Taskforce on Refugees, City of GhentChild in the City , 8 November 2016

Table of content

Situation in Belgium / Ghent

1. Refugee influx

2. Taskforce on refugees Ghent

Topic 1. Shelter

Topic 2. Integration

Topic 3. Volunteers and raising awareness

Success factors

SITUATION IN BELGIUM / GHENT

The number of people applying for asylum in Belgium almost

doubled in the last year.

(2015 <-> 2014)

Refugee influx

Number of asylum applications 2014: 17.213

Number of asylum applications 2015: 35.476

Main countries of origin: Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq

Challenges:

- Provide appropriate accommodation (during asylum procedure)

- Integration of recognised refugees + pro-active approach (60% rate of recognition)

Taskforce on refugees: target

• Coordinate cooperation between:

– City services/ Public Service for Social Welfare

– Local NGO’s

– Volunteers

• 3 working groups

– Shelter

– Integration

– Volunteers and Public Awareness

For more information: www.stad.gent/vluchtelingen

Asylum and refugee policy GHENT 2015-2018Mission: provide asylum seekers and refugees easier access

to social rights

(1) Shelter Reception centres exchange information, experiences and good practices

(2) Integration HousingEducation WorkHealth Leisure activities

(3) Volunteers Material aid Support volunteersPublic awareness

Prerequisites

• If possible: involve refugees.

• Dare to experiment, make them sustainable.

• Explicit but not exclusive approach.

• Join forces.

• Transparent communication.

Topic 1: SHELTER

3 reception centres in Ghent

• Actual situation

– SOI, site 1 & 2: 70 adults + 15 unaccompanied minors

– Seso: 5 families (23 p.) + 5 unaccompanied minors

– Reno: 250 places (also families)

Total in Gent 2016: 363 places for asylum seekers (50: 2014)

• Living in Ghent after a positive decision: 1795 persons (28/09/2016 – 1244 recognized, 551 subsidiary protection)

• Cooperation between reception centres

– Exchange of information, experiences and good practices

Bed Bath Bread

Guidance?

Integration

Housing Education

Work Language

Health Leisure time

Community building

…

Topic 2: INTEGRATION

• Community building:

- welcome: coir & drawings from children of neighbouring schools

- families cooking together

- buddies

• Housing: shortage!

- transit housing & housing buddies

- innovative housing opportunities: tiny houses, refugee hosting weekend…

• Work:

- Refugees got skills, talents and aspirations with the ability to make contributions

- Refu interim for festivals during summer; jobs for refugees (ESF)

- NGO’s linking refugees to companies

• Education:

- additional reception class established (HTI Sint Antonius)

- helpdesk ‘Children on the run’

- the integration office (IN-Gent) helps parents to choose a school for their children

- raising awareness tool for the schools

- refugees welcome toolkit

- schools are being supported by the education centre (pedagogical materials and methods)

- volunteers: support in homework

- University of Ghent welcomes refugees, as student or researcher (diploma equivalence, mentor, housing, scholarship…)

• Leisure time: refugees want to make themselves useful, to practice the Dutch Language, to have a network outside the refugee centre

- Youth: Service of Youth and integration Office: coordination - Netwerk Planeet Gent

- Sport: Overview of sport options in the city + create new options based on the needs (soccer match for refugees, swimming classes for children/youth)

- Culture: Cultural track (theatre, museum, …)

- Volunteer work Volunteer point

- UIT-pas for the refugee centres

- Get to know other people (De Olijfboom, buddy…)

• Health: 10% needs psychological guidance

- Mind spring (psycho education), also mind spring junior (new: mind spring junior for 9-13 years old)

- Extra funding for CGG Eclips

- Info session for psychologists

- Peer-to-peer learning for therapists

- Ankerkracht (Public Centre for Social Welfare): multidisciplinary support to youth 16-25 years old (psycho-education, language skills, access to labour market, leisure activities, networking…).

- AMIF project: personal counsellor is being assigned for minors 16-18 years old (further education, employment, guidance…)

Topic 3. VOLUNTEERS & RAISING AWARENESS

1. MATERIAL AID• Ghent citizens want to show their solidarity with

the refugees by offering assistance.

• A give-away shop was set up by an alliance of charities (+ possibility to socialize )

https://vimeo.com/171194848

2. SUPPORT VOLUNTEERS

• A volunteer event was hosted

• Align buddy initiatives

• Organize workshops, trainings based on the needs of volunteers

• An online platform solidair.stad.gent was set up (https://solidair.stad.gent)

2. SUPPORT VOLUNTEERS (2)

• Support the initiatives taken by citizens and organizations (iftar, refugee hosting weekend, Dine With Us, Talentree, …).

- Bring them into contact with the right organisation/service

- Help them to look for financial support

- Facilitate initiatives

- ….

Initiatives are taken in all possible domains : housing, work, education , health, leisure time, encounter, …..

3. RAISING AWARENESS

• Raise awareness about this group of newcomers and foster solidarity with other vulnerable groups

Examples of actions:

- Open and transparent communication (website, city magazine, neighbourhood information session…)

- Festival sorry, not sorry

- World refugee day

- Student kick-off

- UN Street Art Campaign

Success factors

• Set up a structure that involves everybody (administration, citizens, NGO’s…)

• Set clear roles and responsibilities

• Involve volunteers from scratch and support them

• Involve refugees (win – win)

• Connect people, organizations and services

LINKING REFUGEES TO THE RECEIVING COMMUNITY Refugees have skills and talents and love

to contribute to their host society

Thank you!

kathleen.vandekerckhove@stad.gent