Building Bridges Toolkit
The Toolkit was designed to collect and share the know-how on voluntary projects involving people seeking or who have recently found refuge, as well as raising awareness on forced migration in general. The collection of guidelines, methods and case studies is non-exhaustive and should simply foster your own inspiration and support you in implementing projects on the topic. The creation of the Toolkit has been driven by the ever bigger need of the international SCI network to exchange best practices on projects in the field. It was coordinated by SCI Switzerland with the support of Útilapu Hungary. Its existence wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Mercator Foundation Switzerland and the active contribution of the Building Bridges working group and a number of SCI branches.
Case studies are successful implemented examples sharing with you what is going on in the SCI movement on the topic of refugees and migration.
WE CONNECT / MIR BRÉNGEN ZESUMMEN
Integration through permacutlure
When: 14th – 23rd of April 2017
Contact/Source: Amitié Portugal Luxembourg asbl / Vendula Lupinkova : vendula.lupinkova@mda.lu
Context and idea
Both organizers Amitié Portugal-Luxembourg and Maison des Associations are well established associations in Luxembourg working on similar projects of integration, social cohesion and initiating intercultural and intergenerational dialogue, they are as well involved in integration of asylum seekers and refugees. One of their projects is the community garden in Luxembourg City, in the neighbourhood Beggen. It was established in 2015, during their first workcamp «Descobertas» that took a place in July 2015. Their second workcamp «Discoveranda» in September 2016 already included asylum seekers.
The community garden is a part of the house for volunteers doing their European Voluntary Service in Luxembourg, but its open to the whole neighborhood, other volunteers and to refugees who are interested in gardening and meeting new people and experiencing new cultures. Their goal is to create a dynamic in the neighborhood of Beggen and its surroundings. They organize regular workshops, mostly focused on permaculture (sustainability, social design principles and urban gardening). They wish to create a peaceful gathering place for people from different backgrounds to meet up and exchange.
Objectives and aim
As mentioned above, in their community garden they try to create a convivial place for everyone. As the garden grows with time, volunteers need to be involved. That’s why it’s decided to organize at least one workcamp per year with the aim to work more effectively and to create more intensive experience for volunteers and asylum seekers. In the project «We connect» a tomato house was constructed, shelves for planting were made from palettes for the polytunnel, vegetable beds, planted fruit trees, seeded the garden and improved a rainwater harvesting system. Volunteers and asylum seekers shared everyday life as they all stayed lodged in a scout house during the whole period of the workcamp. They cooked together, spent their free time together, practiced languages, shared experiences from their countries etc.
Target groups
- asylum seekers and refugees living in Luxembourg
- local volunteers
- international volunteers
- age : over 18 years old
Additional information
The project was financed by Oeuvre Nationale de Secours Grande-Duchesse Charlotte.
CONTRIBUTE!
You can share your experience, observations, tips and tricks, pictures etc. by uploading for instance a method or a case study to the Building Bridges Toolkit. As this Toolkit is a work in progress to which all involved parties are invited to contribute, we would also be very grateful for your support and contribution in order to inspire others to continue the work towards peace and intercultural understanding.