Meet Julia and Jona from Germany

My name is Julia, I live in Munich, Germany, together with my family. Apparently, I am in parents leaf so I will come to our meeting with my son Jona. When I don´t have to take care of him or his two older siysters, I am working as a moderator and facilitator in processes of social change in behalf of public services and non-profit organisations.

And here is the youngest participant of our Project!

My main topics are participation of dispriviliged groups, intercultural communications and international partnerhsips as well as development of organisations and sustainability. In this sense, working with multiplierst to adress and involve refugees became an important issue of my work, as well. Therefore I am looking forward a lot getting to know you, your fields of work and experiances. Have a safe trip to Spain, everyone!

Meet Adelaide from France

My name is Adelaide, I am Italian and I live in Marseille, France. I’m used to changing cities and countries, but I’ve never felt so in tune with a town as in Marseille! This city is a pure mixture of the whole of humanity!

My parents gave birth to me in Ottawa, Canada, and brought me with them 7 years later when they decided to return to their country, Italy, next to Ragusa in Sicily, where I grew up.

I was very young when I understood my attraction to languages: people speaking a foreign language have always attracted me like magnets, I have always liked hearing other sounds, seeking the link with the other despite the language barrier, opening up listening and sharing.

Later, the encounter with artists, musicians, actors and visual artists opened up other horizons and my love for litterature, theatre or cinema, for artists, creators who creates from ideas where man is at the centre of the issue, man and humanity.

I am happy to be part of the Can Do refugees project. In Marseille, I’m a languages trainer, Italian or French, to young and old alike, and migrants participate in workshops we run with local associations, such as L&Cie (Langues & Compagnies), among others, in Marseille.

I look forward to sharing your experiences, desires and practices, THANK YOU to those who have allowed me to participate in this project!

See you soon!

Meet Léa and Julia from France

My name is Lea and with Julia we are coordinating the project Can do Refugees for France ! I am living in Marseille for 3 years now, working as project manager for the organisation Eurocircle.

Since many years I have been involved on projects fostering social inclusion, gender equality as well as minority rights. I gained various experiences in the field of human rights in Italy, Colombia, Mexico and Morocco. I then decided to settle down in Marseille where I work as a project manager for Eurocircle. I am firmly convinced that each of us is responsible for a more harmonious and peaceful world, being active citizens, with a critical mind and engaged in social change. My way to engage is working as an intercultural trainer.

I love it and I really believe in non-formal education as a tool for creating open spaces for discussion, exchanges and allowing people to build a critical view of the world!

I am happy to meet you all very soon!

Meet Beatriz from Spain

Hi everyone! My name is Beatriz Cintas Cantarero, I was born and grown in a city on the south of Madrid (Spain). I am 24 years old, so still quite young and starting to build my professional life. I have studied Psychology and I am studying a master’s degree named International Solidarity Action and Social Inclusion at the moment, reason why I am doing my internship at Progestión. I still have a lot to learn and I am eager to start proving myself and gain some confidence as a professional.

I am especially interested in working with women and children in vulnerable situations. I would like to increase my knowledge about human trafficking and I am also planning to enrol a course on mental health in migration.

Besides all this, I want you to know that I am an active person always looking for new things to do, new people to meet, and new places to discover. ). I also love reading, cooking (or trying to cook), and dancing.

My dream is travelling around the world in a van owned and built by me (let’s see if I make that happen!

I hope to learn a lot from you all during the days that we are spending together. I will enjoy being surrounded by people who are dedicated to cooperation, sharing, changing and showing kindness to others. See you soon!

Meet Francesca from Italy

Hi everybody !

I’m Francesca, I’m an italian singer. I arrived in Marseille 4 years ago for love and now I happily live here teaching music in the middle school, in the suburbs of the famous «quartiers nord». I like Marseille because I’m finally filled with new adventures, tunes and cultures: I discover all of this inside the wall of the school and this is a chance for my students and for me to exchange and grow up.

My school welcome kids from all over the world, frequently from Maghreb: I usually like to share music with them and the main language for the class, the french, is not always necessary for us!

I look forward to discover the project Can do Refugees and share good practices with other teachers, volunteers and professionals ! See u there 😉

Meet Anaïs from France

Hi !
My name is Anaïs, I’m french.
A few month ago I decided to settle in Marseille, in the South of France.
I had never been in Marseille before, but this city sounded great to me. Because of the mediterrean sea, the «Calanques», the smell of the pine trees and the nearby montains, of course.

But overall because of the diversity of its population. By coming to Marseille, I was sure I would meet people from different countries.
I’m working at Eurocircle for 5 months now. Through the «Service Civique», I try to help youngsters to have a great experience abroad, volunteering for social projects. Especially, I focus on helping youngsters in need, who are struggling with education, money or language. Some of them are or have been refugees.

. I’m really happy of being part of the project CAN DO REFUGEES !

I’m eager to share, to discover and to experience those few days !»

Meet Ronja from Germany

I am Ronja from Germany. Since more than nine months I’m living in the very east of Germany in a small city where xenophobia is unfortunately wide spreaded. I moved there because of the oportunity to work in a very special theatre centre that aims integration, called Thespis Zentrum. I’m a pegagogist for theatre and a german teacher and I love what I’m doing. I work with people with various backgrounds and needs.

I’m really excited to get to know your perspectives and to exchange point of views. I am looking forward to meeting you all!

Meet Christos from Greece

I am Christos Alexopoulos and I have been working as a teacher, for the past seven years, in the Shelter for unaccompanied minors asylum seekers in Makrinitsa, for ARSIS, an Association for the Social Support of Youth, assisting them in difficulty or danger and in the advocacy of their rights.

Despite all kinds of differences, I believe we are all inherently alike and have similar needs.

Teaching young refugees a new language is equally a fascinating and challenging experience, as it is not only about the knowledge of that other language, but, also about cultural understanding. I enjoy the fact that you have the possibility to influence other people’s lives, hopefully in a positive way, and every now and then make a slight difference.

It is very rewarding, when you get to witness gradual progress and changes, which create new opportunities and make their lives easier.

I am looking forward to sharing ideas and learning new practical learning strategies .

Hasta Luego!

Meet Amira from Germany

I am Amira, Romada- Kassaye, 57 years old. I am interpreter, pedagogue, mother tongue health mediator, biographic consultant, alimentation scientist and mother tongue consultant for parents. I attended courses to be an alternative practitioner, soon I will take the exam.

For me it’s important to change by doing, maintaining peace and attention.

Last but not least I want to share, that in my home country as a teenager I was political active against the former military, communistic regime. For me it’s important to change by doing, maintaining peace and attention.

My hobbies are swimming, hiking, teaching and cooking

Meet Linos from Greece

Hi, my name is Linos Vigklas and I am the director of the Second Chance School of Volos, Greece. Our school offers intensive lower secondary school courses to adults – immigrants and refugees among them – who have not finished basic education and do not have the necessary qualifications and skills to adapt to modern vocational requirements.

Anyone aged over 18 who has dropped out of school is now able to complete its compulsory 9-year education and continue to the next educational level. As we follow an open and flexible curriculum, we have the opportunity to implement various projects and workshops in a local, national and European level. We have implemented and participated in many European projects (Grundtvig, Youth, Erasmus+ etc.), many of them focusing on the social inclusion of immigrants and refugees.

We have the opportunity to implement various projects and workshops in a local, national and European level.

Two years ago we organized an International food festival in Volos with the participation of people from 17 different countries. The event was a big success, it was included in the EAEA Grundtvig Award publication as a good practice and empowered and inspired us to continue our work with immigrants and refugees.

So, we are currently running a new year long project in partnership with the Department of Early Childhood Education of the University of Thessaly and NGO ARSIS – Association for the Social Support of Youth to respond to the refugees’ additional need both for social networking and for cultural and educational offers through a series of well-planned non-formal activities.