– Manual MindSpring for Young Adults Published by: Center for Vulnerable Refugees Dansish Refugee Council Borgergade 10, 3. sal 1300 København K Contact: +45 3373 5339 [email protected] www.flygtning.dk/udsatte eller [email protected] www.mindspring-grupper.dk Method booklet can be downloaded at www.mindspring-grupper.dk or obtained by contacting the Center for Vulnerable Refugees at the Danish Refugee Council at [email protected]. Copyright All rights reserved. Mechanical, photographic, electronic, or other reproduction of this manual is permitted with reference to the source. Text: Vibeke Hallas and Anna Mathilde Jensen Cover photo: MindSpring group meeting 2014 Number of print: 200 copies ISBN: 978-87-7710-057-4 Layout: Design Now / Lenny Larsen Print: Frederiksberg Bogtrykkeri A/S ............................................................................................................................................................ 5 ................................................................................................................................. 7 ................................................................................................................................. 16 Introduction to MindSpring / Get to know each other / Cultural norms and values Extra materials for group meeting 1 ................................................................................................................. 24 ................................................................................................................................. 29 The Tree of Life – introduction and exercise Extra material for group meeting 2 ................................................................................................................... 34 ................................................................................................................................. 38 Presentation of Trees of Life and response Extra material for group meeting 3 ................................................................................................................... 41 ................................................................................................................................. 43 Storms of Life and coping / Stress and dealing with stress Extra material for group meeting 4 ................................................................................................................... 49 ................................................................................................................................. 52 Trauma and coping with trauma Extra material for group meeting 5 ................................................................................................................... 58 ................................................................................................................................. 62 Social control / Rights and violations Extra material for group meeting 6 ................................................................................................................... 70 Continued .................................................................................................................................75 Identity / Gender and sexuality / Rights Extra material for group meeting 7 ................................................................................................................... 83 ................................................................................................................................. 86 Loneliness, community, and network / Visits from other local young adults Extra material for group meeting 8 ................................................................................................................... 90 ................................................................................................................................. 93 Conclusion and certificate of participation Extra material for group meeting 9 ................................................................................................................... 96 ................................................................................................................................................. 99 Good energisers in MindSpring ...................................................................................................................... 100 Word list / Danish, Arabic, Somali, Tigrinya ................................................................................................. 104 Word list / Icons ............................................................................................................................................. 116 This manual was created for group work with refugee young adults as a part of the project ”MindSpring – group work with a focus on social control”, which was financed by the former Ministry for Children, Gender Equality, Integration, and Social Affairs. This project ran from December 2014 to June 2016. It aimed to develop the MindSpring method for young refugee adults to address topics such as social control, gender equality, and sexuality while testing a new version of MindSpring for Young Adults, comprised of 8-10 group sessions. This manual is a product of that work: the manual has been trialed and finalised following an initial training course and local group meetings with young adults with refugee backgrounds. This manual is based on a 2013 version for MindSpring groups for young adults, which was a part of the development project called MindSpring. This was financed by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Integration. This manual outlines the MindSpring method for and with refugee young adults, introducing the method as well as theory. The coming sections describe nine meetings full of practical exercises for groups of young refugees. With this manual and trainer courses, MindSpring trainers are expected to guide young adult refugees through these nine sessions. The target group for these workshops are refugees between the ages of 16 and 30 for whom the issues outlined in the manual are relevant. The majority of previous MindSpring participants were newly arrived refugees. The basis for this project is a hypothesis that in addition to the trauma of exile itself, some refugee young adults also experience difficulty adjusting to norms and new realities in their host country such as gender roles, homosexuality, pressure from parents and other family members. The content of this manual is based on reports and publications on these subjects, other actors’ work on social control and discrimination, and young adults’ rights as they relate to gender equality, sexual freedom, privacy, and independence. We would like to give a special thanks to those whose advice and inspiration helped create this manual: Camilla Mariette Kronborg from the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration, Jacob Als Thomsen and Kira de Hemmer Jeppesen from Als Research, psychologist Mozhdeh Ghasemiyani, Mai-Britt Hougaard Jeppesen from Neighbourhood Mothers, Mette Winding Top from the Municipality of Copenhagen, Gitte Smed from the Red Cross’ Center Gribskov for asylum seeking young adults, Ann Dorte Aagaard from the Red Cross’ residence center Annebergparken, Lennart Holst from SSP in Copenhagen, Loa Morell from DFUNK, MindSpring trainer Said Mobin Hossaini, and Sevda Sahin from VIA Roskilde and MindSpring co-trainer. The overarching aim of MindSpring for Young Adults is to empower refugee young adults to claim agency when it comes to issues of social control, equality, and sexuality. Through the topics covered by MindSpring, it is our goal that participants get a chance to reflect on their own situation, choose how to cope, and consider the help and resources available to them in the event of social control and/or infringements on personal rights regarding gender equality and sexuality. Als Research conducted the external evaluation of the project with special attention to the new topics of social control, gender equality, and sexuality. Evaluation of MindSpring has been an ongoing process, whereby results and conclusions have been included in project management’s decisions regarding development of the manual and each topic’s content. The assessments are based on interviews with participants and trainers as well as surveys completed by participants. The evaluation shows that participants have generally been positively impacted by their participation and largely think that MindSpring should continue to be offered to newly arrived refugees. Input from participants and trainers show that social control and gender equality have been important topics for participants, whereas the topic of sexuality, including homosexuality, has been less meaningful or more difficult to discuss for some. One participant said that, ‘the topics have made an impression. All topics were very relevant’ while another noted the openness of their group, ‘we are generally open about a lot of things, so if you are homosexual, that’s your freedom. Personal freedom. Everyone chooses their path’. The evaluation report can be downloaded at mindspring-grupper.dk under the tab “materialer”. Thank you to all the municipalities and volunteer trainers that have contributed to this project. The following entities and municipalities have participated: Ringkøbing-Skjern Municipality, Odsherred Municipality, VIA Roskilde, Roskilde Municipality, Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality, Holbæk Municipality, Guldborgsund Municipality, Fællessekretariatet