Guide: How voluntary refugee work succeeds

In the fall and winter of 2015, hundreds of people came to Offenbach every day. They came as refugees from crisis areas such as Syria, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq and needed help. The voluntary commitment and enormous willingness to help were impressive in Offenbach, as in other cities and municipalities.

A banquet in Offenbach

Following the closure of the initial reception facility in April 2016, the Offenbach Volunteer Center was faced with the question of how to compile the experiences of those active in volunteer refugee aid. After all, these valuable experiences and skills are resources that can be used to support and enable voluntary work in refugee aid and integration in the future.

The idea for this guide arose from this motivation. On the one hand, it is a handout for counseling situations in voluntary refugee aid. On the other hand, it serves to make the experience gained available to other volunteers and thus support their commitment as effectively as possible. If the experiences and expertise are incorporated into concepts and procedures, this can lead to a stabilization of the commitment and a stabilization of the individual projects. This enables equal cooperation between the groups involved and leads to a sustainable coexistence in society as a whole.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the twelve committed citizens of Offenbach whose experiences described here have provided important impetus for these guidelines. The people involved have been active in helping refugees in Offenbach from the very beginning and are still active in the long-term support of refugees.

Recommendations for action for volunteer refugee aidPDF-File834,99 kB