Tallinn University Volunteers to Give Lessons to Refugees
Tallinn University employees have expressed a wish to teach languages to refugees on a voluntary basis and integrate the issues of migration and asylum into our teaching, research and development activities.
Tallinn University employees have expressed a wish to teach languages to refugees on a voluntary basis and integrate the issues of migration and asylum into our teaching, research and development activities.
The initiative group at the TU School of Humanities plans to give language lessons to refugees and asylum seekers from March 2016.
The group finds their project is more flexible than the government’s equivalent – they would not only deal with refugees, but also asylum seekers using group and individual studies. In case of extended interest, they are willing to offer English and German courses in addition to Estonian courses. The group also encompasses speakers of Arabic languages, which enables them to broaden the scope of the lessons.
One of the initiators of the group, Italian studies Professor Daniele Monticelli says their projects stems both from a human wish to help those in need as well as the benefit the Estonian society will receive from this. “Those that have joined our initiative feel the need to help along the assimilation of refugees and asylum seekers into our society. They are ready to work voluntarily in the field they have prepared for academically and in which they have options to be paid for their work. This is quite rare in Estonia,” says Monticelli.
The initiative also seeks to raise the awareness in Estonia. The volunteers find the role of the university is to help create understanding toward people and groups of people, who are forced to leave their homes due to persecution or wars.
Integrating the language studies and the issues of migration and asylum into the everyday life of the university is helped by the offices and organisations dedicated to refugee issues in Estonia.
Contact:
Language studies:
Daniele Monticelli
E-mail: daniele.monticelli@tlu.ee
Telephone: +372 503 7536
Integration of migration and asylum issues into studies, research and development, and the coordination of the European Migration Network:
Marion Pajumets
E-mail: marion.pajumets@tlu.ee
Telephone: +372 640 9464