Prague, Jan 20 (CTK) – An awareness campaign for Czech primary and secondary schools that focuses on refugees, migration, integrity, stereotypes and a safe school environment was yesterday presented to the public by the META association that supports young migrants in the country.
The campaign Hello Czech Republic is based on a Swedish model. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) owns the copyright to this model.
The campaign is supported by the Education Ministry and it includes 13 activities and a handbook for teachers.
A comic book tells the story of Hamid, a boy who makes the journey from Afghanistan to Sweden. The story of a Kurdish girl whom her mother sent to Sweden is told in a 13-minute film.
A fictitious story of a nuclear disaster in the Czech Republic presents the view from the other side: ten million Czech people must leave their homeland and only Peacestan, a large Asian country, is willing to accept them, but the planned arrival of the Czechs causes public protests in the country. The Czech refugees receive a letter with questions about the expected conditions of their lives in Peacestan from its government. The students are asked to answer these questions in the campaign.
Prague teacher Eva Wolfova who tested this activity with her students said it seemed easier to talk with the students about migration last spring before the refugee crisis culminated.
In these activities, the teacher is a senior partner in the discussion who knows that it is difficult to discuss these issues nowadays, Wolfova said. The school must provide safety to the children and let them form their opinions without prejudices, she added.
