The first ESF+ project „Bavaria Needs You“ successfully completed
Our first ESF+ funded project „Bavaria Needs You“ came to an end. We would like to thank all participants for the respectful togetherness, strong motivation and diligence, as well as for the wonderful human encounters, valuable intercultural dialogue and enriching interreligious exchange, which took place every day in addition to the ongoing practice-oriented adaptation of their professional qualifications and interdisciplinary competencies to key qualifications acquired abroad. We have no doubt that successful integration of refugees into the primary labour market is the best solution in the long term, both for them and for the host society. The experiences we have gained during this project clearly show that refugees face numerous challenges that they have to overcome every single day and range from the fleeing the country itself to their social integration including existential problems such as trauma, loss of favourite people, fear, longing. The main problem, however, remains the time-consuming language acquisition of the difficult German language until it can be used independently and confidently, both written and spoken, which is a mandatory requirement for taking up a regular employment as a skilled worker in Germany. The lack of or the long-lasting recognition of foreign university degrees makes it significantly more difficult for refugees to be integrated into their learned/ practiced profession. The unsuccessful numerous attempts to rent an affordable vacant apartment and to find a daycare place or a place in the 1st grade class of a primary school for their child also pose major social challenges. Everyday racism through clichés, prejudices or exclusionary behaviours, which are anchored in the broad middle of society, also prevent the integration of refugees. The development of social relationships and participation in social life are often challenging in this respect. Equal opportunities between aspiration and reality. But what exactly is meant by equal opportunities? Weren’t equal opportunities already demanded in the Enlightenment at the end of the 17th century? Weren’t equal opportunities before now proclaimed in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights? Aren’t equal opportunities a fundamental principle of the European Union, promoted by various laws and policies aimed to combat discrimination in areas such as employment, education and public life? Equal opportunities refer to the right to equal access to life chances, i.e. also to opportunities for self-fulfilment in life and on the labour market. This includes, in particular, the prohibition of any discrimination: no one may be restricted in their professional and social participation. Equal opportunities mean that all people really have equal opportunities, regardless of factors such as origin, religion, gender, disability or social position. The EU’s European Social Fund ESF+ therefore invests in people who do not have equal opportunities for self-fulfilment in life and in the labour market because they are in a socially disadvantaged position, as is the case with refugees, compared to the available professional and social participation opportunities of the local population. In this way, the ESF+ aims to contribute to a more social Europe and to put the European Pillar of Social Rights into practice. Charter 22 is happy to serve as an ambassador for the European community of values on site, which is built on freedom, equality, equal opportunities and non-discrimination.
