Volunteering as the key to integration: refugees tackle!

Volunteering as the key to integration: refugees tackle!

Around 350 people from Gemünden and the meaning are supported by a dedicated supervisor who points out the difficult conditions for refugees. While Ukrainian refugees are often allowed to work quickly, others have to wait up to twelve months for their hearing. Language and integration courses are overcrowded, with waiting times of six months or more. Many asylum seekers spend this time in uncertainty and isolation, which raises the question: Can volunteering and working opportunities be a solution?

The possibility of perceiving work opportunities is anchored in the Asylum Seekers' Performance Act. Mayor Johannes Wagenpfahl from Gräfendorf has been relating to this form of employment for years to offer refugees valuable experience. However, critics such as Schrimpf are criticizing that these activities are often forced and refugees who reject them with reduction in performance. The Spessart Nature Park sees a positive alternative in volunteering, where refugees are actively involved. Managing Director Oliver Kaiser emphasizes that the willingness to volunteer work among locals has dropped greatly, and he has had good experiences when he addressed specifically refugee people. Markus Rill from the Main-Spessart district office confirms that all refugees can work on a voluntary basis regardless of their status, and offers support from integration pilots and the "Emil" volunteer agency. Further information can be found in an article by www.main-echo.de .