District supports language training for Ukrainian refugees

In order to support refugees from Ukraine in the best possible way and to break down language barriers, the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg is currently working on short-term projects to promote language skills. On the other hand, concrete language courses for learning German are to be created. The district has set up online platforms for feedback on both topics.

Support in dealing with authorities or in everyday life
When people from abroad come to the district, there are a number of administrative procedures that have to be completed, for example, to register and apply for benefits. In order to provide refugees with the best possible support, the district is currently putting together a pool of volunteer translators. The aim is for the language guides to support refugees during visits to the district administration, doctor's appointments or everyday errands. Interested people who can speak Ukrainian are invited to register online - and will be contacted if needed.

Language should not be a barrier
To ensure that language does not remain a barrier and that people from Ukraine are able to communicate themselves as quickly as possible, the district is working together with the local education providers from the region on a tailor-made language course programme. A special online survey, which can also be accessed in Ukrainian, will not only determine the need for potential participants, but also look for teachers. Ideally, they should already have teaching experience and previous pedagogical knowledge.

"For example, these could also be refugees who learned German as a foreign language in Ukraine and ideally have teaching experience and thus know particularly well how German language skills can best be taught to Ukrainians," explains Latif Hamamiyeh AL-Homssi from the district's Migration and Integration Office. Volunteers and staff should be networked in the best possible way in order to coordinate the offers accordingly. The aim is to create clarity about existing offers and to establish a transparent and profitable language course offer together with the local educational institutions.

People should be able to settle down in the district
"We do not want to simply house the people who come to the district from Ukraine. That is the primary goal at the beginning. But we also want to lay the foundation now so that they can soon find their way around independently in Germany," explains District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst. "Language and environment are essential criteria here, which we would like to promote in the best possible way as a precaution.

Existing structures are to be used and new ones launched. "Not only do we benefit from our know-how in crisis management," continues First District Commissioner Karl-Friedrich Frese, "but we can also draw on the experience we gained during the refugee movement in 2015. All people newly arriving in the district from Ukraine are to be given the basics to be able to establish themselves in Waldeck-Frankenberg in the long term - even if many may decide to return to their home country after the war.