Science Minister Stange praises helpfulness and openness to the world at Saxon universities.
Science Minister Dr. Eva-Maria Stange thanked Saxony's students for their voluntary support in helping refugees with a big thank-you party. On Saturday, 250 students danced, discussed and celebrated in the Kleines Haus of the Staatsschauspiel Dresden. With music in all rooms from several bands and DJs, winter barbecues and discussions, many new contacts were made and ideas for further engagement were born. Some students had also brought along refugees. The thank-you party was organized by the State Ministry of Science and the Arts together with the Conference of Saxon Student Bodies and the Dresden State Theatre. It was financed by donations.
Our Rector Prof. Dr. Friedrich Albrecht and eleven students from our university also took part in the event. They were accompanied by university employees Berit Hupke and Kathrin Schubert, who are very committed to supporting our international students and providing study advice for refugees. Almost unnoticed, the students from Zittau and Görlitz help refugees, be it with interpreting, visits to the authorities, the welcome network, homework help or similar. Particularly nice: the students also took 19-year-old Syrian refugee Moatasem, who is interested in studying electrical engineering at our university, with them to Dresden.
Dr. Eva-Maria Stange noted that she was not actually surprised by the great willingness to help:
"Because I know how international and cosmopolitan the staff and students at the universities are."
Minister Stange believes that the voluntary commitment of students and many other people will still be needed once all the support programs are up and running and all the necessary language and integration courses have been professionally launched.
"After all, it is precisely the students' voluntary willingness to help, their dedication to the refugees, their caring for families, women and children, that means a great deal of human warmth to them: You are welcome here, we will help you. This is the basic prerequisite for successful integration into our community in the coming years," explained Stange.
During the break in the event, the Minister engaged in a lively exchange with the students and refugees present.
The trip to this successful event was more than marred by the fact that our foreign students were insulted and abused several times on the train during the return journey.
The text uses excerpts from the SMWK press release.
Photos: Katrin Schubert