Paderborn-Schloß Neuhaus
(md) Developing trust and breaking down reservations: On 17.05.2023, the Paderborn police carried out a joint morning program with pupils, mainly with a migration background, at the Mastbruchschule Schloß Neuhaus for the first time. The Youth Migration Service (JMD) of the Workers' Welfare Association (AWO) was involved as a partner, helping to shape the program with a "Respect Coach".
The aim of the unusual morning from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. was to establish direct contact between pupils and the Paderborn police. Various activities, such as sports games in mixed teams or cooking lunch together, helped to achieve this.
Afterwards, the intensive discussion continued, moderated by Bente Jacobsen, Respect Coach at AWO Paderborn: "We want to broaden the pupils' perspective in order to better understand different world views and lifestyles. In this way, we promote a healthy class climate and cohesion in the school. The young people gain an insight into the work of the police and get to know the people behind it."
District police officer Michael Peitz, the police chief inspector responsible for the Schloß Neuhaus district, emphasizes: "Within the police's so-called neighbourhood-based networking, such campaigns ensure knowledge and understanding of social structures and cultures." Phil Clark, Chief Superintendent and Extremism Officer at Paderborn Police, adds: "At the same time, we get a picture of what concerns young people, what is important to them and what they hope for in the future."
In the final round, all those involved spoke positively about the day and made it clear how important this meeting and the commitment of all those involved was for both sides. Some prejudices were broken down and mutual tolerance was created, making the day a successful event. It is conceivable that such a morning could be offered to other schools in the district in the future.
Additional information "Respect Coaches" With a wide range of political education measures, the Respect Coaches not only impart a broad knowledge in the field of democracy education, but above all make democratic values such as respect, tolerance and unprejudiced coexistence tangible for young people and thus strengthen their personality. The federal program "Respect Coaches" is implemented on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) by educational specialists from the Youth Migration Services (JMD) at 270 locations throughout Germany.
Additional information about the Mastbruchschule The Mastbruchschule in Paderborn's Schloß Neuhaus district is an all-day school for secondary level 1 (grades five to ten). Attached to the Mastbruchschule is the Bonifatius Special Education Center. It is an educational institution for young migrants without sufficient knowledge of the German language. The effective and rapid teaching of German as a language of education as the basis for obtaining a qualified German school-leaving certificate is the primary goal.