeting, to do a presentation, to lead a team or to solve a dispute among colleagues, etc.

The development of all soft-skills that could maximize the effectiveness of our work is becoming more and more demanded and critical when looking to cooperate with others in international projects, and for this reason we have undertaken the lead in creating a strong and professional training course to empower our colleagues and partners in those areas

With this initiative, and with the support of 12 partners in 9 countries, RESPECT promotes and encourages youth students to become a well prepared generation of professionals and managers of civil and social organisations, empowering their capacities and acting power in social projects and campaigns aiming to improve several aspects of our society.

Main goal

• Use new technologies to train youth Europeans in improving their soft skills in managing international projects
• Take profit of the deep reach of internet to create an e-learning course that will boost personal competences in Youth Organizations.

Specific goals

• Create an specific e-learning course on Management and Professional abilities
• Improve the personal skills of all European Youth involved in international projects to empower their efficiency in creating and coordinating their activities.
• Create an online virtual classroom, accessible 24h/7 days a week with e-learning tools: chat, forum, news RSS, useful links, area for online debates, students area, interaction among participants, share of knowledge and cultures, etc.
• Make youth Europeans aware of the importance of soft skills in their professional careers
• Create a tool that can be re-used many times in the future to deliver several times this training and many more, open to all Youth Organizations in Europe at no cost.

The website can be accessed online through the following link: European Youth Training.

You can also subscribe to the specific mailing list we have created to provide information and news about the courses onthis link.

RESPECT introduces class to a class of refugee students of similar age and academic level by pen-pal letter exchange. Letter exchange can be conducted as a class, or a club activity. RESPECT has developed an ever-growing list of working relationships with schools servicing refugee, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and otherwise war-affected youth from around the world. Countries include Sierra Leone, Guinea, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Since the start of the project, RESPECT introduced over 3 000 refugee students to non-refugee students around the world. Exchanging letters with refugee students is very powerful. RESPECT hopes the experience will be personal, educational and inspirational.

Building awareness of world issues through videos and discussion and growing a personal connection between refugee and non-refugee students through letter exchange lead rather naturally to a desire to do something to help.

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR PROGRAM?

Steps:

1. Let us know that you want to participate and write us so we can explain you all the details about the program ( English, French or Spanish): respect@respectrefugiados.org

2. Fill in the registration form.

• Refugee School Form

• Sponsor School Form

3. And get ready to start writting you first letters!

OUR PARTICIPATING REFUGEE SCHOOLS

Cameroon

• Yaounde RESPECT Club

Democratic Republic of the Congo

• Afrika/Makobola Refugee Schools

• Ase’Eci Primary Refugee School

• Bangwe Primary School

• Kakamba-Kalunda Primary School

• Kawizi Primary Refugee School

• La Perfection Refugee Schools

Egypt

• Saint Charles Lwanga Center For Basic Education

Ghana

• All Souls Early Childhood

• Assembly of God School

• Buduburam Refugee Community School

• Dominion Christian Academy

• Peter Burrus Memorial Academy

• Refuge Baptist School

Guinea

• Conakry Refugee School

• Laine Refugee School

• Mohomou Refugee School

Kenya

• Saphalo Community School

Nepal

• New Horizon Academy

Sierra Leone

• Children’s Welfare Primary School

• D.E.C. Primary School

• Fergussion Memorial Secondary School

• Harford Secondary School

• Huntington Secondary School

• I.C.S. Primary School Moyamba

• June Harftrout Primary School

• Kulafai Rashideen Islamic Secondary School

• Saint Columbia’s Primary School

• Saint Joseph Primary School

• Saint Joseph’s Secondary School

• Saint Micheal’s Primary School

• Saint Micheal’s Secondary School

• United Methodist Central Primary School

• United Methodist Primary School Salina

• Waterloo Refugee Camp

• West African Methodist Technical Vocational Training Centre

Somalia

• Alnawawi School

• Bassaso Secondary School

• Shafie Primary and Secondary School

Uganda

• Fr. Gale Secondary School

• Kasonga Primary School

• Kinakyeitaka Primary School

• Kyangwali Secondary School

• Lama Parents Secondary School

• Rwenyawawa Secondary School

RESPECT University was established to provide post-secondary instruction to refugee students under the guidance of tutors from around the world. We see this as a logical extension of our mission to link refugee and non-refugee schools worldwide.

To accomplish this:

• We use experienced teachers who want to use their knowledge and experience to help teach students in refugee schools.

• Many of our tutors develop their own curriculum on a subject in one of their areas of expertise.

• RESPECT then matches the tutor with a group of students. RESPECT facilitates the initial contact between the tutor and the students, and helps, as needed, to coordinate the learning process.

• Each class normally consists of six students.

• Teaching and learning are carried out by correspondence, using conventional postal mail services, although contact with local coordinators is maintained via email. The tutor sends a series of assignments which the students complete and then return to the teacher for comments and feedback (each assignment can take a month or more to be returned to the tutor because of limited postal service to areas occupied by refugees.)

If you are an experienced teacher, and are interested in volunteering to be a tutor, please complete our Tutor Information form. You will be asked for your name, contact details, qualifications and experience, subjects taught, and so on. Our coordinator will contact you, usually by email, within a week to discuss available opportunities.

If you are someone working with refugee students, and you feel your students would benefit from the educational opportunities RESPECT University can offer, complete a request form. You will be asked for contact details, number of students, subjects of interest, and so on. Our coordinator evaluate your request and determined whether volunteers are available to meet your needs. Once that is completed, we will be in touch with the contact listed in the request.

If you have any questions or comments about RESPECT University, your can email our coordinator at university@respectrefugees.org.

The Tutor’s Role

Providing the most basic education for young children is a relatively easy challenge to take on - but for young people in their teens and twenties who need education, there are fewer opportunities for them to pursue. This is where a link between a tutor and a small group of refugee students is important.

Having established the subject with which the tutor will be engaging, a RESPECT local Co-ordinator will select five or six students from the local refugee school and community. The students will be high-school “graduates”. The tutor will plan the program ahead. Each course is comprised of ten assignments, lasting about a year.

It is usually best for tutors to post the assignments collectively to the students in care of the local RESPECT co-ordinator. Deadlines for completion of assignments should be encouraged for students to do the necessary work. This will help to maintain the momentum, as will reliable communications.

Sufficient time for postal communication to take place must be allowed, and the knowledge that some students may have other work commitments too and therefore may need additional time. Tutors may keep in touch with the local Co-ordinator in order to find out when assignments have arrived, and when the students have posted their work. This helps tutors to organize time for this work.

At the end of the course, a RESPECT University Certificate of Completion will be awarded to each student who successfully completes the course, by the tutor, and where required, the tutor writes references for the students, highlighting positive aspects of their course participation.

Becoming a Tutor

The process for volunteering to become a tutor is as follows:

• Complete the Tutor Information Form.

• At any stage, contact the RESPECT University Co-ordinator with any/all questions about the role. If the questions cannot be answered directly, they will be referred to someone else who is in a position to help.

After a tutor has been accepted, the course can be planned, and then the RESPECT University Co-ordinator will link him or her to a group of about six refugee students.

Once a tutor has committed to the role, reliability is essential. If, for any reason, you are unable to continue with the role, contact the RESPECT University Co-ordinator as soon as possible. We shall understand. We will ensure someone else can continue the work, and the refugees will not be let down.

]]> http://respectrefugiados.org/EN/respect-university/feed/ http://respectrefugiados.org/EN/refugees-and-repatriation-understanding-the-problem-and-the-solutions/ http://respectrefugiados.org/EN/refugees-and-repatriation-understanding-the-problem-and-the-solutions/#comments Fri, 30 Nov 2007 12:12:46 +0000 admin http://respectrefugiados.org/EN/2007/11/30/refugees-and-repatriation-understanding-the-problem-and-the-solutions/ Designed for volunteers and professionals from NGOs and international organisations, working to ease the situation of the millions of refugees in the world whose work implies as well understanding the solutions proposed and carried out by countries, governments and international bodies such as UNHCR to resettle the displaced populations. Sometimes a success, sometimes a failure, the policies and repatriation methods are subject nowadays to an increasing criticism and close monitoring by external bodies and NGOs.

During this course we will examine the repatriation policies, failures and successes, from international bodies, the repatriation history from the last decades, the current practices and solutions and we will dig as a case study in the repatriation situation in the former Yugoslavia.

The material is structured in several chapters. Together with the lessons, you will find as well an exam. Should you wish to obtain a certificate of completion please complete the exam and send it back to us. We will mail you the certificate after correcting it.

The course is always available for subscription and there is no minimum requisites to take it. There is no deadline to complete the course or to send us the exam. We have designed this training to fit into your own rythm and convinience so you can study whenever it is suitable for you.

The course is structured as follows:

Course introduction
Refugees and Repatriation: Overview
World War II and the Crisis of Mass Displacement
International Protection: The Refugee Conventions
UNHCR and the ‘Voluntary’ Character of Repatriation
Displacement in the Post-1989 Period: The Former Yugoslavia
UNHCR in the former Yugoslavia: Obstacles to Return
UNHCR and the Failures of ‘Voluntary’ Repatriation
From Resettlement to Repatriation: The Limits of Asylum
Misrepresented: Refugees and the International Press

Price: 99 euros

In order to register, please follow the instructions on next page. Once you have submitted your payment via credit card or paypal, you will be redirected to our online platform where you can choose an username and a password which will grant you access to the training materials. You will find there as well other tools like forums, useful links, related news, etc, so you take maximum profit of the course.

Click here to register.

Alternatively,you can pay by submitting a bank transfer to the account indicated below:

RESPECT Refugees
Bank: Caixa Estalvis i Pensions de Barcelona
Account Number: 2100 0303 02 0102207088
IBAN ES67 2100 0303 02 0102207088
BIC CAIXESBB

Do not forget to include your name and the training you are purchasing. Please send us an email to respect@respectrefugiados.org so when we have received your transfer we can create an user on the online platform for you and give you immediate access to the materials.

We cover a wide range of topics from building a refugee camp, common psychological and medical problems, different case studies, to the causes of population and mass displacements, or globalization and forced migration.

The course is structured in several sections each of them on one topic. Together with the lessons, you will find as well an exam. Should you wish to obtain a certificate of completion, please complete the exam and send it back to us. Instructions can be found in the training material you will be able to download after registering for the training.

The training is always available for subscription and there is no minimum requisites to take it. There is no deadline to complete the course or to send us the exam. We have designed this training to fit into your own rythm and convinience so you can study whenever it is suitable for you.

The course content is:

Course Overview
Basics about refugees and IDPs
Refugees& Exiles: Historical Perspectives
Causes of conflict and population displacement
International help for refugee populations
National borders and security policies
Globalization and forced migration
Repatriation and post-conflict reconstruction
Psychological care and medical problems among refugee populations
Case Studies: Colombia, Sudan, Kurdistan, Timor
Refugee camps
Trafficking, smuggling, organized crime
End of training conclusions

Price: 140 euros

In order to register, please follow the instructions on next page. Once you have submitted your payment via credit card or paypal, you will be redirected to our online platform where you can choose an username and a password which will grant you access to the training materials. You will find there as well other tools like forums, useful links, related news, etc, so you take maximum profit of the course.

Click here to register.

Alternatively,you can pay by submitting a bank transfer to the account indicated below:

RESPECT Refugees
Bank: Caixa Estalvis i Pensions de Barcelona
Account Number: 2100 0303 02 0102207088
IBAN ES67 2100 0303 02 0102207088
BIC CAIXESBB

Do not forget to include your name and the training you are purchasing. Please send us an email to respect@respectrefugiados.org so when we have received your transfer we can create an user on the online platform for you and give you immediate access to the materials.

You can already download the leaflets created during our “European Campaign to Raise Awareness on Refugee Issues”. Thanks to the support of the European Youth Foundation and the Council of Europe, the work done together with 9 NGOs in 11 different countries all of them under RESPECT’s coordination, has finally produced a very interesting material to explain kids and youth about the reality of the refugees in the world.

We have already printed and distributed thousands of these leaflets, entitled “Refugees and Exile” in schools and youth centers all over the continent in several languages.

Here you can find a copy in pdf format for you to download

The campaign has taken place under the “All Different-All Equal” project from the COE, promoting social values and understanding among peoples and cultures.

If you do on the job training in your organization the course will help you feel more comfortable and more competent. You will explore how adults learn and take a step-by-step approach to create training sessions that meet employee and colleagues needs. Training results are too important to leave to chance.

Behind every spectacular training session is a lot of preparation and meticulous attention to detail. The truly skilled trainer can make a program exciting. The learners will have fun while they are learning. The facilitator has been able to involve their emotions as well as their minds. You will see the involvement, and you will feel the energy.

To reach this stage as an adult educator isn’t always easy, but success isn’t just for the naturally gifted. It is possible for all of us who put effort into our personal growth and development, because we want the enormous satisfaction that comes from working with others to help them reach their potential as human beings.

You will learn during this course to:

• Recognize the importance of considering the participants and their training needs, including the different learning styles and adult learning principles.
• Know how to write objectives and evaluate whether these objectives have been met at the end of a training session.
• Develop an effective training style, using appropriate training aids and techniques.
• Understand the importance of an instruction guide to help a trainer prepare and deliver effectively and consistently.
• Conduct a short group training session that incorporates these training concepts.
• Enhance your understanding of learning styles and how to accommodate them in the classroom
• Understand the key principles of effective communication in a workshop setting
• Identify strategies to create a no-risk environmentUse a variety of training techniques to stimulate participation
• Develop a plan and prepare for an effective training session
• Practice thinking on your feet in a safe environment
• Identify advanced interventions for difficult situations
• Practice the skills needed for a team presentation

The material is structured in several chapters. Together with the lessons, you will find as well an exam. Should you wish to obtain a certificate of completion please complete the exam and send it back to us. We will mail you the certificate after correcting it.

The course is always available for subscription and there is no minimum requisites to take it. There is no deadline to complete the course or to send us the exam. We have designed this training to fit into your own rhythm and convenience so you can study whenever it is suitable for you.

The training is structured as follows:

Part I: Becoming a Professional Trainer

Defining a Successful Training Program

What Training Can Do
What Training Cannot Do
Advantages of Workplace Training
A Word about Adult Learning
Principles of Adult Learning
Motivating the Adult Learner
The Learning Process: the four basic steps
Your Approach to Learning as a Trainer
Your Learning Style
My Training Style
The Trainer Type Inventory
The Learning Cycle
The Training Process
Defining Training Needs
A Participative Approach
Planning Training
Designing the Program
Training Methods
Types of Trainers
Setting the Climate - Icebreakers
Common Errors in Training
The Four Step Plan to train new staff
Characteristics of an Effective Trainer
Dealing with Difficult Trainees
Visual Aids
Types of Visual Aids
Presentation Skills
Overcoming Nervousness
Using Non-Verbal Communication
Managing the Question and Answer Period

Part II: Advanced Skills for the Practical Trainer

The Art of Facilitation
Left Brain/Right Brain
Planning a Workshop
Application
Your Role as an Effective Communicator
More Training Tools and Techniques
Training Evaluations
Difficult Situations when delivering training
End of Training Conclusions

Price: 180 euros

In order to register, please follow the instructions on next page. Once you have submitted your payment via credit card or paypal, you will be redirected to our online platform where you can choose an username and a password which will grant you access to the training materials. You will find there as well other tools like forums, useful links, related news, etc, so you take maximum profit of the course.

Click here to register.

Alternatively,you can pay by submitting a bank transfer to the account indicated below:

RESPECT Refugees
Bank: Caixa Estalvis i Pensions de Barcelona
Account Number: 2100 0303 02 0102207088
IBAN ES67 2100 0303 02 0102207088 BIC CAIXESBB

Do not forget to include your name and the training you are purchasing. Please send us an email to respect@respectrefugiados.org so when we have received your transfer we can create an user on the online platform for you and give you immediate access to the materials.

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