Students judge creative and progressive education work in NRW

(sf) "Focus on migration – education as a bridge to integration" – a successful project in theory and practice: 19 social institutions were visited by some 32 students involved in the Summer semester 2009. The aim was to establish whether the form and appeal of information brochures on education courses for people with a background of migration agrees with the active social work. The patron of the project was NRW's minister for integration Armin Laschet.
Education is an important part of the process of integration. For this reason, the Educational Institute of the Paritätische Wohlfahrtsverband and the Department of Social Sciences and Cultural Studies at D UAS looked for concepts of further education which tackle the daily challenges of our society in an innovative and original way, and which contribute towards understanding and integration. To this end, the Educational Institute announced a competition for exemplary courses of adult education in the fields of intercultural learning and social integration in Spring 2009 under the motto "Focus on migration – education as a bridge to integration". In this context, students on the Master courses "Social work/pedagogy in globalised societies" and "Culture, aesthetics, media" determined the best of the submitted education courses in the module "Intercultural occupational competence" under the supervision of Professors Dr. Veronika Fischer and Maria Schleiner. The students' task was to justify the choice on the basis of subject-related criteria, to describe the courses and projects and to develop aesthetic concepts for their public presentation and depiction in the media. The students prepared a concertina folder which briefly introduced the best ten of the 19 contributions submitted. "It is intended to display these in all kinds of institutions in future", explained Prof. Fischer. The students judged the winner of the competition to be Deutsche Kinderschutzbund OV in Duisburg, followed by the IFAK Association for Multicultural Child and Youth Assistance Migration Work with third place going to the Kinderschutzbund in Aachen and the OFF Theatre NRW.
Minister Armin Laschet praised the professionalism and commitment of the students during the prize award ceremony (accompanied by music from the UAS Big Band) on 29th October in the Youth Guest House in the Oberkassel district of Düsseldorf.
"The work was really fun, we were able to apply the knowledge we have learned and expand this with insights into practice. Preparing and producing the instruments for effective publicity through to the laudation for our prize winners was exciting", says Master student Simon Herzhoff.