EMILiA / Sponsorship for children in asylum
Always only the best for your own child! Every parent would immediately agree with this statement and also do everything for it. Unfortunately, in everyday life there is always not enough time to spend hours jumping through puddles and answering the countless, exciting questions. Even in the day-to-day life of a daycare center, it is difficult to cater to the needs of each individual and to satisfy the unique, individual urge to explore. This is where the EMIL project of the Unikate e.V. association comes in. The association Unikate e.V. consists of pedagogical and psychological specialists who have made holistic education, upbringing, promotion and care of children their task. EMIL stands for 'Volunteer Mentoring Project for Individual Learning'. It is a mentoring project for kindergarten children living in the city and district of Osnabrück and in Bramsche. Since 2015, there has also been the EMILiA project, which is aimed specifically at refugee children.
What for?
Some children have questions that are hard to answer in everyday life, have never been able to enjoy the exclusive attention of an adult because of many siblings, are very reserved or extremely temperamental, already have to take on a lot of responsibility or find it difficult to get along in their environment. For precisely these children, it is of great importance that they are given additional individual time and attention. They should be able to further realize their potential. Likewise, there are children who are socially disadvantaged and, for example, due to a flight, need a great friend by the hand to explore their new home.
What?
The individual interests and questions of the child are in the foreground. Through a lot of fun as well as individual support, the child's self-efficacy is strengthened and informal learning takes place. EMIL(iA) gives children from different cultural and social backgrounds as well as with different interests, abilities and desires the opportunity to build a trusting, appreciative relationship with a mentor and to explore and experience the world with him or her in a very unique way. Everyday language support takes place along the way.
How?
The kindergarten child and the mentor meet once a week over a period of one year. They get to know each other in a familiar setting, usually at the daycare center, explore the nearby environment together, and go on a search for clues together in which the child's questions are answered by pursuing various solutions themselves. For example, one child repeatedly dealt with the question of how hair is cut, another wondered what a snail looks like from the inside. In addition, the Unikate association offers family celebrations and experience days for all project participants, where a lively, cordial, intercultural exchange always takes place.
