A University from Naught
This article is translated from liberal magazine article, written originally in German.
Refugee crisis 2015. Many people discovered their social streak this year. Some of them put their discovery to work. Thus fellows of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom established a university for refugees.
Refugee crisis 2015. First-hand experience of the refugees' misery either leaves one conquered by powerlessness or motivates them. That's what Markus Kressler and Vincent Zimmer, fellows of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, learned as well. They have talked with the refugees and they have worked with them. Many of the refugees had studied in the countries they had to flee. In Germany they can’t do this at first: they lack acknowledged diplomas and knowledge of the German language. Neither are they allowed to work. They don't know what to do with their time. They don't know what to do with themselves. Markus and Vincent recognized this problem and looked for solutions - and they found one. On the convention of the fellows of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom they developed an idea, from which Kiron university was born.
Kiron is a platform that offers refugees access to university education - for free. Certificates will be issued as well; one just has to provide evidence of refugee status. As soon as this happens, refugees can take a one-year Studium Generale and a specialisation. The courses take place online in the first two years and mainly in English. The students have at their disposal a massive pool of on-line courses from Universities like Harvard and MIT. There is free access to all courses. Kiron combines them with e-learning tools and networking meetings in Berlin, with teamwork projects and mentoring programmes. The team of Kiron is supported by partner universities, e.g. from Aachen, Eberswalde, Heilbronn and West Africa. In the third year, a specialisation follows in one of five majors such as Business, Intercultural Studies or Architecture – these are the most popular choices of refugees. The third year of studies takes place on-site at one of the partner universities where students may apply after completing a Studium Generale. Kiron will have already provided them by then with the necessary German language skills.
Through their university enrollement, students automatically receive a student visa. The diplomas are acknowledged internationally. Thus, lengthy bureaucratic procedures and hurdles are bypassed. During the period of studies, Kiron strongly supports the students, be it through psychological care, Internet access, or with preparatory and language courses. Throughout the course of this, Kiron follows the way of all sustainable social projects: the wish to live in a future, in which social support will have become superfluous. Kiron is still financed by donations and grants from foundations - it is a Flagship almost every big Foundation wants to count among its projects. In order to reinforce the social sector, to enable self-sustaining, functioning projects, in addition „Kiron Ventures”, a start-up incubator has been founded. The goal: support of start-ups by and for refugees, as well as of projects focusing on migration.
To provide perspectives, to assist self-help and self-empowerment through education - these are the guiding principles that embody and lead the team of Kiron. For Kiron is not a stand-alone project. Together with many volunteers - advertising and PR agencies, copywriters, programmers, designers, etc. - a multitude of volunteers in the middle of their twenties create according to humanist principles the minimum standards of a civilised society, in a sphere where politics has so far failed. Looking at Markus and Vincent one may not guess what they busy themselves with. However, while talking to them, one feels that they deal with young managers. They rush from one dead-line to another, sleep little or not at all. The idea has taken shape, and like in a huge enterprise all operations have to be coordinated. In the long run they want to enable the studies of millions of refugees through Kiron. Teams in Germany, as well as in London, Paris, Istanbul and other cities are already pursuing this task. They know: suffering is omnipresent. And so is the will to counteract it, the will of the people to fulfil themselves.
For more information for Kiron university visit their website and Facebook.
About the author: Felix S. Schulz, 22, works in Berlin as a freelance art director. His clients are, among others, political parties, NGOs and refugee initiatives.
The original article in German you can find here.
Read more for 'liberal" magazine here.