Natolin students organize a Carnival party for refugee children

On Saturday 28 January 2017, a group of Natolin students—together with a partner NGO, Foundation for Freedom—organized a Carnival party on-campus for refugee children based in Warsaw's Centre for Foreigners in Targówek. Natolin students prepared various fun activities for the children like art workshops, face painting workshops, dancing classes and other sports activities. Twenty children participated in the event with several mums and coordinators from the Foundation for Freedom.

For Natolin students, the event was an excellent occasion to learn about practical community work in the field of intercultural dialogue, social inclusion and non-discrimination as well as to foster their intercultural communication and teamwork skills.

In order to help the students to prepare for this type of sensitive cross-cultural work and to become familiar with best practices in working with refugees, the Foundation for Freedom and the Natolin Careers Service organized a couple of preparatory workshops for the students in the first semester coordinated by Ms Magdalena ZABOROWSKA, educator, youth worker and trainer specializing in the fields of citizenship and intercultural education.

About the partner:

Fundacja dla Wolności (Foundation for Freedom)—Warsaw-based non-profit organization. The main aim of the NGO is to break stereotypes, ask difficult questions and question popular opinions by organizing debates, social campaigns, exhibitions and non-formal education activities. The activities are addressed to groups and individuals at risk of social exclusion and discrimination—youth, women, immigrants of different origins with special emphasis on refugees, minorities and local communities.

The foundation works both on the local and international level. Present activities of the organization include:  European Voluntary Service; Youth Exchanges; Organizing social campaigns; Organizing non-formal education activities for youth and youth workers; ETNOLIGA – intercultural football tournament; AKADEMIA ETNOLIGI – educational programme for small refugees. The Foundation is a member of the FARE and Anna Lindh Foundation networks, accredited and experienced organization of the “Youth in Action” Programme.