Practices of a migrating society

“Practices of a migrating society” is a seminar series on democracy education in Arabic language. Organized by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung across Germany, the idea behind the seminars is to offer the possibility for political participation to people who were often deprived of it in the past. Civic and democracy education is one of the core working areas of FES. The organization therefore reaches out to a group – asylum seekers and refugees – who are all too often overlooked by other training providers.

Dalia Dada, a participant, shares her experiences:

“I came from Syria in search of a quiet, peaceful life in Germany. I want to become fluent in German and get to know the culture of the country.

I like living in Germany because it is a democracy and women's rights are respected. In Damascus I worked for an international bank for many years. Here in Germany I would like to further my training or study at a university so that I can perhaps work at a bank and earn my own living as soon as possible. (...)

The topic of the seminar grabbed my attention. I am interested in democracy in Germany, how it works and who makes laws and regulations here. I am also interested in how the various institutions that make laws work together.

I learned a lot about my rights and obligations in Germany in the seminar. A mock press conference especially helped me view a problem from the perspective of other people and better understand their opinions. The seminar has motivated me to try to help other refugees find solutions to their problems - for example in sending e-mails or with translating issues. I have passed on information on cultural events to seminar participants by WhatsApp. I am pleased about the contacts that have developed thanks to the seminar and that I can help others. I would like to express my thanks to those persons who helped prepare the seminar.”

First published in German, by Info 2/2016.