Menedék provides complex social work with the tools of individual- and group counselling, supporting beneficiaries of international protection and third country nationals in their social inclusion and finding their way in day-to-day life. There are three pillars in the project: inclusion, child protection and educational integration, and community mobilization.
Among others, we provide support in administrative issues, access to health care and education or housing issues, and we also provide services connecting to labour market integration. We pay special attention to children and support their and their families’ integration. This includes support in enrolment and integration into kindergarten, primary and secondary schools, mentoring in basic subjects such as math and Hungarian grammar with special focus on skills development and problem solving. An additional target group of this project is people whose circumstances are similar to beneficiaries of international protection, for instance migrants who arrive regularly with the purpose of study or work but actually have a refugee background. A number of students from third countries arriving in Hungary with different scholarship programs, holding residence permit for the purpose of study. Yet they come from conflict areas, war zones, authoritarian regimes or oppressive social systems. Upon finishing their studies in Hungary, they are not always able or willing to return to their home countries due to fear of persecution.
We also consider community mobilization as an important task and therefore strive to organize regular community and group activities e.g., Women’s Club, Adolescents’ Club, Children’ Club as well as activities for unaccompanied and separated children. The objective of the various community activities is to mobilize clients, to empower them to organize community activities on their own, within their networks. The effective integration of our beneficiaries most importantly requires an inclusive society. Menedék’s goal is that the majority society shall become more open and receptive to foreigners coming to Hungary. Reaching this goal in the project, Menedék focuses on engaging with the education system in Hungary and supporting teachers and classroom communities by organizing awareness raising sessions and workshops focusing on the concept of asylum and migration, the refugee experience and intercultural encounters. The aim of the workshops is to facilitate the inclusion of refugee children into schools, as well as mitigating and preventing conflicts between refugee and non-refugee children and their parents.
Apart from individual support, we also support those public institutions which surround beneficiaries of international protection (professionals, educators, local municipalities). Through mentoring and capacity building workshops these institutions are encouraged to build their own capacities and provide basic services to refugees and migrants independently. Similarly, through labour market integration activities Menedék transfers knowledge to those companies who are willing to employ people with a refugee or migrant background, supporting them in their already existing efforts to build their own labour market integration strategies and capacities.
