This summer was a busy one for the WroMigrant team’s consultants. Over the summer months, they held consultations for people with refugee and migrant experience (in person, by phone and by e-mail), as well as information training sessions and art and integration workshops.
During the three summer months (June–August), team members on duty provided over 1,000 free consultations, supporting more than 1,750 people in a variety of life situations.
The topics most frequently discussed during the consultations included:
- ways of legalising residence in Poland – 455 consultations
- crossing the Polish border – 299
- obtaining, restoring or giving up UKR status – 285
- job search, hiring and contract termination procedures, working conditions and pay – 205
- applying for social assistance – 129.
In addition, the WroMigrant team organised 20 events of its own and with partners, most of which took place at Przejście Dialogu (Passage of Dialogue). WroMigrant consultants trained participants in the procedures for applying for international protection, various types of residence permits, obtaining the Pole’s Card (Karta Polaka), etc. These events were held in five languages: Polish, Ukrainian, Belarusian, English and Russian.
To meet the growing needs of parents and carers of children and young people starting school in Poland, in August the team held information meetings entitled “Everyday Life in a Polish School”. During the meetings, the team, supported by intercultural assistants, answered questions from Ukrainian and Belarusian parents who wanted to know about differences between the education systems, what everyday life in a Polish school looks like, school traditions and rituals, as well as curriculum-related matters such as the learning support available to students whose first language is not Polish. One of the most valuable parts of these sessions was the advice of experienced intercultural assistants Aleksandra Kosior (primary school) and Antonina Klymenko (secondary school), whose tips will certainly have come in handy on 4 September.
For secondary school students, Przejście Dialogu hosted a meeting with Mirosław Lebiedź, head of the city’s Study in Wrocław project, who presented what Wrocław’s universities have to offer and talked about admission rules, how studies are organised and future career options. To equip young Wrocław residents with useful financial skills, the WroMigrant team organised a youth edition of CashFlow – a specialist financial game that teaches players how to manage their own money.
People looking for a job or wanting to change jobs were offered training in the art of self-presentation, prepared by specialists from the Lower Silesian Voivodeship Labour Office. It is worth mentioning that the Labour Office holds regular consultations at Przejście Dialogu.
Although the key task of the WroMigrant team is to share important information and knowledge, meetings that encourage conversation and personal development also play an important role. The hit of the summer at Przejście Dialogu was a series of art therapy sessions led by Ukrainian psychologist Yana Bezverkhnia.
“We are delighted to have received so much positive feedback from the participants. We expect the autumn edition to be just as popular,” says Żanna Nogina.
The programme for the last quarter of 2023 will soon be published on the WroMigrant and Przejście Dialogu social media profiles. Follow us and join our events!
