Migration & Integration Prize for Helpers (Satis Shroff)
MIGRATION & INTEGRATION PRIZE FOR HELPERS (Satis Shroff)
The German Word of the Year is 'Flüchtlinge' (refugees) and this word was chosen by the Society of German Language. The second word was 'Je suis Charlie' and the third 'Grexit.'
Refugee has become the dominating theme in Europe (and the USA) and the substantive of the year eight hours a day from August till October 2015. Je suis Charlie became the top theme in November after the terrorist attacks in Paris.
A substantive that ends with the suffix 'ling' is passive, needs help or is dependent on someone's assistance. This is the case of refugees: Flüchtlinge. Other examples of substantive endings are: Prüfling (examinee), Schützling (person in need of protection), Sträfling (person in imprisonment). Instead of using the word refugee, indicating persons who have sought refuge, it is usual to speak about 'Geflüchteten' i.e. people who have fled.
The Freiburger Integration Prize 2015 for work in helping the refugees was awarded to two groups. The main prize with 3000 euros was given to ‘Flüchtlingshilfe Freiburg,’ a network of over 1000 people who work around the clock at the Lörracher strasse with a great deal of work and pastime activities. The second prize went to the AG ‘Jugend baut Brücken’ of the Weingarten Citizen’s Association, which has been running a great deal of integration projects in the town.
Dieter Salomon (Oberbürgermeister) explained in his speech why Germany is a good country and also asked the rhetorical question: why do you live here? And went on to defend the norms and values of the society and the fact that every opinion counts in this country, which is a sign of a healthy democracy. He also touched on the question of Neonazis, and said there are neo-nazis in this town too but not so many.
He went further to say: ‘You have attained your integration and are German passport-holders, have jobs and send your children to kindergardens and kitas. Education is very important. The best chance for an integration in the society is to learn the language well. If you’re not born here, then you’re a migrant. Even I am a migrant, because my mother left for Australia when she was 20 years old after the World War II. My mother had a hard time in Australia because she could not speak English well. Who would want a German right after the Second World War? Australia had fought on the side of the Allies in the war in Europe. But she said, ‘My children should learn the language and sent us to school.’ If you’re not born here then you have your own language but it is always good to learn new languages. In the Kindergarden and Primary School we have children who speak three or four languages.’
Learn to speak as many languages as you can, was his message.
The Freiburger town council has initiated a new department for Migration Integration to cope with the enormous increase in the number of refugees. The new department will be responsible for the Bureau of Migration and Integration, the Foreigner’s department, the department of responsible for handout to the asylum-seekers, and the social care and housing administration. The new department will begin its work in April 2016.
Another housing project has been started for refugees on the spur to the east of Merzhauser strasse. The houses will be built on a wooden-module-method and the refugees can move in in the month of June 2016. It is expected that 300 refugees will live there for around five years.
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