Immigration in History and Religion Classes
TEACHER INFORMATION
Name of the teacher
Brigitte Rosoux
Email:
Country:
Belgium
Subject taught:
History, religion
Years of experience:
30
SCHOOL INFORMATION
Name of the School:
Centre scolaire St Benoit St Servais
School Typology:
Upper Secondary School
Country:
Belgium
City:
Liège
Web site:
CASE STUDY
Background and Context:
The school is located in Rue Saint-Gilles in Liège, in the city centre. The neighbourhood is declining, many shops close, others remain thanks to the many schools in the area. This school is large, with 1800 students in the secondary section, spread on three locations at the same address.
I don’t know the number of immigrant students, depending on the definition of “immigrant”: arrived recently? In my classes, it can be 2 or 3, one third, or half of it.
Factual Description:
After several comments about immigrants last year, I have decided this year to choose immigration as a common thread.
In history class, we study the phenomenon of immigration in relation to the course subject: the coming of white émigrés from Russia, Jews, Italians, Spaniards, Turks, Vietnamese, Chilean … with, when possible, witnesses in class, who can be students’ grandparents. The questionnaire was done in class and was the same for all.
In the religion course, we work on recent immigration, with accounts: volunteers in Samos (where many refugees arrive), visitors to the immigrant centres of Vottem (near Liège) and a meeting with unaccompanied minors from the Red Cross centre of Banneux, this meeting, at the end of February, with young people of the same age will bring home the phenomenon of immigration. A phenomenon I have seen in their reaction between the fictional movie “Illégal” and the reality of the Vottem centre.
Students create a file based on historical (Anne Morelli’s work, support from reference people such as Jean Michel Lafleur) and cultural data. We have seen movies,”Illégal”, “Fuocammare”, some have read books, “The Optician of Lampedusa”, “Désorientale”…
Activities carried out:
- Conference by Amnesty
- Meeting with Paul Henin, volunteer in Samos in 2016, volunteer at the Red Cross centre of Banneux
- Migrant pastoral, Mrs Cegielka visitor in Vottem.
- JRS Belgium and Europe
- Meeting with ProfessorJean-Michel Lafleur (University of Liège), head of CEDEM (Study of Centre d’Études de l’Ethnicité et des Migrations)
- Many accounts of immigration in the 20th century, all located in Belgium
- Meeting with young migrants.
- Collect of winter clothes by students
- The parents morally and financially support the project through the parents’ association: they cover the costs.
- Parents drive when needed, for instance to Banneux.
- Parents helped collect winter clothes for migrants who arrived when it was warmer…
Assessment and lesson learnt:
Students’ perspective evolve, change, they start doubting and want to go further in their project.
They want to go through with their project, motivated by the certainty that what they do is useful.
Those young people will commit in society, at least I believe so.
Young people they met: beautiful moments, snacks, football games, exchanges, normal relationships between people of the same age without a different or suspicious view…
A project that benefited everybody, teachers, students, guests of all ages up to 90! Great moments of life in an area that is not promising, so let’s build bridges.
Easy to do (again): the accounts often come from students’ families, NGO are available, the Red Cross too…
Description of the Case Study in National Language: