Questions/Answers

A main objective of the project is to enable integration and social inclusion of young refugees living in Salzburg. What is crucial for processes of integration is the creation of equal opportunities for different populations. Considering the structural exclusion of young refugees in Austria, the project aims to enable young refugees to access additional support and to establish social relationships in their new surroundings. The project also enables refugee children wishing to live with families to access foster care. Both mentors as well as foster carers provide important social capital for these young people and play a crucial role for their ability to navigate their new surroundings. However, the project team sees integration not as one-dimensional, but as a two-way process. The project thus equally aims to contribute to the learning of mentors regarding issues surrounding migration and asylum, and provides the opportunity for mentors to increase their intercultural knowledge and competencies. The emerging relationships between mentors and mentees hold an important emotional and social value for both parties. Overall the project thus aims to contribute to an inclusive society in which dialogue and relationships between different kinds of people can emerge and moral courage through personal bonds is increased.

The kija has implemented the ´Open.Heart´project as an immediate response to the challenges young unaccomanied refugees have been facing in their new surroundings. Being particularly vulnerable as asylum seekers and underagers they are confronted with certain issues and exclusions by which public services are continuously overwhelmed since 2015, thus struggling to provide adequate care and support. In comparison to EU born peers they receive less intense one-to-one support and a lower level of care in general. Besides mentoring and support and the offer of alternative foster care solutions the kija continues to fight against this two-tier system neglecting unaccompanied regufees.

In terms of reduction of inequalities the kija Salzburg has drawn attention to significant gaps in the support available to asylum seeking children. They are therefore not only vulnerable in terms of having experienced flight, traumatic experiences and long hazardous journeys, but also in terms of experiencing structural exclusion. The project aims to provide social support and a more family-like athmosphere where they can begin to grow again likewise their EU born peers. Moreover staff members and mentors are supporting mentees in educational and economic questions, thus providing important information about the new system they have to deal with.

As the regional government’s body for child and youth advocacy the kija is particularly concerned about the lack of support available to asylum seeking children. Despite being under the age of 18 they are supported by funds allocated to asylum seekers rather than by funds allocated to child and youth welfare. A lengthy asylum process means that children usually ‘age out’ before being granted status and thus being able to access support and care afforded to Austrian and EU born children. Unaccompanied asylum seeking children cannot hark back on intensive one-to-one support of social workers and are predominantly accommodated in specific accommodation for young asylum seekers. In addition traditional foster care is not available for these young people. This is where the ‘Open.Heart’ project comes in. It provides young people with the support of mentors, thus enabling access to important social networks and social capital. This can to some extent balance – although of course not entirely substitute - the lack of institutional support. The development of an alternative model of foster care similarly aims at creating further support systems. The project is based on the active participation of civil society, which is seen as not independent of public services.

While immigration policies have become increasingly restrictive over the past years, especially since the current government was elected, the kija has developed a unique approach in Salzburg relying on the strength of individual relationships in creating a more inclusive society. Being provided with ongoing training, emotional and practical support, mentors are serving as a crucial resource in terms of the reduction of prejudices and inequalities as these policies become a personal issue for them. Additionally an alternative model of foster care was implemented, finally enabling refugee children to live with locals and even get to know each other before moving in.

The ´Mutmachen´(encouragement) project implemented more than eleven years ago by the kija – a similar mentoring project aimed at Austrian born and migrant children - served as a role model for this project. After more than a decade of experience there is no doubt about the importance of individual relationships with adults for children and adolescents. Mentors are receiving special education to meet the young peoples needs, which was adopted for the ´Open.Heart´project by adding relevant topics such as flight, trauma, intercultural competencies and asylum issues. Mentors can be individuals or groups of people, such as families or friends.

On a national level the kija collaborates with its equivalences in other parts of Austria, for example by organising an annual networking meeting, where the project team can share their knowledge and inspire instututions in other regions. In addition the new foster care model has spread to other regions of the country and the project team currently tries to extend the project to more rural and remote areas of Salzburg, which however depends on future funding available. Lastly, one mentor has used the basic idea of ´Open.Heart´to develop a buddy scheme for refugees seeking employment (see fairmatching.com).

The project team comprises three members, with the team leader being employed by the kija supported by staff members on a part-time basis and external actors such as a psychotherapist offering supervision to mentors, which is crucial for running the project. The kija itself contributes about 51.000 Euros per year and additional support was provided by the Hil Foundation especially at the beginning of the project (30.000 Euros). Further contributions were made by the Dreyer Charity Fund (8.000 Euros) and the Bank Austria when receiving an award for outstanding social projects in 2016 (6.000 Euros).

The project aims to enable relationships between young refugees and more long-term residents of Salzburg. Sustainable relationships thereby lie at the heart of the project – mentors and mentees are expected to meet regularly over a substantial period of time, creating a trustful atmosphere and strong bond. By being connected with the foster family project of SOS Kinderdorf, the project encourages relationships to develop even further and to enable young people to live with families. Current foster arrangements emerging from the ‘Open.Heart’ project show the strength and high emotional value of relationships emerging in this context. Moreover, relationships between mentors and mentees are not limited to participants. New mentors are often recruited by previous volunteers who have spread the word and both mentors and mentees are able to meet and interact with the social networks of the other; friends and family of mentors are thus able to interact with and learn through meeting a young person from a different cultural, ethnic and religious background. The project thus reaches beyond the immediate relationship between mentors and mentees. In terms of the financial sustainability of the project, the kija can provide for the role of the team leader and central running costs of the project.

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A team of the University of Salzburg has accompanied the project during its initial phase. The team comprised of a lead researcher and four students. The evaluation involved observation of training provided to mentors, semi-structured interviews with mentors, as well as focus groups with young people prior to the start as well as a follow-up several months later. Additionally the kija has carried out an internal evaluation. Mentees were invited to discuss their experiences and questionnaires were sent to mentors, as well as accommodation staff working with young refugees. Overall 24 mentors, 15 young people and five accommodation workers participated here.

In terms of sustainabibilty an important indicator is the length of relationships established. Of the relationships arranged so far, the large majority are still ongoing. A mentor interviewed about his relationship with the mentee for instance commented that ‘friendship does not have an expiration date’. The internal evaluation gives an overview of central numbers – besides the amount of mentors and relationships emerged, countries of origin of mentees, the frequency of contact, the kind of contact, the importance and value of the training given were explored, focusing on the emotional and social impact on both mentors and mentees.

It was shown that relationships play a crucial emotional role for both parties. For underagers who lost or left behind their families, a mentoring relationship can provide a sense of belonging as highlighted by the external research team. Both evaluations show that relationships with mentors represent a crucial social capital for refugees. Moreover the relationships can help mentors to deal with the sense of powerlessness in the light of an increasingly hostile environment towards immigrants. As mentors they feel they can contribute to a more welcoming society. Lastly, mentors stressed the significance of the institutional setting for these personal relationships.

The general public administration of Salzburg is an important stakeholder. By establishing a close working relationship with local politicians responsible for social issues and integration (Councillors Martina Berthold and Heinrich Schellhorn), even now as political direction has changed on a national level, the project is still supported on a regional level. The alternative model of foster care for instance was developed in collaboration with these politicians and cofinanced through regional funds. Accommodation providers for refugee children are particularly important partners for the project. Knowing the children well, they are able to refer them to the project and provide important additional information to the project team in regard to the requirements of the mentees. Due to its connection with the fostering project, the project team has a particularly close partnership with SOS Kinderdorf. The team regularly connects with the regional children and youth welfare department, which has formal custody for unaccompanied asylum seeking children. Lastly, the team works closely with other institutions concerned with migration and integration. Staff members for example attend regular networking meetings of a local integration network of the Catholic church, moreover liaising with major organisations working with refugees in Salzburg, such as the Caritas or the Diakonie.

What became obvious right after a few weeks into the project is that it not only helps mentees to be supported, but that mentors equally benefit from the relationship as they stated to be surprised how much they are learning and getting back thus breaking the dichotomy of ´the helper´ versus ´the helped one´. It became clear that integration needs more than German classes or value lessons. The key to mutual understanding and relationships is coming together and the possibility for an open exchange. Culture is, the project has shown, never static, but always negotiated and becoming.