School hosts refugee awareness sessions

As it has done for the past couple of years, St Ignatius College Ħandaq Boys Secondary school recently invited members from the Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS) to carry out interactive awareness sessions among Form 2 students.

The sessions' main aim was to foster a spirit of unity through diversity while respecting and appreciating the great sacrifices and hardships some people go through to fight for a decent living free from war, threats and repression of their right to freedom of expression.

The sessions started with an interactive discussion with the speakers, aided by visual presentations and maps showing their places of origin. The questions put by the students clearly demonstrated their willingness to know more about refugees' situations.

They asked questions directly related to the refugees' experience of the risky boat trip from the African continent and became more aware of the great distances immigrants need to cover to reach Europe.

In the second part of the sessions the students were given the opportunity to play an African percussion instrument known as Ngomo or Djembe. This fun activity transformed the classroom environment into a collage of intercultural sounds and rhythms played by the students under the direction of the guest speakers; the music left a positive atmosphere on the school community.

The students have benefitted educationally from these activities. Attitudes have changed and wrong concepts have been set right. It was impressive how the students welcomed the activity.

The interesting and mature questions and issues raised demonstrated how eager students are to know the true reality of the trauma and distress refugees go through in the hope for a better and promising future.