Understanding Refuge
An educational and cultural program that brings the reality of Europe's borders into classrooms and public spaces, through workshops, storytelling, and the art of young people on the move.
Combining our schools program with the Painted Hope exhibition, we create spaces where perspective shifts happen.
When a student sees photos of children their own age living in containers behind barbed wire, and then sees those same children laughing at Paréa's community events, something shifts."
THE CHALLENGE
Why this matters now
Across Germany and Europe, teachers report a troubling shift: students as young as 12 arrive in classrooms with hardened attitudes toward refugees, absorbed through social media algorithms that amplify fear and dehumanization.
Traditional approaches often fail to break through. What's needed is something that operates on a different level: lived experience, human connection, and the kind of perspective shift that facts alone cannot achieve.
Europe Cares is uniquely positioned to fill this gap. We operate Paréa Lesvos, the last remaining major community center serving the refugee camp population on the island. Our team works daily alongside people who have fled war, persecution, and danger. We have the stories, the direct experience, and the credibility to bring this reality to life.
OUR PROGRAMS
Two formats, one mission
UNDERSTANDING REFUGE
Interactive school workshops
A 90-minute workshop that takes students on a journey: from the moment someone decides to flee, across the Aegean Sea, into the camps of Lesbos, and to the hope that solidarity can provide. Designed for students from 7th grade and above, the program is emotionally honest without being traumatizing, and politically informative without being partisan.
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Interactive exercises and perspective-taking
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Direct testimony from humanitarian workers
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Age-appropriate content on EU border policies
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Adaptable for all school types: Gymnasium, Realschule, Gesamtschule
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Structured reflection and actionable next steps
PAINTED HOPE
Exhibition of art by young refugees
An exhibition of paintings by young refugees aged 10 to 18, created at the Paréa Community Center in collaboration with the art school Wave of Hope for the Future on Lesbos, Greece. Each painting tells a story: memories of home, experiences of flight, dreams for the future, the search for safety. The artists come from Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, and many other countries.
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Original artworks by young people on the move
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Contextual panels on camp conditions and EU border policy
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Information about Paréa Lesvos and Europe Cares' work
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Available for schools, community spaces, and public venues
How the session works
A structured 90-minute experience, adaptable to your school's needs.
THE WORKSHOP
01
The Backpack Exercise
You have 10 minutes to leave your home forever. What do you pack? Where do you go? Before any facts are presented, students begin to inhabit the experience.
