Vernetzungstreffen "Willkommenskultur in Köln"

In the organizer's words:

The Forum for Welcoming Culture, the Melanchthon Academy and the volunteer coordinators in the Chorweiler district invite all those involved in refugee work to exchange ideas and network! After an opening in the plenary session, where participants will get to know each other and the current topics, an evening snack invites you to continue networking. This will be followed by parallel sessions on various topics (see below).

All those involved in refugee work, whether from welcome initiatives, tandem projects, alone or integrated into structures, as well as all those interested in getting involved are cordially invited. Please register for our planning: Link

These sessions are planned:

Session 1: User fees
What changes does the new user fee regulations entail? How will legacy issues be dealt with and what do refugees (and their volunteer supporters) need to be aware of in the future? Stefan Müller, Head of the Housing Supply Department at the Office for Housing, will guide us through the topic and leave room for your questions and comments. We ask for your understanding that individual cases unfortunately cannot be discussed during the session.

Session 2: Mental health of refugees
In this session, we will talk to Michael Haas-Busch (Regional Coordination "Mental Health" of Malteser Werke) about low-threshold methods of emotional stabilization for refugees. What can we do to accompany people under stress into moments of joy, beneficial activities and experiences of self-efficacy? These can be the first steps in moving from powerlessness to action. In addition to impulses, there will be space for sharing experiences with best practices.

Session 3: Coaching in the welcome culture
Many welcome initiatives have been founded on the impulse to welcome refugees to their neighborhood, to help them settle in and to bring old and new Cologne residents together. Many sustainable and long-standing organizations have since emerged from this spontaneous association, whose tasks go far beyond the often spontaneous emergency aid. It makes sense to pause and reflect on how, for example, the structures that have grown to meet the new requirements, what vision those involved share or whether the decision-making structures are still appropriate. Using the example of Netzwerk Integration Lindenthal (NIL), Mara Brinkmann as process moderator and Pascale Rudolph as a volunteer of the initiative will present how helpful professional coaching can be in this orientation. Forthose who are interested in coaching as an individual or for the initiative, there will also be information on financial funding opportunities and voluntary support from the supervisor pool of the Forum für