Workshop for Mothers
Immigrant women from the Arabic-speaking counties come into conversation and discuss questions about their everyday life
Results from the mothers’ workshop
The workshop of the project "Strengthening ourselves Together" is an initiative launched by the city of Jena in 2017 as a cooperation between the Department for Youth and Education of the City of Jena and the Office for Culturally and Religious-Sensitive Education, and is aimed at immigrant women from Arabic-speaking countries whose children visit day-care centers or schools in Jena-Lobeda. The Department implements the workshops and carries out the accompanying scientific research.
The workshop is considered culture- and religion-sensitive parental training, especially for immigrant women. The Arabic-speaking participants talk to each other as well as to German native speakers about different questions of being a parent.
The content is based on questions of everyday parenting and the participation of parents in the educational institutions of their children. Through participatory methods and mutual exchange, the participants strengthen their parenting skills and feel encouraged to successfully handle the demands of parental guidance in their children's more formal educational processes.
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Who is our target group?
The workshop is aimed at immigrant women from Arabic-speaking countries whose children attend day-care centers and/or schools in Jena-Lobeda
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When will the workshop take place?
- 15.09.21 | 2:00 p.m. -3: 30 p.m.
- 29.09.21 | 2:00 p.m. -3: 30 p.m.
- 13.10.21 | 2:00 p.m. -3: 30 p.m.
- 10.11.21 | 2:00 p.m. -3: 30 p.m.
- 24.11.21 | 2:00 p.m. -3: 30 p.m.
- 08.12.21 | 2:00 p.m. -3: 30 p.m.
- 22.12.21 | 2:00 p.m. -3: 30 p.m.
- 05.01.22 | 2:00 p.m. -3: 30 p.m.
- 19.01.22 | 2:00 p.m. -3: 30 p.m.
- 02.02.22 | 2:00 p.m. -3: 30 p.m.
- 23.02.22 | 2:00 p.m. -3: 30 p.m.
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What are the topics of the workshop?
The contents of the workshop are based on the participants' questions on everyday parenting life and convey opportunities for parents to participate in the educational institutions of their children. Through participatory methods and mutual exchange, the participants strengthen their parenting skills and feel encouraged to successfully deal with the requirements of parental guidance in their children's more formal educational processes.
Diagrams for evaluating data
The project is accompanied by dedicated scientific research since May 2020. The task of the research is to scientifically research, shape, and evaluate the »impact cycle« of the project. The core tasks of the research therefore include ...
- an empirical analysis of the needs and living conditions of the target group to which the project would like to react
- a needs-based formulation of the project goals as well as the selection and preparation of the corresponding content for the workshop
- to evaluate the workshop with the object to measure its effectiveness and optimization
- to formulate suggestions for the further development of the project
- and the communication of the evaluation results to stakeholders.
Someone is writing.
A seminar for student teachers is accompanying the workshop.
For future teachers, advising parents about their children's school performance, their social behavior in school, questions about home education, etc., will be one of the core tasks. Talking to immigrant parents is particularly challenging, as they often do not have a good command of the German language, are confronted with an educational system that is new to them, and are worried about their children's future at school and in society.
Students gather their first practical experiences on this topic by participating in the workshop. Furthermore, in the role of conversation partners for the participating mothers, they gain insights into the specific situations of immigrant parents and their children first-hand and, at the same practice, an approachable and confident way of conducting conversations. Participation in the workshop alternates every 14 days with the seminar "Culture and Religion Sensitive Parents", in which the workshop's contents are theoretically substantiated and detailed, and experiences are reflected upon.
A pen is ready to fill out a questionnaire
The accompanying scientific research of the project is currently surveying the needs of the project's target group. A complex questionnaire in German and Arabic was developed for the empirical data collection. It collects data on general educational ideas, educational practice, and challenges, contact with day-care centers and schools, as well as the perceived well-being of mothers and the leisure activities of families. The collected data are to be used for the conceptual development of the project.
If you are interested in this research or would like to take part in the survey, don't hesitate to get in touch with Fahed Al-Janabi : fahed.al-janabi@uni-jena.de
Mother and child at a laptop
On September 1st, 2021, the project »Strengthening Us Together« offered in cooperation with the »Weltraum e.V.« the event »Strengthening Education Partnership« for Arabic-speaking parents whose children are starting school.
The participants were introduced to the German school system and learned the possibilities for participation and communication at the local schools. The aim was to enable parents to accompany their children's formal educational processes and work towards a good educational partnership between immigrant parents and educational institutions.
Office for Culturally and Religious-Sensitive Education (KuRs.B)
Fahed Al-Janabi
Scientific project management