The Children's Shop Maimouna can now look back on 25 years of living diversity in Altona Altstadt. It all started in 1985 in Building 3 in the Hospitalstr. Where in the African-German communication center Sokoni matured the idea of establishing a children's store for children with racism experience.
1991, the International Children's Shop in the Blücherstr. opened, three years later moved the offshoot "Maimouna eV" in the Lawaetzweg. driven by speculators, the children moved in 2005 in the shop Maimouna Holstenstr. directly to the green belt. There are 36 children between 3 months and 6 years supervised.
The original idea has remained: a day care center where they are taken with children, parents and staff immigrant welcome and serious. The six teachers who manage Maimouna together as educators initiative and organized look proudly back on the past years, during which there has to overcome several crises. "In particular, the adoption of discriminatory Kita-coupon system of the district, which sent many children home and they only paid no day care place," says Comfort Zarp that knows their Ghanaian Comunity in many cases. In an international team working educators equal footing, learn to appreciate and recognize the different training and experience. In kindergarten the children they live everyday intercultural communication and discussion before with contradictions: diversity as a strength!
"It is not important to be able to specify the number of nationalities" are serviced under one roof ". More important is the openness to diversity and professional management of it, "says Elke Straub, co-founder of the kindergarten.
The Children's Shop Maimouna understood as a political project that demands the Immigration Society, and the emphasis on the education system. At every opportunity, the right to education from the start will be collected for children without documents that exist for policy and youth services and for which there is not even in most schools is still no clear recording. "No child should be made illegal and excluded from education, that is a scandal", stated Barry Gadirou. The educational concept has the potential for self-education of the children wide latitude to design their world, without self-denial, and cultural pressure to conform. The multilingual support contributes significantly to: mother tongue, yes please! In addition to the areas of education movement, music, role play, building and construction, and natural and cultural environment, the area of creative work, "a high priority in the education of the children's store. Creative work is a form of post-thinking experience. Gestaltendes thinking allows the child to his inner images, which has won it from concrete action experience felt in various ways to creatively by - an important step on the way for abstract thinking, as is provided in the school. Accordingly find the children in the studio material that challenges them to express themselves artistically.
"We try to carry out participant observation, which represent interests and issues to follow the straight and Children them, then space and material available to which they dock and construct a research-based learning about their world, "said Amara Duscha her work as a specialist in creative work. This happens in all other sectors as well. Way of offering education and instruction, embracing open work and autonomous learning. Each employee has been assigned to an education that is for his / her jurisdiction and function space is formed as a professional woman / man on continuously. Plays for the six colleagues to deal with his own biography and the reflection of their own (cultural) values a major role. "We thought long and hard with our own Roots and childhood experiences explained, the differences can not be, "said Damarys Fernández," that was an important process for us to know one another better but to question also about their own ideas and approach changes. "The team takes time out to work to reflect on and develop further.
"We must not forget the dreams," says Akhtar Daneshgar that has continued is the inclusion of remedial teacher. For the inclusion of children with disabilities and to create more (game) has taken the team room with the children a vision of a reconstruction and expansion into concrete ideas of the architect Silkata Sahin-Adu were put on paper. "We want the master plan for Altona, which provides for the demolition of our center, somewhat oppose," the resolute attitude. The SAGA / GWG, as lessor, has been open for these plans.
is now looking for a sponsor.
More information www.maimounakila.de
