What is Can Do Refugees?

Destacado

Can Do Empowerment is a three years project within the KA2 Erasmus + Program–

The main objective of this project is to empower trainers and trainees working with Migrants and Refugees. The innovative approach of this project is the implementation of diverse artistic pedagogics such as the Improvisation Theatre and Animation and Stop Motion techniques.

The aim of the project is to professionalize and to empower people working with refugees on a professional and voluntary basis. Therefore the project combines the experience of practitioners in NGOs (via Bayern (Germany), progestion (Spain), eurocircle (France) and the knowledge of universities (University of Thessaly uth (Greece), American University of Cairo (egypt). This consortium also reflects the route of refugees coming to Europe, often coming from Arabic speaking countries, using Egypt as a transit country and then coming through the Balkan route (Greece) or the Mediterranean route (Spain) to the destination countries France and Germany. The project will be present itself on a website and it’s actual milestones on face book. 

These mix of methodologies will be used as a basis for developing practical tools such as manuals, articles, videos, booklets and other training aides which are to be communicated in a variety of different ways to maximize the impact and sustainability of this initiative and implemented in the empowerment, facilitation of anti-discrimination work. During the exchange meetings experiences with proven empowering anti-discrimination strategies and approaches will be shared and on basis of this exchange concrete products will be developed. The dissemination of findings will happen in the last year of the project. Expert meetings, conferences, workshops, publications and trainings will be organized.


The CAN DO compilation

In our Compilation we describe our Can Do approach and you’ll find a selection of methods, we used in the Can Do meetings – highlights of our cooperation! Many thanks to Lea Lazic and Davide Giannelli for the whole editorial management – it was a pleasure to work with you! And thanks a lot to all who contributed in articles, methods, translations, editing etc. – I think our common product will inspire people and we can be proud of it!

The Compilation is available in English, Spanish, French, German, Greek and Arabic.

You will find all versions on our webside:

http://www.candoempowerment.eu

Our Can Do Films and Trailers

In our film we give you an insight to our work with refugees. We work with innovative methods like improvisation theater, animation etc.

Many thanks to Coke Rioboo the film maker and Iman Boujnani the manager of the film – it was a pleasure to work with you! And thanks a lot to all who contributed as trainers, participants, translators, editors, idea givers etc. – I think our common product will inspire people and we can be proud of it!

You will find the trailers of the film on our facebook side:

https://www.facebook.com/candoempowerment/

and all versions, including the long versions, on our webside:

http://www.candoempowerment.eu

All films are available in English, Spanish, Greek, Frensh, German and Arabic

Enjoy!

Exceptional TPM meeting in Valencia

Valencia

The steering group of this project met last time the 10th of March 2020, some days before the world stoped due to COVID crisis. This last time we said good-bye knowing that we were meeting soon for a big meeting with trainers and trainees in Volos, for what we have been preparing the content and logistics.

Unfortunately we never managed to implement our LTTA meeting, however we kept several online meetings, checking on each others and learning a lot of distance working…

#TORNAREM

One year later, the steering group decided to meet again, to re-start the work all together. However, not all partners were able to fly due to still persistent Covid-19 restrictions.

That’s why we decided to have a blended meeting, where the German partner and the Spanish partner will meet in person, while the rest of partners will join via Zoom.

Valencia was the city that hosted us for this exceptional meeting. It was a short but very intense meeting where we could discuss important aspects of the projects as well as next steps.

While walking the streets of Valencia, we found this street work of art:It’s written in Valencian dialect: «Tornarem», which means «We’ll be back».

And this is the message we want to spread from this project: We’ll be back!

The steering group of the Can Do Refugees meeting (missing in this picture Sulaf, our coordinator from Egypt, and Davide, our coordinator from France!)

Can Do Refugees and the COVID-19

Due to the global and pandemic situation caused by the COVID-19, we decided to postpone our LTTA meeting scheduled for June 2020 in Greece.
On behalf of all the Can Do Refugees team we hope you are healthy and taking good care of yourself and your beloved ones. In these uncertain times it’s important that we stay together and holding to our values of unity, solidarity, empathy, respect and love.

Third day in Marseille, by Marina & Anne

How to divide the cake?!!

The activities were very useful in making everyone reflect on different issues and gave a lot of
opportunities for discussion. We had the opportunity to reflect on different topics like equality,
democracy, justice and consensus. The Betzavta exercise was a lot of fun for everybody and we had the chance to have a whole team discussion at the end.

About the presentation of refugees in Germany, there are many things really important which have been said:
1) If we work with refugees, we do not have to feel like a super hero, because If we will be in front of a really hard situation and we think “yes I can do it” but in reality I don’t have the skills for, I would not be helping people.
2) We spoke about the “relationship” we have to have with refugees. Do we have to distinguish the professional and private or not? That was really interesting. I think maybe the question is more about equality, how we can feel “equal” with refugees? and just find the ways which are good for us.
3) I just also remember one really important question someone said: “how we can continue with this work?”

About the activities on the afternoon, that was really intense and rich in my opinion. Cohesion is very
important, so I learnt that I need to be less attached to my idea and listen to other people s ideas with new vision. Also, I just questioned myself about how we can express ourselves and also listen to other people s ideas? When that’s good time to do it and why that’s so important for me?

For the collective game with the Betzavta method , the most important thing I learnt was in two aspects: the first one is we have previous to do some activities and even if the new activity was very different, I didn’t feel frustration because we were in a group, and that was a new experience. Also I didn’t think about rules, because I was feeling in positive way, so I wasn’t in an insecure situation.

Social, economical, legal and political situation of Refugees in different countries

Second day in Marseille, by Léa & Kevin

This day begun by a visit of Marseille who teach us the history of the city, and the way migration influenced the history of the city. For example, there was a prison camp who kept (illegally) and tried to deport refugees who had sometime the right to stay. Corporations employed also Italians minors’ worker illegally.

We also visit some famous places of Marseille like, the Mucem which is a museum, the Major Cathedral and Le Panier district. As local citizen (“marseillais”), these places with a lot of history made us learn more things about our town.

In the afternoon we had 2 presentation about the migrant and refugee situation:
The 1 st was about migrant travelling on boats, pictures of them before and after. This part was interesting because we learned more about the personal story of refugees. They are not simple number in institutional documents but human-beings who feel and they deserve to be listened. Our participant Corinne told us about a project called JANA (Jeunes Allophones Nouvellement Arrivés), who showed us how they’re learning French language at the association and what kind of activities they do with young people involved in the project. During a short video, young people shared their dreams and their personal or professional aim in life. Léa : It was really intense for me because those young people are actually living in Marseille and they have to face many difficulties every day but they also
keep the hope.

What I’ve learned this days is that even when you are living in a difficult situation, as a
migrant or refugee in another country, there is some dream that cannot be erased, and people keep dreaming even if it’s difficult. They seem to have post traumatic syndrome due to special situations they are actually living but they continue to fight and need to be helped as much as we can.