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Children for
Integration:
Intercultural
Workshops
Children for Integration:
Intercultural Workshops is
a project of the Association
for Legal Intervention (SIP)
aimed at the children of
refugees and Polish children
living in and around Brwinów.
Polish-Chechen integration
art workshops were held in
Brwinów starting from May
2011. The workshops included
film, music, art, acting,
photography and dance
workshops, culminating in an
Intercultural Day. Participants
included over 60 children
whose parents also took part
in the activities.
B
efore the project started we
used to meet Chechen refugees
in hospitals and government
agencies where we accompanied them
as interpreters. As we listened to their problems,
we decided to do something more for
them. We wanted to offer Polish and Chechen
children a chance to get to know each other
better and break the stereotypes they had
of the other culture. We also wanted to give
them an opportunity for self-development,
offering them classes to encourage creative
thinking, developing their imaginations and
skills. Furthermore, we wished for them to
become more familiar with the place they
lived in, Brwinów.
the project
On most Sundays from February through
May, we went to Brwinów to lead workshops.
The workshops were divided into
a number of sections. In film workshops children
produced a feature documentary based
on their own script. In music workshops they
learned how to make instruments from everyday
objects, and then used them to create
a soundtrack for their film. A production of
Alice in Wonderland was created in theatre
workshops, and the sets were made in art
workshops. We also conducted dance and
photography workshops. The efforts of different
sections were linked together because
we wanted to make the children aware that
they were working toward a single goal.
The children presented the effects of
their work at the Intercultural Day in the garden
of the Friends of Brwinów Society. The
event was an open picnic featuring art and
sports activities for children and a tasting
of Caucasian dishes prepared by Chechen
women. At one point everybody – both the
Poles and the Chechens – formed a large circle
and danced a Chechen national dance.
We also involved the adult refugees
in the project. Three Polish-Chechen open
cooking sessions were held in the fire brigade
building, during which the Chechen
women demonstrated how to prepare traditional
Chechen dishes. The Chechen men