Interactive workshops with women and children from asylum centers and local community
APC has organized interactive workshops with women and children placed in centers for asylum seekers in Banja Koviljaca and Bogovadja since the beginning of year. That is a project Empowering asylum seekers and persons whose asylum request is granted to take a part in local communities. It is funded by Co-operating Netherlands Foundations for Central and Eastern Europe via the Balkan Community Initiatives Fund (BCIF).
Once a week a women from Afghanistan, Somalia and Eritrea have the opportunity to show each other their culture and customs, their own ways of life and learn how people live in Serbia and in the countries of Western Europe.
Participants go through three thematic blocks- psychological, medical and cultural workshops. Topics are identity, trust, communication, conflict, etc. They learn how to recognize and express emotions. Interactive workshops are adapted to participants, cultural differences and difficulties in communicating. All topics are treated in a simple manner, with constant consultation with participants.
In parallel, there are organized workshops with local and Asulym children. From the start, APC in cooperating with the homes and elementary schools in Banja Koviljaca, is encouraging children to socialize and visit each other.
Workshops are organized by educator and psychologist with the help of volunteers, students and practitioners of APC.
APC also helps asylum seekers and persons who receive some form of protection in the Republic of Serbia. APC tries to assist in exercising their rights to health care and obtaining documents and certificates, both through direct assistance APC teams in the field, and through counseling and legal representation in these proceedings.