Voluntary service
Teachers, staff and students are involved in numerous voluntary initiatives. They have donated their time and energy to the following initiatives and action groups for the past several weeks in order to provide refugees with valuable support.
Don’t hesitate to contact them if you are interested in getting involved!
We help Weimar
»We help Weimar« takes non-bureaucratic action to help integrate and involve refugees in everyday life in Weimar and concentrates its activities on the group domicile at Nordstrasse 9-11, administered by the Workers' Welfare Association (AWO) as the sponsoring social agency. The initiative seeks to bridge the gap between Weimar's refugee services institutions, the public, and especially students. The motto is: »Don't wait, take action!«
The primary focus of »We help Weimar« is to enable people seeking refuge to get off to a good start in our community quickly and without a lot of red tape. In this context, it is important to enable and promote integration from day one. The initiative prefers interpersonal exchange to one-sided handouts. Supplying necessities, such as clothing and bedding is just part of getting refugees off to a good start, but learning the German language and lifestyle through contact with people who live here is also indispensable for successful coexistence.
So far, »We help Weimar« has organised itself around the following issues:
- Tandem language courses with daycare
- Recreational activities
- Intercultural evenings
- Cooperation with WE Dance and the Stellwerk Theatre
- Clothing distribution
Contact:
E-Mail: we.help.weimar[at]gmail.com
Linguist pool
In response to the sustained flow of refugees, the Multigenerational House in Weimar West has established a pool of voluntary linguists. International students and university employees take part in a network to overcome language barriers between refugees and Germans.
The goal of the linguist pool is to offer uncomplicated help in emergency situations and in dealing with the challenges of daily life. Institutions, such as the City of Weimar, schools, daycare centres, social agencies, officials, etc. in Weimar and the surrounding area can request linguists from the linguist pool without a lot of red tape. For a small fee, volunteers help out and provide translation services. Private institutions and individuals can also use the pool. The main focus is on helping people without a knowledge of the German language to understand and resolve important questions.
The linguist pool is still looking for people who speak at least two of the sought-after languages, such as German and Arabic. In addition to Arabic, speakers of Dari, Tigrinya, Kurdish, and western Balkan languages are required. People competent in these languages should also speak German or English. The linguist pool helps both refugees and institutions. People seeking and offering language services can reach the pool at the e-mail address below.
Contact:
E-Mail: sprachmittlerpool[at]gmx.de
Wortschatz – Language Workshop with Refugees
Wortschatz sums up a variety of projects focusing on language as an integral part of the integration process. German and Arabian courses offer an easy and user-friendly introduction. Workshops deepen the knowledge about the German culture and offer a place to discuss the difficulties of arriving and settling in. All of Wortschatz’ offers are free for everyone. The groups are organized by volunteers and held in rooms at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. This also includes a child care during the language courses.
Impulse group »Design.Build.Studio«
The »Design.Build.Studio« impulse group is preparing a pilot project aimed at putting the currently vacant state-owned property of the former JVA/JAA on Weimarer Thälmannstrasse to a new use. The goal is to create an integrative living and working community for trainees, students, and refugees. A special emphasis is being placed on inclusive urban design and social space, as well as local economic development.
According to the concept, future users and potential sponsors would be included in multiple aspects of the process from the very beginning by helping with construction, for instance.
It is also important to track the project scientifically to consolidate the results for use in other locations. The higher education landscape in Thuringia offers numerous subjects and research specialities that will be integrated into the network.
The Design.Build.Studio impulse group collaborates closely with ongoing projects in the context of the university and sees as its future responsibility the support of these projects through establishment, coordination, and financing of long-term integration, activity, and research spaces. With the support of the registered cooperative association and an external funder, the impulse group is currently formulating a collaborative operating model for the former JVA/JAA Weimar as well as a calculation of investment costs.
The goal of Design.Build.Studio is to develop viable concepts and operating models, as well as implementation on a 1:1 scale.
Impulsgruppe Design.Build.Studio eG (currently being founded):
Pierre Kramann-Musculus B.F.A. (Faculty of Art and Design)
Dipl. Ing. Henning Michelsen (Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism)
Dr. Ing. Johannes Warda (Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism)
Contact:
E-Mail: henning.michelsen[at]designbuildstudio.de
City of Weimar refugee aid
On the City of Weimar website, you can find information for citizens who want to take action to help with refugees. In addition to donating food and money, residents can volunteer in a number of ways.
IfF – Initiative für Flüchtlinge (Initiative for Refuges)
In October 2013 the »IfF« was founded as an initiative of Bauhaus-University's student's association. We focus on socio-political actions concerning escape and asylum.
What we do:
- Organize events concerning escape and asylum e.g. exhibitions, discussions, theater plays
- Organize petitions, demonstrations, manifestations,
poitical art, open letters, press releases to create public discussions
- Create a space for people to meet, discuss and exchange ideas
Contact:
E-Mail: fluechtlingsinitiative.weimar[at]gmx.de