Conclusion

The refugees are very well informed and helped by the employees of Vluchtelingenwerk. They put great effort into the refugees and take immediate actions whenever something needs to be done. They also take the SDGs into consideration while operating. 

Vluchtelingenwerk stimulates the language development of the refugees by giving them the option to go to the Taalcafe and by stimulating them to do local volunteer work. This way the boundaries between refugees and Dutch people are minimalized. Furthermore, they stimulate refugees to keep developing themselves even though the options are very limited. 

Vluchtelingenwerk makes sure that the refugees get decent housing and it is determined by the municipality that they receive 1500 euros to furnish their houses once they get them.

The overall tasks of a volunteer or employee at Vluchtelingenwerk consists of the daily spreekuur which makes it possible to directly take actions when something needs to be done. But Vluchtelingenwerk is also responsible for insurances, housing, payments and very simple things such as driver’s licences and a variety of things that need to be arranged for refugees.

I picked up the tasks very quickly because I am familiar with all the things that need to be arranged, such as insurances and declarations. I am the oldest of my family so I had to do everything on my own. Furthermore, I took on an active role during the “Aan de slag” project. I saw some chances and I took them immediately. Of course these were just recommendations but they gave me the chance to do something with it. 

Reflection

The professional development during the traineeship was not necessarily huge, I only became more aware of the rights and duties of the refugees. This makes it possible for me to pass on this correct information to my students in the context of my profession. This means that the awareness of my own perspective has grown which made reflection process possible. My understanding grew as I interacted with refugees more. And these experiences enhanced my ability to express my perspective to my surroundings and students.