European community foundations respond to the refugee and migrant situation
03 Mar 2016
A controversial law proposed by the Danish government which would grant authorities the right to seize valuable assets from refugees in order to help fund their stay when applying for asylum in the country, and which would also postpone reunification for families of asylum seekers, was debated by Members of the European Parliament in January 2016. Despite heated debate around the draft legislation, the Danish government ultimately passed the law on 25 January. Just a few blocks away at Philanthropy House, community philanthropy practitioners, funders, and philanthropic support organizations were gathering to discuss what might be the unique contribution of community philanthropy in the face of the challenges surrounding the movement of refugees and asylum seekers across Europe.
The two days of discussions – co-hosted with the European Foundation Centre from 26 – 27 January and attracting more than 30 participants from across Europe – have been summarized in this brief report. The GFCF also spoke to three participants, to find out more about what the convening meant to them, and how it would change their work going forward:
Bita Zerbes, Cluj Community Foundation (Romania)
“As a Canadian living in Romania for the past 25 years, I’ve seen a lot of positive change. However, some things take a lot longer to change than I’d like. One of those is how easily the public opinion is swayed by more often than not unprofessional and sometimes even downright unscrupulous journalism. With the refugee situation in Europe, many Romanians are afraid this challenge will rob them of the golden dream of the Western lifestyle. The media effectively plays on these fears, and the islamophobia (and downright lack of heart) with which people view the plight of the Syrian refugees worries me a lot. Many in Romania are angry at Germany for their open door policy.
Attending the discussions in Brussels on the European community philanthropy’s response to the refugee and migrant situation gave me a lot of hope that as a group we can do much, across Europe, particularly around disseminating facts and information, and overall sending a more positive message about the current refugee crisis. What I’m taking away with me from this meeting is the crucial role community foundations need to play in Romania, in the next phase of their development, to impact public discourse.”
Johanna v. Hammerstein, BürgerStiftung Hamburg (Germany)
“The European Union is facing one of its most challenging situations ever. Perspectives of governments are obviously very diverse, and a common solution seems not in sight. In these difficult times, it was good and very helpful to get in contact with, to learn from, and to exchange experiences with colleagues from other European community foundations. The convening helped confirm in my mind that European citizens are much more open-minded than their governments (and a recent study from the Bertelsmann Stiftung just re-confirmed this). I would be happy, moving forward, if community foundations could contribute to strengthening such feelings of solidarity, especially by supporting those who face the most prejudices and challenges. Change starts with the people who work locally!”
Jan Despiegelaere, Community Foundation for West Flanders (Belgium)
“As the refugee crisis has emerged quite rapidly as an issue in our daily work and operations as a community foundation, it is hard to find the time to take a step back to have an overview of this very complex issue that touches people in our communities very strongly, both in a positive and a negative way. The EFC / GFCF convening on European community foundations and refugees was a very good opportunity to take that step back and have a wider perspective. Exchanges with colleagues from many different countries, strengthens and enables us to continue our work with refugees in our own communities in a more pragmatic and efficient, and even more dedicated, way.”