Migration, Flight and Displacement: Opportunities and Challenges for Religious Education

"Migration, flight and expulsion: opportunities and challenges for religious education" - this was the title of the third Religious Education and Theology Study Day at the Institute of Catholic Theology at the University of Kassel, which took place on November 4, 2016. The initiators were referring to the current events in Germany and Europe in recent years, which have been unavoidable since 2015 at the latest. The following questions were formulated in advance and summarized in an agenda:

To what extent does the situation in society as a whole change religious learning in religious education? How can religious dialogue succeed in the face of these challenges? What projects exist for addressing and integrating this topic in school lessons? How can we talk about flight and displacement with elementary school students?

As the first keynote speaker, Prof. Regina Polak (University of Vienna) first addressed the topics of migration, displacement and flight from a pastoral-theological perspective. Central questions were: How does practical coexistence in a migration society take shape and what role does interreligious dialogue play in it?
Prof. Dr. Wolfram Weiße, second keynote speaker from the University of Hamburg and director of the Academy of World Religions, illuminated these topics from the perspective of religious education. He explored the questions of how teachers of religion can deal with the "challenge of migration" and what consequences the current social situation has for religious education. In this context, he also presented the results of empirical research conducted by the University of Hamburg.

Both presentations were followed by an opportunity for questions and a short discussion. After a short break and thanks to the speakers and helpers, the study day continued with five workshops, which focused primarily on school practice.

Gabriele Cramer, former specialist for elementary school at the General Vicariate in Münster, presented various picture and children's books on the topic of "Flight and migration" in her workshop. Magdalena Mund from Osnabrück presented concrete teaching experiences on the topic of refugees in religious education. Monika Gerz, consultant for development policy education work from Bensheim, presented interactive learning stations on flight and migration for secondary level I that have been tried and tested in school practice. Dr. Andrea Paul offered a workshop on the topic of "flight and migration" in lower and upper secondary schools. Dr. Nele Spiering-Schomborg and Dr. Daniel Bertram, both research assistants at the Institute for Catholic Theology at the University of Kassel, gave their workshop the title:"'You didn't immigrate without a reason. (Finn, 15 years old). Questions about flight and migration in a biblical and moral theological context".

In 2016, the invitation to the Religious Education Theological Study Day was again extended to students, graduates, mentors of practical school studies, trainee teachers, and teachers in order to promote networking between the various phases of teacher training on the one hand, and to strengthen contact with each other on the other.

It is planned to publish the contributions of the study day in an anthology.

(Daniel Bertram)