Epilogue Shortly after the EPM, I became a volunteer in the Havenstraat Center in Amsterdam. Coming there I had a chance to observe volunteer groups and individuals coming to perform different types of activities. I was petrified to see that some of those people, with undoubtedly good motives, were so focused on their task that it became more important than the people they were doing those tasks for. From this experience I gained understanding on how important it is to always treat people individually. No matter what actions you will decide to take, please keep in mind that it should never be a group of volunteers approaching a group of refugees. It is very important to keep in mind that each person is different and nobody wants to be perceived just as a refugee but as a complex human being with its individual story. So be a friend! Cooking together, helping each other out by providing information, learning each other’s languages, movie nights and many other of the ideas mentioned as recommendation in this booklet can be organized with institutional help or you can just perform them with your friends like you do on a daily basis. It reminded me of the Starfish Foundation story which I have heard from one of our guest speakers during the Living Library: A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement. She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!” The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied, “Well, I made a difference to that one!” – Adapted from The Star Thrower by Loren C. Eiseley I encourage you to make a difference to at least one starfish by becoming a friend. Joanna Pankowska On behalf of the Content Team of EPM Leiden 2016
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