Jugendmigrationsrat

Since thousands of years the Mediterranean is symbolizing trade, cultural exchange and migration. Young people and experts from six Mediterranean countries and Germany are meeting the challenge of current migration movements. They are developing together solutions and guidance in the field of youth migration. The project is organised by the German umbrella organisation Stadtjugendring Stuttgart. The Arabic Spring, as it was called here, caught our attention: How can we deal with this situation here at Stuttgart and what can we do? The project takes 3 years and it is important to stress that we came straightway to the conclusion that we can’t do anything by our own. We knew that an international network had to be developed to meet this issue. We want to know from our participants which financial, personnel and maybe political opportunities they have. We are assuming that the problems will increase further. We are at the beginning of political changes and this is an international issue. The international and interdisciplinary composition of the Expert Council is promising an exciting dialogue about a complex issue. We should build up a cooperation in which we can jointly define objectives for the future and work together to realize them. We are attaching great importance to the participation of children and young people. For this reason the International Youth Forum is taking place at the same time. The Youth Forum is a meeting of young people from Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia with young people from the German cities Bochum and Stuttgart. The Expert Conference and the Youth Forum are taking place simultaneously and what is special is that both groups are meeting for a substantial exchange. Project development The issues are: youth participation and youth migration and the main questions are: How can we, as the young people, achieve better to help us living together in real intercultural diversity? From the German side: How can we support young migrants in our town? And from the North African side: How can we better prepare young people to go to Europe? Are there any misinformations? How can we improve perceptions? The youths present their project ideas and the experts can advise them with their knowhow. But they should only give their advice and not change the ideas of the young people. We thought that for each day of the week another person is responsible for a certain period in which we are available. The youths are presenting their projects confidently and proficiently to the experts. Dialogue: economic interests The expert group is discussing lively and controversially about the historical, political and economic backgrounds of migration. Europe isn’t far from Morocco, only 14 km! You can see them in the trucks, even small children who are dreaming the dream of Europe. It is the young people, the young and qualified, who are going to France, Germany or Italy. This emigration is reducing the qualified workforce which is needed in Morocco The unemployment rate of young people is about 19 %. Migration has been an important issue in Tunisia even before the revolution. The person who wants to emigrate: What expects him or her? Which countries are willing to accept him/her? When you arrive there, you lost your country, you lost Tunisia and the receiving countries don’t accept you because they have their own problems. You totally failed. For us, the problem is similar to what our Tunisian colleague explained: Desperation and the difficult economic situation lead to the Arabic Spring. The economic and social problems are very complex and it isn’t possible to solve them within one or two years. People were more and more thinking about emigration, and about all kinds of emigration: regulated migration and unregulated migration across the sea. They weren’t thinking about what would be happening with them, whether they would be arrested or pushed off. They were only thinking about the chance to find work. The Egyptian government cares for the migrants and tries to keep in contact with them to exploit their economic utility. The government allows them advantages and tries to encourage the second and third generation, because of their qualifications, to return to Egypt. There is a lot to say, also about possible solutions, but in my eyes it is terrifying to see that governments decide to regulate emigration and to export their young people. This is the capitulation of any government in the world. As a person living in Germany and living in Stuttgart I’m wondering whether we wish to stop migration with this project or do we want to receive and qualify the young people arriving at Stuttgart? [M. Wahby] The migrants could also have a positive impact to Germany. It seems that Germany needs them. If they could get the chance to work in Germany and to be integrated in the economic system they could become active members of the society. [Jama Maqsudi] Local and national German politics are trying to give a chance to integration, of course. But I am personally disappointed about all the governmental discussions about seasonal migration because seasonal migration has only effects on the short run. M. Fornaca concept formation [Abdelmalek Hibaoui] If you bring together different people it is important to share a common language. I think that it is important for the European and North-African participants to know what we are talking about when they return to their countries. [J. Djemad] I think it is the other way round: If we spoke the same language we had already understood each other. Speaking the same language is the achievement of a sort of universality. And we are here in European countries which have finally acquired universality. social factors The experts and the young people are reflecting in different ways about the origins and conditions of migration. I want to try to present you an image of young people which can’t be successful: [Jama Maqsudi] According to German law, illegal immigration is one of the worst forms of migration. People who come here don’t have the permission to work although they are impatient to work, they don’t get any financial support, they only get something to eat in form of vouchers. Many of these young people are traumatised. European countries are bearing responsibility for this because they are here but also the governments of the countries of origin are responsible. We were talking about good governance before and I think this implies responsibility for the generation living in the country, for economic development and against corruption. I could not recognize any efforts to create descriptions of the migrants’ everyday life as well as metatheoretical reflections which are not at all irrelevant. perspectives for this young people in the next 4 or 5 years. [J. Djemad] The problem of unemployment, the crisis and I’d like to add: the political situation, and I’d add: the colonial memory which is very visible in France but doesn’t concern less the other European countries. All of these European countries hide something in their history which fabulously indirectly affects the conditions of today. As long s the European countries won’t do their work of truth and reconciliation it doesn’t help to repeat each time that the migrants’ conditions are the result of this unpronounced domination. balance [S. Bibouche] I think the range of perceptions which has been presented today was very interesting: We heard very practical It is always necessary to go deeper in order to obtain an entire view taking in consideration the whole context. First of all, we need to encounter appropriately the young people who are coming to Europe. We need to give them perspectives instead of letting them rust away.