The refugee crisis is a great challenge for Polish institutions and society. In connection with the possibility of receiving in Poland of a new group of refugees from Syria, unfortunately negative attitudes of some part of the society and growing Islamophobia can be observed, resulting mainly from the lack of relevant knowledge, following media reports, false information and fear of the unknown. Also children with refugee experience come to Poland. School is a place where refugees often encounter the local community for the first time. The intention of the project was to support local communities and institutions in their preparations for receiving of a new group of refugees.
As a result of the activities undertaken under the project, a set of educational materials was prepared and sensitivity to refugee issues was increased among 443 recipients of education and integration activities.
Under the project, the material titled "Action-integration. Facts and inspirations" was published, presenting reliable information on the humanitarian crisis in Syria, as well as "Powitalnik", a booklet in Arabic language for refugee children. A multimedia presentation, being an introduction to refugee issues, was also developed and made available on the web page of the project www.akcjaintegracja.pl. Education and integration meetings also formed an important part of the project. 6 meetings in Women's Clubs in Lubelskie region and 6 meetings in secondary schools in 11 forms were conducted. In Lublin, a conference for teachers and institutions cooperating with schools was also organised on education of refugee children, as well as one-day training for teachers. In the Multicultural Centre in Warsaw, education and cultural event was organised for local community, including a debate, a musical performance of foreign youth, a theatrical show and a concert of Arabic music. Approx. 100 persons took part in the event. At the conclusion of the project, a summary meeting with participation of Reverend Bernhard Fricke, connected with the movement "Church Asylum", was organised. The project benefited 66 members of Women's Clubs, 199 students of secondary schools, 13 teachers and 165 persons participating in the events.
The role of the partner organisations was to help to reach recipients of the project. In addition, one of the partners (the Digital Culture Institute Foundation) contributed their IT expertise, useful in preparing online versions of educational materials.