Table tennis project for the integration of refugees in Reinickendorf-Ost

Table tennis project for the integration of refugees in Reinickendorf-Ost

In the Reinickendorf-Ost district, an innovative project was started to integrate unaccompanied minor refugees through table tennis. The project is an initiative by Burkard Dregger, a member of the Berlin House of Representatives for Reinickendorf-Ost, and is supported by the table tennis department of the Füchse Berlin Reinickendorf e.V. The activities take place in the school sports hall of the elementary school on Schäfersee in Baseler Straße, which is made available by the Reinickendorf district office. On February 15, 2024, Burkard Dregger and Harald Muschner, school and sports city council, visited the project and even played themselves.

Harald Muschner praised the cooperation between the association, politics and administration and emphasized the positive effects that the table tennis offer has on the young people. Burkard Dregger also underlined the importance of such initiatives to promote integration at the local level.

The table tennis offer offers the unaccompanied minor refugees twice a week a sensible leisure activity and at the same time promotes integration and intercultural exchange. The young participants come from different countries, including Benin, Afghanistan, Syria and Lebanon.

This type of integration project is of great importance today. Sports activities, especially team sports such as table tennis, can create a common language and build bridges between different cultures. The positive effects of sport on social integration are well documented and show that such programs can play an important role in the integration of migrants and refugees.

In the following table, some facts on unaccompanied minor refugees in Germany are listed, which further illustrate the context of the project:

| Fact | Value |
| –– | –– |
| Number of unaccompanied minor refugees in Germany (2020) | 12.806 |
| Main countries of origin of these young people | Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Eritrea |
| Share of unaccompanied minor refugees in all minor refugees approx. 15% |
| Average age of these young people on arrival in Germany | 16 years |
| Average length of stay in Germany | 26 months |

The numbers show that there is a significant number of unaccompanied minor refugees in Germany who need support in integration.

The initiative in Reinickendorf-Ost is therefore a promising example of local efforts to integrate these young people into society. It is important to promote such programs and to support their positive effect on the young people.

Source: www.berlin.de