The Save Me Chemnitz project is committed to sustainable cooperation between refugees and locals on an equal footing. It arranges mentorships between refugees and Chemnitz residents to create encounters and support the arrival and integration process of refugees in Chemnitz. Integration is a long-term process, where voluntary support is important not only at the beginning, i.e., when “welcoming” the refugees, but also in the long term as they settle into the local society. The project thrives on volunteers who act as mentors directly for refugees, support them, and thus act as companions in everyday life.
Save Me Campaign
The name “Save Me” is derived from the “Save Me Campaign,” which was launched nationwide in 2008 with the aim of establishing the reception of refugees in Germany through the UNHCR’s resettlement program. As a result, Germany committed to accepting 300 refugees annually through this program until 2014, and 500 refugees from 2015 onwards. Chemnitz also agreed to the resettlement program by city council resolution in January 2013. With this, the city committed to, among other things, accepting asylum seekers beyond the mandatory admission quota and to specially promoting the integration of refugees.
Mentorship Program
Would you like to meet people from other cultures? Can you imagine visiting a person or family regularly, showing them the city and/or learning German together? Get involved!
The mentorships bring together newcomers and native Chemnitz residents and enable mutual exchange. A mentorship can be designed individually, for example, helping with German learning, joint leisure activities, or accompanying them to authorities and counseling centers. Mentors determine the time commitment themselves. As a mentor, you can be a support for refugees to find their way in a new environment and culture, to arrive, to feel comfortable and welcome.
Save Me Chemnitz is open to all refugees – regardless of whether they are still in the asylum procedure, have completed it, or are part of the resettlement program.
Would you like to help shape a solidarity-based and cosmopolitan Chemnitz? Then arrange an appointment for a conversation.
Brochure
For the 10th anniversary of the Save Me Chemnitz mentorship project, the long-standing volunteers were given the opportunity to report on their experiences as volunteers in the field of flight and migration. A brochure has been created that provides insight into the history of the mentorship project, the prerequisites, the process of placement and tasks within this voluntary work (FAQ), as well as various types of mentorships as support for refugees at Save Me Chemnitz.
Note: In this online version of the brochure, the photos showing the volunteers and the people they accompany are blurred due to missing rights.
Funded by:
The Save Me Chemnitz project is funded by the City of Chemnitz and the Local Action Plan for Democracy, Tolerance and an Open-minded Chemnitz of the City of Chemnitz within the framework of the federal program “Live Democracy”. The mentorships are also funded by the Saxon State Ministry for Social Affairs and Social Cohesion as part of the “We for Saxony” funding program and the German Postcode Lottery.