Building a network for refugees and migrants. We are a world of neighbours.
KEEPING HUMANITYOUR
Empowering grassroots practitioners will be one of the most critical factors for the future. A World of Neighbours is now recruiting 60 practitioners in 22 countries across Europe.
That’s why we want to build a network from the bottom up, where people of different faith and origin can support and learn from one another, in their encounters with refugees and migrants. Because we’re all neighbours.
Making real difference
Will Europe choose to remain a diverse, humane, and welcom ing society—or will it lapse back into narrow nationalism?
With one foot in the grassroots realities, directly engaged with people on the move, and the other foot in the wider world, practitioners are key actors; ensuring refugees and migrants will have ”a seat at the table” with leaders, whose decisions over their lives mean the difference between despair and self-determination.
Europe is at a crossroads
People tend to choose the easy solutions, like blaming someone else for their problems. But we need each other, the only way we can solve things is together. How you choose to act matters.
A World of Neighbours is a European interreligious network. We believe that peaceful global coexistence starts on a small scale: the practice of living together with those nearby.
We need your support
You can play a vital role in realizing the goal to create a wel coming, open and humane Europe for refugees and migrants. Or more accurately—for all.
2 World peace starts next-door
Recruiting change agents
YOURMATTERSCHOICE
3 1. Support practitioners 2. Support refugees and migrants 3. Support coordinators 4. Support research 5. Support the support Five ways for you to magnify the impact
Zahra and Sima are a case in point. These two young sisters, now fluent in Swedish and well into their studies in health care, are facing the prospect of deportation back to Afghanistan. Their return means facing the threat of forced marriage in a country rife with violence and oppression, where only 16 % of the women are literate. For many of these refugees from Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Eritrea and Morocco, supported by Sabina, such a fate is a death sentence. In virtually all cases, deportation is a human tragedy.
THREE BOTTOM-UP SNAPSHOTS
Fortunately, he had been befriended by Faiaz, chair of the Alliance of Unaccompanied Minors in Sweden, who used his contacts with A World of Neighbours to assist Rohula in reaching France. Rohula has since learned French, found employment in a restaurant, and has received his residency permit. Faiaz is eager to use these connections again, joining with Sabina in assisting unaccompanied minors in their pur suit of safety and freedom.
Supporting one another
persons. For her, and for this supportive community, every de portation is traumatic. In facing this challenge, Sabina draws strength and encouragement from a network of practitioners associated with A World of Neighbours, who share a first-hand experience of the everyday drama of accompaniment.
Sabina is a practitioner accompanying underage refugees who have ended up in Sweden. Through her work, these young people are becoming a part of their local community. They go to school, make friends, play on local sports teams, hold down part-time jobs, and imagine their future in this new place. But as they reach adulthood, their legal status becomes insecure.
Over the years Sabina has met hundreds of young and un accompanied migrants in her city. As a social worker, Sabina’s practice is done in the context of a Lutheran congregation dedicated to the accompaniment of displaced and vulnerable
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Along with these collegial relationships, this practitioners’ network provides practical connections to communities and institutions across Europe. Arriving in Sweden in 2015, Rohula enthusiastically embarked on a path to citizenship. In 2019 his asylum appeal was rejected and he was forced to leave.
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Let us give you a glimpse of how A World of Neighbours grassroots practitioners on a daily basis work with accompaniment, networking and building social cohesion. A resistance movement, guarding our humanity, fostering mutuality.
Recently, Islamistablog.pl aligned itself with a Europeanwide network of NGOs seeking to assist in the resettlement of 13,000 persons displaced by the fires at the Moria camp on the island of Lesbos. Using their local contacts, they convinced municipal officials of the twelve biggest cities in the country to pledge to receive families, and to get similar commitments from the mayors of thirteen other cities in Poland.
At the same time, their colleagues in the A World of Neighbours practitioners’ network—such as Zuzana, community manager with the Milan Šimečka Foundation in Bratislava, Slovakia, and Dóra, director of the Kalunba refugee centre in Budapest, Hungary—are exploring ways to convince mayors in their own countries to pledge to do the same.
Hospitality in action
Beyond its immediate humanitarian impact, Anna and Karol are using this action as a way to re-frame consideration of the migration question in the broader Polish society.
As founders of Islamista Blog—the biggest platform on Islam in Poland—Anna Wilczyńska and Karol Wilczyński have worked tirelessly as practitioners for the past seven years in building bridges between the mainstream and those on the margins, especially refugees, migrants and religious minorities.
To counter the widespread perception of Polish society as monolithically closed and intolerant, they are creating a “map of hospitality”, charting the safe and open havens for diverse peoples and communities across the country. In fact, in all their work of social engagement, Anna and Karol appeal to hospitality as a traditional value deeply embedded in the hearts and minds of Poles.
SNAPSHOTS
A World of Neighbours connects grassroots practitioners working on behalf of people on the move across Europe. Through the practitioners’ network, these committed and courageous persons find mutual support in a community of practice. They share best practices, gain access to models, skills and expertise, and magnify their collective impact.
This journey from stranger to neighbour, from the traumatic experience of being displaced to being fully embraced in convivenz—the reality of authenti cally living together—must ultimately be a shared journey.
Perhaps most importantly, these practitioners seek to ensure that refugees and migrants have “a seat at the table” with policymakers and institutional leaders whose decisions over their lives are the difference between despair and self-determination.
In the midst of increasing nationalism and xenophobia, the network reaches beyond national borders and distinctions of religion and ethnicity, to the benefit of the European community as a whole.
A World of Neighbours is looking to share this journey with you.
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JOIN THE MOVEMENT
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DEADSIMPLE.SE 2021 Inside
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6 Working group in Bratislava, Slovakia. Albin Hillert
5 Karol Wilczyński & Anna Wilczyńska, Krakow, Poland. Albin Hillert
14 Muddy boots. LoloStock / Adobe Stock
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Europe is at a crossroads
Stronger together This is how we roll Growing together Agenda 2030 Evidently Praxis needs theory Teaming up Managing partner Operating partner How much? Fond of fusion? Fund it. Support practitioners
16 Karol Wilczyński, Krakow, Poland. Sannhet Studio Zuzana Weberová, Bratislava, Slovakia. Marek Jančúch
Ulrich Schmiedel, Edinburgh, Scotland. Ulrich Schmiedel Katarzyna Bobrowicz, Lund, Sweden. Katarzyna Bobrowicz Language café, Skövde, Sweden. Tobias Andersson / Tobyphoto
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20 Amloud Alamir meets polititian Peter Altmeier. Berlin, Germany. Yasir Akbari, Moria refugee camp, Lesbos, Greece. Screen shot, Zoom 21 Pre-Summit mapping migration, Malmö, Sweden 2020 Magdalena Wernefeldt
4 Sabina Esp, with Zahra and Sima from Afghanistan. Sabina Esp Faiaz Dowlatzai, Stockholm, Sweden. Magnus Aronson / Ikon
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18 60 practitioners, 22 countries
Images
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Sabina AmloudZacharyZuzanaKarolRebeccaEspLillianWilczyńskiWeberováGallantAlamir
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Support coordinators
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Petter Karlsson. Fisksätra, Sweden. Magdalena Wernefeldt
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15 Sabina Esp, Östersund, Sweden. Sabina Esp Rebecca Lillian, Kopenhagen, Denmark. Magdalena Wernefeldt
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8 Not what you thought Morals, not migrants People will always move Borders can’t prevent fear
8 Abandoned shoe. Pia Carpelan / EyeEm / Adobe Stock
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12 A living laboratory. Atomfotolia / Adobe Stock
6 Join the movement
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13 Mensura Nepjip & Therese Nyvind Martinsson, Härnösand, Sweden. Linda Maria Thompson
2 Your choice matters
Dóra Kanizsai-Nagy, Kalunba refugee centre, Budapest, Hungary. Magdalena Wernefeldt Mustafa Ahmed. Kista, Sweden. Magnus Aronson / Ikon Anastasia Koktsidou. Malmö, Sweden. Magdalena Wernefeldt Karolis Žibas. Fisksätra, Sweden. Magdalena Wernefeldt
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Support refugees and migrants
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Support research Support the support It’s a promise
12 Linking, mixing, testing Another way of working Making it happen
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1 Neighbours. Maskot / Johnér
Archbishop Antje Jackelén meets Marta Bolba, Budapest, Hungary. Péter Román Interreligious pod. Stockholm, Sweden. Magnus Aronson / Ikon Liam Sallmander, Stockholm, Sweden. Magnus Aronson / Ikon
Europe at night 2012 NASA Earth observatory
Balázs Acsai and his daughter Timea, Tabajd, Hungary. Balázs Acsai
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Supporting one another Hospitality in action
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3 Zuzana Weberová, Bratislava, Slovakia. Zuzana Weberová
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17 Zachary Gallant, Unkel, Germany. Magdalena Wernefeldt Amloud Alamir, Berlin, Germany. Daniel Bramsell
Donor charter We call it convivenz Best practice of coexisting Get in touch Building bridges
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11 Migrants at Ellis Island, New York, USA, ca. 1915 Bain News Service / Library of Congress Syrians flee into Turkey 2015 Lefteris Pitarakis / AP / NTB
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4 Three bottom-up snapshots
Anna Hjälm, director for A World of Neighbours. Magnus Aronson / Ikon Dirk Ficca, senior advisor for A World of Neighbours. Therése Weisz Ilan Cohn, director for HIAS Europe. Michael Thaidigsmann Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, 1928 James Bacon & Sons / Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums Tindouf, Algeria. David Martínez / Adobe Stock
NOT WHAT YOU THOUGHT
most recently been reflected in sweeping changes to migration policy by the European Union looming on the horizon, that will hinder local efforts devoted to reception and integration.
The European crisis
2.4 refugees
In the early months of the heart-wrenching exodus from Syria, local parishes and dioceses of the Church of Sweden joined with human itarian efforts across Europe in receiving tens of thousands of those fleeing violence. But as the “humanitarian honeymoon” inevita bly waned across the continent, the church’s commitment to accompaniment refugees has remained.
While there is a crisis in Europe, it is not due to refugees. The European crisis is about the lack of political will to receive them, and the instrumentalization of refugees as a per ceived threat by groups and politicians in order to create a dangerously nationalistic narrative and institute broader policies of othering and social exclusion across Europe. This European extremism came to a head at the border crisis in 2015 Europeworldwide
personsdisplacedinternally 45.7 26 refugees 4.2 seekersasylum
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In 2015, countries such as Germany and Sweden opened their doors to receive these “people on the move” on the basis of human rights. At the same time, political leadership in other countries stoked the fear of a “foreign invasion” to introduce nationalist policies, severely restricting asylum seekers and even tually closing borders.
The real crisis for Europe’s future is about its character. More expedient rationales, based primarily on economic needs and a shrinking demographic, will not be enough to sustain the political will for what is first and fore most a matter of human rights, dignity, and solidarity.Thishas
But the refugee crisis is not in Europe, where the 27 member states of the EU with a population of 330 million host somewhere near 2.4 million refugees. The overwhelming majority of refugees today reside else where—in Turkey (nearly 4 million), Pakistan (1.4 million), Uganda (1.4 million) and Sudan (1 million).
To be sure, there is a crisis of forcibly dis placed persons. Worldwide, there are 26 million refugees, 4.2 million asylum seekers, and another 45.7 million internally displaced people (UNHCR 2019).
As more of the human community goes on the move, will Europe become a diverse, humane, and welcoming society, as was envisioned after 1945? Or will it lapse back into narrow forms of nationalism that led to the suffering of two world wars?
Morals, not migrants
The character crisis
To be sure, there is a crisis of forcibly displaced persons. But the European crisis is not about refugees, it is about character, and lack of political will.
The refugee crisis is about failing to face the greatest challenges of our time. It is crucial that responsible actors in civil society come together to forge a path towards greater social cohesion.
The refugee crisis
These challenges will only intensify in the future—not only for Europe, but for the entire world. As projections for migra tion related to global warming estimate between 150 million to 250 million climate change refugees by the year 2040, it is crucial that responsible actors in civil society come together to forge a path towards greater social cohesion.
Borders can’t prevent fear
PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS MOVE
Nor does the crisis stop at the border. If political power is based on fear of the “other”, and it succeeds in keeping out people on the move, other groups will be identified as a threat by those in power.
The crisis for Europe didn’t start in Syria. Human beings have been, and always will be, on the move, out of necessity and curiosity, in order to escape peril and suffering, and to pursue aspirations for a better life. That will not change.
The picture of a Syrian father handing his toddler over the border into Turkey was taken in mid-2015. In the coming months, the civil war in Syria created 4.9 million refugees seeking escape to Europe.
In Hungary and Poland, for instance, anti-refugee sentiment has led to increased antisemitism and Islamophobia, as well as the criminalization of the homeless, disabled, mentally ill and LGBTQ—extending even to those who assist or advocate on their behalf. No doubt such policies will have a corrosive effect on the values and norms of any society.
Nevertheless, as noted in the broadly ecumenical message from the conference on xenophobia, racism and populist nation alism (Rome, 2018): We must “… recognize that the concerns of many individuals and communities who feel threatened by migrants—whether for security, economic or cultural identity reasons—have to be acknowledged and examined.”
This work must be done from the grassroots level up, while advocating for a broadly shared vision that is diverse, humane and inclusive in order to meet these challenges.
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Human beings have been, and always will be, on the move, out of necessity and curiosity, in order to escape peril and suffering, and to pursue aspirations for a better life. That will not change.
A World of Neighbours is guided by a vision of convivenz in a diverse, humane and welcoming Europe. Moving forward, it will be expressed in the primary programmatic elements:
TEMIXINGLINKINGSTING
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Testing ways to proceed
In the Swedish context, A World of Neighbours serves as a “living laboratory” for the engagement of the interreligious movement with people on the move.
Mixing network with society
At the grassroots level, A World of Neighbours seeks to establish a supportive and dynamic community among practitioners across Europe, serving receiving commu nities and affiliated humanitarian organizations on behalf of refugees and migrants.
Linking practitioners together
In the European context, the archbishop of Uppsala will convene a February 2022 summit, bringing together refugees, migrants, practitioners and other grassroots actors for peer-to-peer discussions with institutional, political and religious leaders in creating a sustainable bottom-up agenda for collaborative action.
Welcoming refugees, migrants and other displaced persons making their way across Europe is critical to their prospects for finding a future place to call home, or a haven until it is safe to return to their home of origin.
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WORKINGANOTHERWAYOF
But, as one UNHCR official put it, what these agencies can’t provide is “… a friend, a sense of community, the human touch and presence of accompaniment along the journey.” This responsibility is best undertaken by receiving communities.
Togetherness, not just tents. Belonging, not just blankets. Friendship, not just food.
The task of addressing the basic humanitarian needs of refugees and migrants falls under the jurisdiction of UNHCR, of governmental agencies and relief-focused NGOs. These entities are mandated and equipped to provide for the basic requirements of shelter, food, health care, and safety.
Of course, to the degree that refugees and migrants have been received and integrated into European society, there is a robust and committed ecology of actors at work, in grassroots receiving communities, humanitarian organizations, centres for research and advocacy, local, national, and pan-European governing bodies and inter-governmental agencies.
In this grassroots encounter between the “newly arrived” and the “already there”, strengthening receiving communities in accompanying the people on the move in their midst is essential. The journey from stranger to neighbour, from the traumatic experience of being displaced to being fully embraced in convivenz—the reality of authentically living together—must ultimately be a shared journey.
The unique and pivotal role of receiving communities—those that will walk step-by-step with their new neighbours—is now gaining greater recognition in policy and institutional arenas. When receiving communities are networked together, they can offer mutual support, share best practices, and advocate on behalf of each other.
Their work tends to fall into two broad categories:
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At the heart of the network are the practitioners, with one foot in the grassroots realities and the other in the wider world. Yet, their perspective isn’t always valued. A World of Neighbours intend to change that.
• collaboration with receiving communities in the accompa niment of refugees and migrants towards the goals of convivenz;
MAKING IT HAPPEN
Across this spectrum of civil society and institutional responses, there is a particular kind of actor who has one foot in the grass roots realities, directly engaged with people on the move, and the other foot in the wider world, persuading those in it to do what is right and humane. Within A World of Neighbours, we refer to these actors as practitioners.
The effort will start among 60 practitioners in 22 countries across Europe, and through them, will grow to an ever-widening circle of these tireless front-line workers. Let us introduce you to six practitioners.
It is the practitioner who is directly in touch with and involved in the day-to-day lives of displaced people, and the conditions in which they find themselves. To the degree that this ecology of migration works at all, it is these practitioners who make it happen.
• fostering greater social cohesion in the broader society, in support of a diverse, humane and welcoming Europe.
Upon surveying the various levels and rich array of responses to the plight and aspirations of people on the move, A World of Neighbours has decided to make one of its core contribu tions to addressing the refugee crisis and supporting the goals of convivenz the creation of a community of practice to affirm and support these practitioners.
And when it comes to meeting the daunting challenges ahead, empowering these practitioners will be one of the most criti cal and pivotal factors in what the future holds for Europe, the world, and the displaced among them.
Rebecca currently serves as rabbi at Shir Hatzafon, the lib eral synagogue in Copenhagen. She is a founding member of Rodfei Tsedek, a social justice organization aimed at restoring a sense of belonging to Europe’s Jews.
Sabina’s participation in the practitioners’ network is supported by the Church of Sweden.
A World of Neighbours is seeking financial support for Rebecca’s participation in the practitioners’ network.
The mitzvah obligate us to accompany newcomers on their journey.
Every human being, at some point, will need the help from others.
“Our goal is to facilitate conversations between newly arrived and those who have been here for many years. For volunteers who were born here to witness how hospitality and inclusion can be mutually beneficial. To share cultural experiences cultivates a true sense of convivenz. Working with other practitioners is in spiring, supportive, and absolutely indispensable.
The mitzvah (commandment) to welcome the stranger does not just refer to shelter and food. Like Abraham and Sarah, we are obligated to accompany newcomers on their journey.”
“Because my job is all about helping others and in that way, helping all of humankind. I have the great privilege to spend my working days as a social worker for the Church of Sweden. All of their diaconal work proceeds from helping vulnerable people, working for every person’s right to a life in dignity. And some times I’m that vulnerable person.
Sabina Esp is a social worker serving a Church of Sweden congregation in Östersund. Working closely with the local municipality, her mission is to ensure that unaccompanied minors from Syria and Afghanistan complete their secondary education, secure employment, and find their way in a new culture.
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Sometimes I need help from others, as my ancestors did and just as my kin always will. And that time maybe you will be there to help. It’s a constant cycle where every human being on this earth at some point in life, will need the help from others. This time it happens to be you and your family—because you have the right to a life in dignity. And this time it happens to be me who has the honour to try to help you fight for that right.”
Rebecca Lillian is an interfaith social justice activist in Scandinavia. A co-founder of the Jewish Muslim Partnership, she is on the board of Sisterhood and Religion Meeting, both based in Malmö, Sweden, and served as project leader for the Open Skåne social cohesion initiative. In 2015, the attention of these groups turned to the thousands of asylum seekers arriving daily. Rebecca, herself a child of refugees, developed programs for them to learn from immigrants of previous generations.
Education must involve action. It is necessary to promote experience-based education to reach the aim of preventing intolerance and discrimination. That is why I have organized many meetings with refugees, Muslims, and Holocaust survi vors for young people, whose knowledge is often based only on Internet sources.
16 Karol Wilczyński is a journalist and communication strategist as well as community organizer, interreligious activist, and founder of Islamista Blog, the biggest platform on Islam in Poland.
That is why I think it is critical to train journalists and teach them about accuracy and ethical standards.”
Zuzana’s participation in the practitioners’ network is supported by the Milan Šimečka Foundation.
“Since the beginning of my professional career in 2011, my aim has been to educate. In the last five years I have focused on combating hate speech and fostering good inter-community relations, which I think are crucial to the development of civil society.
The more I am sceptical about the willingness and ability of our current and previous governments to do that, the more I believe it is civil society, grassroots organizations, initiatives and people who share the vision who need to work towards that goal.”
A World of Neighbours seeks financial support for Karol’s role as network coordinator for central & eastern Europe.
Zuzana Weberová works as project manager for Milan Šimečka Foundation, one of the oldest NGOs in Slovakia. She is a member of the organizational team of Festival [fjúžn] which brings the topics of migration closer to the general public, creates space for new minorities and the majority population to meet and get to know each other through cul tural or community events, and gives voice to migrants who are an integral part of Slovak society.
“I want to live in a country that respects all its inhabitants, and creates a space where everybody lives in safety and dignity. Unfortunately, at this moment, I am very sceptical it is a fore seeable future, considering our political representation.
I want to live in a country that respects all its inhabitants.
Education must involve action, to prevent intolerance and discrimination.
My family came to the USA as refugees, and all they wanted was to become American. When they finally broke through all the barriers in their way, they became an integral part of US society, culture, and economy. I see that same drive from to day’s migrants in Europe, and I am convinced that welcome culture and the spirit embodied by A World of Neighbours will allow them to integrate faster than my ancestors were permit ted. This must be supported.”
“As a refugee and a woman, I am committed to change and to work for diversity in society. I recognize the importance of the participation of immigrants and refugees in social work, especially women, and not just as headlines in the news bulle tins, but as experts who can bring their knowledge.
I am not only interested in social affairs but also in politics. How can democracy be taught? Is it possible to learn it at school, or only by practicing and respecting the law? How can the women who came from my country be involved in the political process? Will they be able to participate in the next elections; do they realize the importance of their voice?
A World of Neighbours is seeking financial support for Amloud’s participation in the practitioners’ network.
“IntegrationswerkstattJews.was started by refugees who wanted to give back to their neighbours and community, to build and protect public spaces. Nonetheless, refugees and migrants are still seen as charity cases and as burdens.
As refugees in the USA, all that my family wanted was to become American.
As I was forced to leave my home country when the war began, I found here my chance to continue and use the experi ences and valuable skills I have made on my way to and within Germany, and I believe they will be very important for my par ticipation in A World of Neighbours.”
Migrants should participate as experts in social work, bringing their knowledge.
Zachary Gallant served 2017–2019 as managing di rector of the Integrationswerkstatt, the only rural winner of the 2019 German Integration Prize. Prior to that, he taught a “Survival German” course for refugee women who could not get a place in an official integration course. He has been working on various projects in the Rhineland aimed at inte grating migrants into the German workforce and increasing their democratic participation. Zachary is a founding member of Rodfei Tsedek, an organization aimed at restoring a sense of belonging to Europe’s
A World of Neighbours is seeking financial support for Zachary’s role as network coordinator for northern Europe.
Amloud Alamir is a Syrian refugee now living in Berlin. She is a journalist for Amal, Berlin!, a community-based news paper, sponsored by the German Protestant Church. It provides timely news and pertinent information in Arabic and Farsi for refugees and migrants striving to integrate into German society.
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ZuzanaAnna& Karol RebeccaAmloudSabina Balázs & Dóra Zachary
Practitioners occupy a pivotal position in the ecology of migra tion. Practitioners are among the most aware of the hurdles and obstacles that refugees and migrants face, of what’s work ing and what is not, of what might be possible, of why refugees and migrants need to speak for themselves, and engage directly with the broader society. Even in the best of circumstances, this is demanding work.
For these reasons, A World of Neighbours is recruiting 60 practitioners in 22 countries across Europe to form a practition ers’ network, engaged in a community of practice of mutual support, collaborative learning, the sharing of best practices and models, and intentional self-care.
Help us get more boots going
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Stronger together
And yet, all too often, their perspective is not recognized or valued. Frequently, neither practitioners nor the people on the move, who are most directly impacted, are at the decision making table when it comes to matters of services, resources, policy, and Practitionersprocess.cannot fulfil their job description without neces sarily internalizing the trauma of the people they are working with. Consequently, they are prone to suffer from “compassion fatigue”, even burnout and cynicism.
60 PRACTITIONERS 22 COUNTRIES
In light of the pivotal role that practitioners play in the eco logy of the migration response, and the needs they have in order to do their work in a productive and personally healthy way, A World of Neighbours has chosen to establish a com munity of practice among practitioners, in a European-wide grassroots network.
Grassroots practitioners are essential to the work of receiving communities, and their collaborative partners, on behalf of people on the move. These practitioners also play a pivotal role in the ecology of actors that comprise the collective re sponse to needs and aspirations of refugees and migrants.
Getting a seat at the table
By bringing together refugees, migrants, and prac titioners with policy experts, civil society actors, political and religious leaders, people on the move have a voice and a definitive role when it comes to decision-making about migration policy.
Networking locally
Meeting people on the move
In their own sphere of influence—geographical, institutional, linguistic, ethnic, religious—practitioners will actively network and support grassroots communities and actors at the local, regional and European levels.
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THIS IS HOW Grassroots solves problems that
Network practitioners will gather together annually with people on the move from across Europe to strategize and implement a bottomup agenda.
Finding a model for Europe
This methodology seeks to employ and embody a model of what a diverse, socially-cohesive and welcoming Europe looks like.
Reaching out
Above: Yasir Akbari, asylum seeker in Greece, live reporting from the Moria refugee camp on the island of Lesbos.
HOW WE ROLL look unsolvable on a macro level
Recruiting practitioners
Second cohort, network practitioners
February–April 2021
The work of the network is not only focused on the practitioners within it. The primary aim of the practitioners’ network is to serve the broader network of practitioners and organizations working with mi gration in particular, and broader society more generally.
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European summit February 2022
Coming next
Annual gathering European-wide November 2021
To reach out to all of them, A World of Neighbours organizes monthly webinars available to the broader public. In each webinar, we feature one of the network practitioners alongside the leading experts in the field. The webinars are recorded and uploaded to the website, where they remain available to all interested.
January—October 2021
A World of Neighbours support the Sustainable Development Goals
GROWING TOGETHER
One example of how the network of A World of Neighbours contributes to several of the United Nations goals of Agenda 2030
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Balázs Acsai (here with his daughter Timea) runs a social farm in Hungary, providing job for refugees from Pakistan and Syria. People of different faiths and from different walks of life meet on a daily basis. Out of these encounters, faith and friendship grow, strengthening the social net of society.
23 of communication and networking, and provide framework for development of collaborative courses offered within and out side of the network.
Praxis needs theory
Are you alright?
Dr. Katarzyna Bobrowicz, post-doctoral fellow at the De partment of Psychology, Lund University, is responsible for a wellbeing inquiry, which consists of two short surveys that allow for evaluating whether active participation in the net work improves practitioners’ well-being.
Networking with researchers
A World of Neighbours is developing a research network which will conduct research in close collaboration with the practi tioners network. Regular communication between the two will result in the production of high-quality studies based on the current needs of practitioners. The studies will be disseminated rapidly, thus guaranteeing high level of applicability.
Developing an online platform
Due to its international nature, the practitioners’ network is primarily operating online. Because of that, it requires a well-adapted digital tool to meet all of its requirements and needs, and allow for active, ongoing collaboration. A World of Neighbours is collaborating with the Lund University Innovation hub to secure funding and develop an online plat form based on the principles of community of practice and collaborative learning, to streamline remote work, offer means
The inquiry focuses specifically on the risk of compassion fatigue, its predictors and influence on everyday behaviours. Recent reports suggest that working with migration is associ ated with a higher risk of compassion fatigue, but this remains understudied. Understanding which factors increase the risk of compassion fatigue will allow better prevention and more efficient intervention whenever practitioners’ well-being is plum meting. This requires further in-depth studies in psychology and public health.
EVIDENTLY
As mentioned before, practitioners operate in conditions of high stress, huge emotional load, and low resources. Because of that, as recent reports suggest, they are at a higher risk of compassion fatigue, the subject which remains understudied. Peer support that lies at the core of the Network may lower the risk of compassion fatigue in the short term, and burnout in the long term.
The research board, led by dr. Ulrich Schmiedel, lecturer in theology, politics and ethics at the University of Edinburgh, is currently developing a pilot project based on interviews and feedback from the first group of practitioners. The board plans to recruit at least one researcher from each of the 22 countries involved in the practitioners network. Each of these research ers will regularly offer short summaries of the current state of migration research in their respective countries.
• Central-Eastern Europe coordinator
• Northern Europe coordinator
Instead, it will be developed and administrated under the auspices of the Church of Sweden, in cooperation with HIAS Europe, for the purposes of management and operations.
• Southern Europe coordinator
This circle of collaboration will be expanded to include an informal cadre of institutional bodies associated with diverse religious com munities, civil society and inter-governmental bodies within the European context.
TEAMING UP
The practitioners’ network will be a central programmatic emphasis of A World of Neighbours. It will not, however, be a formally constituted non-governmental organization.
• A broader network of practitioners
Network
• 60 practitioners from 22 countries
• Managing partner
• Office - 2 co-directors - communicator - curriculum designer - administrative assistant - research & affiliates designer
Coordination
• Youth coordinator
Support
coordinationsupportnetwork
• Scandinavia coordinator
All-inclusive
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• Operating partner
At the local level, churches continue to serve as meeting places in many ways: social activities and games, language cafés, church services, distribution of donated clothes, help with government contacts and counselling. At the same time, archbishop Antje Jackelén gives voice to a commitment to advocating for people on the move as loved by God.
The Church of Sweden is an evangelical Lutheran church with 5,8 million members. There are 3,500 churches in Sweden, and 13 dioceses.
Founded to assist Jews fleeing persecution, HIAS has touched the life of nearly every Jewish family in America and now wel comes all who have fled because of who they are.
Over the centuries, in line with the gospel mandate, the Church of Sweden has traditionally sought to “welcome the stranger”. After the catastrophe of World War II, Europe set out to build a community of solidarity and openness. The UN Refugee Convention, adopted by 152 states, operates in the same spirit.
The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society is the global Jewish nonprofit that protects refugees. Founded in 1881, HIAS focused on assisting Jews fleeing pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe.
Engagement since 2015
In February 2021 HIAS Europe will launch a new initiative, Gishur: Connecting Communities, which is a capacity, com munity and coalition building project aimed at empowering Jewish community leaders and activists to challenge xeno phobia and promote inclusion through intra-community awareness-raising and dialogue with refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.
HIAS celebrates 140 years of helping refugees escape per secution and resettle in safety; reuniting families who have been separated; and helping them build new lives in safety and freedom. HIAS continues to resettle the most vulnerable refugees of all faiths and ethnicities from all over the world.
Historic engagement
Historic engagement
There are many who want to take responsibility and who want to receive. The Church of Sweden sought to make its con tribution to such an endeavour. That means meeting asylum seekers and new arrivals in Sweden with open arms, wherever they come from.
In response to the Syrian refugee crisis in 2015, nearly one thousand parishes of the Church of Sweden were on the front lines of welcoming these displaced people. This experience had a transformative effect on congregations and the institu tion as a whole.
Engagement since 2015
In 2016, in response to the Syrian refugee crisis, HIAS focused on providing legal services for asylum seekers arriving in Lesbos. In 2018, HIAS created the joint Greece Refugee Rights Initiative with Islamic Relief in the United States. This innovative Jewish—Muslim partnership has demonstrated that these two faiths share values and goals and together can defend the rights and assist the most vulnerable among us.
As a national church, it is open to everyone living in Sweden regardless of nationality. It is a place for church services, meet ings and dialogue. The church also collaborates with the public sector, other denominations and civil society organizations, and participates in the public conversation about human value and hope.
Managing partner Operating partner
25 Established in 2019 HIAS Europe provides a Jewish perspective to European policy-making on refugees and asylum seekers and supports Jewish communities across Europe in their efforts to protect refugees and to welcome and integrate newly ar rived refugees. It also mobilizes European support for its global humanitarian work.
for the practitioners’ network for the years 2021–2024 is 6,606,433 euro.
Projected overall budget
Project annual budgets are: 2021 1,552,722 2022 2,207,458 2023 1,602,357 2024 1,543,896
for the practitioners’ network, based on an annual budget of 1 , 726 , 608 euro, are projected to be:
for the practitioners’ network, beginning in 2021, includes: 415,000 executive staff / administration (2021—Apr 2022) Church of Sweden 340,000 European summit (Feb 2022) Church of Sweden 266,425 Network practitioners (2021–2024)
Budget allocations
H practitionersdesigndevelopment& coordinationnetworksummitgatherings41 % 7 20 13 19
Institutional partners
Up to now, nearly one million euro have been contributed in the exploration process and birth of A World of Neighbours. The same amount is already committed to its continuation. Get an overview of the financial status.
Pledged funding support
[all numbers in euro, unless otherwise stated]
W MUCH?
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For the period of 2018 2020, financial support for A World of Neighbours and the development of the practitioners’ network has included: 847,000 Church of Sweden 1,827 hours volunteer / in-kind participation (estimated)
Parish of Östersund, Church of Sweden Milan Šimečka Foundation, Slovakia Diocese of Helsinki, Church of Finland Nordhost program, Norway Diocese of Stockholm, Church of Sweden
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Your support is crucial to bring the A World of Neighbours practition ers’ network to its full potential, to magnify the collective impact and to get refugees and migrants to the decision making table.
Below are five funding requests describing various networking, convening, programmatic and coordination aspects of our work.
Five ways for you to make good things happen
Social cohesion is built on trust, good will and resilience. And, occasionally, some cash. Faith can move mountains, but it’s a lot easier with your help. Contribute in the way that suits you best.
FOND OF FUSION? FUND IT.
Subsidized network practitioners come from grassroots communal or civil society affiliations that are not in a financial position to underwrite their participation in the network for the equivalent of one day, or eight hours, a week.
Support practitioners
per practitioner salary ( .20 FTE* ) 11,540 46,160 annual network gatherings 1,725 5,400 2020 European summit 1,725 1,725 14,490 53,285
1.
Funding for the work of 20 subsidized network practitioners affiliated with the practitioners’ network in Europe.
20 practitioners 299,800 1,065,700
* full time employment
1 year 4 years
Subsidized network practitioners
Participation in European summit
Funding to underwrite the convening costs of 60 refugees and migrants for the European summit in February 2022, to be hosted by the practitioners’ network in Europe.
1 year 4 years per participant annual network gatherings 1,725 5,400 2020 European summit 1,725 1,725 3,450 7,125 60 participants 207,000 427,500
2.
Support refugees and migrants
Participation in meetings
per participant 2020 European summit 1,725 60 participants 103,500
The most reverend dr. Antje Jackelén, archbishop of Uppsala, Church of Sweden, will convene a February 2022 summit of refugees, migrants, practitioners and other grassroots actors for peer-to-peer discussions with institutional, political and re ligious leaders in creating an agenda for collaborative action. These 60 persons will be invited and accompanied by the 60 network practitioners coming from 22 countries. Funding covers travel, accommodations, and related expenses.
The participation of refugees and migrants in gatherings of the practitioners’ network, and the European summit, will ensure that those most impacted will have “a seat at the table” in considerations of an agenda in support of their well-being and self-determination. These 60 persons will be invited and accompanied by the 60 network practitioners coming from 22 countries. Funding covers travel, accommodations, and related expenses.
Funding to underwrite the convening costs of 60 refugees and migrants in four annual gatherings (2021–2024) and a European summit (February 2022), associated with the practi tioners’ network in Europe.
Regional coordinators
Funding for the work of four regional coordinators for Northern, Southern, Central / Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, in support of the practitioners’ network.
4 coordinators 212,372 810,432
Social media coordinator
Funding for the work of a social media coordinator in support of a robust social media presence in Europe.
Youth coordinator
Support coordinators
3.
Funding for the work of a youth coordinator in support of youth initiative affiliated with the practitioners’ network in Europe.
Regional coordinators are themselves grassroots practi tioners, bringing expertise and attention to the particular dynamics, trends, needs and challenges of their specified region to the task of furthering the scope and effectiveness of network practitioners.
The social media coordinator will insure a robust social media presence for the work of receiving communities and practitioners across Europe. A dynamic and broad-based in formation campaign would be linked to volunteer recruitment, and crowd funding efforts on behalf of specified projects and initiatives associated with the network.
1 year 4 years salary (0.5 FTE) 20,000 80,000 expenses 9,253 37,012 annual network gatherings 1,920 7,684 2022 European summit 1,920 1,920 33,093 126,608
per coordinator salary (0.5 FTE) 40,000 160,000 expenses (average per year) 9,253 37,012 annual network gatherings 1,920 7,684 2022 European summit 1,920 1,920 53,093 202,608
1 year 4 years salary (0.5 FTE) 40,000 160,000 expenses 9,253 37,012 annual network gatherings 1,920 7,684 2022 European summit 1,920 1,920 53,093 202,608
1 year 4 years
The youth coordinator will assist network practitioners in building grassroots capacity for the engagement of young people in local, national, and regional spheres of influence. The youth coordinator will also facilitate efforts by young people in addressing issue-based concerns, such as the well-being of unaccompanied minors.
4.
1 year 4 years
salary (0.5 FTE) 20,000 80,000 expenses 9,253 37,012 annual network gatherings 1,920 7,684 2022 European summit 1,920 1,920 33,093 126,608
Funding for the work of a research and affiliates coordinator in support of research and affiliated network associated with the practitioners’ network in Europe.
Research and affiliates coordinator
Support research
The research and affiliates coordinator will facilitate the work of a broad-based European network of researchers pro viding quantitative and qualitative research, documentation and analysis of grassroots responses to refugees and mi grants. The coordinator will also serve as a liaison with contact persons in countries more tangentially related to issues of mi gration and social cohesion.
Funding for the work of an administrative and communications coordinator in support of the practitioners’ network in Europe.
The coordinator will also facilitate communications between all parties associated with the network, as well as communi cations with the broader public.
Funding for the work of a curriculum designer in support of col laborative learning among grassroots actors affiliated with the practitioners’ network in Europe.
The administrative and communications coordinator will provide administrative support to the organizational and pro grammatic functions of the practitioners’ network.
1 year 4 years salary (0.5 FTE) 30,000 120,000 expenses 9,533 38,182 annual network gatherings 1,920 7,684 2022 European summit 1,920 1,920 43,373 167,728
The curriculum designer will collaborate with network practi tioners in designing online curriculum for use at the grassroots by receiving communities and grassroots practitioners in edu cation, training, issue and policy based advocacy and self-care.
5.
Co-directors
Curriculum designer
1 year 4 years salary (0.5 FTE) 20,000 80,000 expenses 9,253 37,012 annual network gatherings 1,920 7,684 2022 European summit 1,920 1,920 33,093 126,608
Support the support
The co-directors will also serve as liaison with the informal governing infrastructure of the partnering institutions, and will conduct consultative processes to insure the long-term pro grammatic and financial viability of the Network.
The co-directors will oversee the overall mission and work of the practitioners’ network. This includes organizational and administrative oversight functions, collaborative facilitation with regional coordinators, the planning and convening of annual network gatherings and the 2022 European summit.
Funding for the work of two co-directors charged with the over sight, support and development of the practitioners’ network in Europe.
1 year 4 years per co director salary (0.5 FTE) 60,000 240,000 expenses 18,413 73,684 annual network gatherings 1,920 7,684 2022 European summit 1,920 1,920 82,253 329,012 2 co directors 164,506 646,496
Admin / communications coordinator
THANK YOU
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IT’S A PROMISE
• Have the opportunity for any names to be deleted from mailing lists and to be informed if the organization intends to share the mailing lists with third parties.
We promise we will effectively apply your gifts to us for their intended purposes. We commit that you, our donors and prospective donors will:
• Receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.
• Have easily available the agreed procedures for making and responding to complaints.
As an organization with partners, members and supporters across dozens of countries and legal frameworks, we recog nize the complicated nature of international philanthropy and
• Be assured your gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
A World of Neighbours relies on the generous support of donors to carry out its work. We pledge to treat donors with respect, honesty and openness, to embody in our relationship with our generous supporters the same principles our practi tioners embody in their work on the ground.
As laid out in this prospectus, there are many different levels of actor within A World of Neighbours, from director to steering committee to staff member of operating partner to network practitioner. A donor has every right to inquire at what level the person with whom they are corresponding functions.
Donor charter
• Be assured that information about your donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
A World of Neighbours operates as a project, not a standalone organization. As a partnership of multiple institutions with their headquarters in multiple different countries, we have a degree of flexibility regarding the procedures of donating. We commit to working with each individual donor to find the method most beneficial arrangement for them as a sponsor possible within our framework.
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• Receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers to questions you might have of the organization.
commit to being accountable and transparent so that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in A World of Neighbours.Weareenormously grateful for the generosity of our donors, and we seek to ensure that they, too, are benefitted by the re lationship with A World of Neighbours. We commit to working with each individual donor, with the A World of Neighbours network itself, and with the institutions behind A World of Neighbours to promote and publicize the generosity of our donors to the best of our abilities.
• Be informed of the organization’s mission, and of the way the organization intends to use donated resources.
“In a time of polarization, increased racism and xenophobia, discrimination and exclusion lead to social conflicts that make it difficult for people to coexist.
Best practice of coexisting
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To develop a solid coexistence, they learn from each other, fight misunderstandings and make good examples visible.
This year’s winners mobilize resilience for a sustainable defence of human dignity that contributes to a humane and socially sustainable Europe.”
With the help of stories, strategies and with a common vision, the winners [A World of Neighbours] collaborate across cultural and religious boundaries in an interfaith peace network.
The jury motivation for A World of Neighbours, winning the 2020 Swedish Diversity Index Award, in the category “Beliefs”.
WE CALL IT CONVIVENZ
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GET IN TOUCH
director for A World of Neighbours—interreligious praxis for peace Church of www.svenskakyrkan.se/englishSweden anna.hjalm@svenskakyrkan.se
Dirk Ficca
HIASdirectorEurope, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society ilan.cohn@hias.orgwww.hias.org
www.twitter.com/awon_program
senior advisor for A World of Neighbours / director for practitioners’ network Church of dirkwww.svenskakyrkan.se/englishSweden.ficca@svenskakyrkan.se
www.instagram.com/aworldofneighbourswww.facebook.com/aworldofneighbourswww.aworldofneighbours.org
Anna Hjälm
Ilan Cohn
BUILDING BRIDGES
For it can be argued that the character of what makes pos sible the pathway from welcoming to convivenz for the sake of the “people on the move” is also crucial for the healthy cohesion of societies more broadly, and of realizing the dream of a di verse, welcoming and humane Europe as a whole. It is also not too far of a stretch to say that the salvation of Europe rests in its ability to receive displaced peoples as well.
Finding a new home is a two-way journey
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It should go without saying that the need to welcome refugees, migrants and other displaced persons making their way across Europe is critical to their prospects for finding a future place to call home, or a haven until it is safe to return to their home of origin.Working from the perspective of this grassroots encounter between the “newly arrived” and the “already there”, the goal of strengthening receiving communities in accompanying the “people on the move” in their midst is essential. For the jour ney from stranger to neighbour, from the traumatic experience of being displaced to being fully embraced in convivenz —the reality of authentically living together—must ultimately be a sharedFurther,journey.when
accompaniment is rooted in the recogni tion that both the “received” and “receiving” are vulnerable, in deeply human ways, then mutual transformation is possible. And it is in mutual transformation that lies the basis for any authentic friendship, meaningful accompaniment, and sense of belonging. Without such vulnerability and openness to being changed in the process, displaced persons will forever remain on the outside.
It is this last point—about vulnerability, leading to mutual transformation, and the relationship that establishes—that serves as a bridge between grassroots encounter to the wider contexts of social cohesion and the “European project”.
Help us keep Europe open and welcoming. This could be you.
