Welcome to School is a series of 21 lessons aimed at improving the well-being and preventing psycho-social problems of young refugees (asylum-seeking youth). The lessons build bridges between the past, the present and the future. Classmates become companions and learn how to support each other.
Each lesson is dedicated to a subject, such as: getting acquainted, where do I come from, my school, who are we, important days, living in the Netherlands, important people, friendship, being in love and marrying, leisure time, feeling excluded, on the road to the future, etc.
Pharos offers training for teachers to work with the programme. The programme had been translated in English, German, Italian and Swedish and is digitally available in English:
Welcome To School – Teachers’ Manual
Unit 3: Me and the people around me
Welcome to School (Welkom op school) revised version
In 2015 the Welcome to School programme has been completely revised. It now includes subjects as social skills, discrimination, children’s rights, relationships and sexuality and has become a reference guide for (novice) teachers. All lessons have been updated and links to websites and short films are included. The method’s starting point of bridge building between past, present and future has been maintained. This schoolyear more than 3000 pupils are already working with the Welcome to School method.
The teacher’s manual and student workbook can be downloaded in Dutch.
See: refugeeswellschool.org/intervention/example-intervention.