Printer Friendly Version - Branford Teachers Report Back on Syrian Refugee Crisis

As part of their research and experiences along the Western Balkan Route taken by Syrian refugees, Branford High School teachers Peter Bouley (far right, standing) and Joel Hinrichs (holding Funds For Teachers sign, left) visited a vocational school for refugees, aged 16-21, in Kaufbeuren, Germany in June of 2016.Photo from www.facebook.com/bouleyhinrichsFFT

By sharing heart wrenching images and experiences gathered as they traversed the Syrian Refugees' Western Balkan Route, two local teachers hope to show interested residents the Syrian Refugee Crisis is not a black and white issue; but a complicated situation which can't be simplified to be understood.

On Sunday, April 23, the community is invited to learn from the first-hand experiences, research and interviews completed by Branford High School (BHS) social studies teacher Joel Hinrichs and BHS Social Studies teacher and Department Chair Peter Bouley, gathered from "stakeholders" they met while traveling last summer. With a grant from Funds For Teachers and The Dalio Foundation, the two teachers followed the Western Balkan Route taken by Syrian refugees through Norway, Germany, Serbia, and Greece over the course of more than three weeks in June 2016. They rubbed elbows with local volunteers as they assisted refugees in camps, schools, shelters and other sites. They also discussed the issues with humanitarian workers, politicians, government officials and business owners.

At the Blackstone event on April 23, Bouley and Hinrichs will share video and photos documenting their trip, many of which appeared in real time as the two posted updates to followers of their Facebook page (to view, click here) together with videos uploaded to YouTube. Information, photos and views gathered during their research were also brought back to Branford and integrated into BHS Current Issues curriculum.

Bouley said one of the most important take-aways he and Hinrichs continue to share with BHS students -- as well as many community members and government leaders involved in assisting refugees in this area and in the country -- is the very complicated nature of the crisis, starting with the fact that more than just Syrians are suffering.

"It's not just Syrians that are immigrating into Europe. Of the refugees we met, probably only about one-third were Syrians," said Bouley. "It's a lot of people that are just unhappy with the conflicts in their nations."

The teachers hope sharing sights like bulldozed, makeshift camps, fences topped with razor wire, and bullet hole-riddled buildings in countries which faced past war and refugee situations will help drive that point home. While most refugees may not want to leave their ravaged countries, they feel compelled to find safety and a future in another nation, said Bouley.

"It's a perfect example of why people flee," Bouley said of the crisis. "Why would you want to live in those conditions, especially when you hear not too far away, Germany has an amazing economy and [needs] workers? I don't think anybody wants to leave their home country. I think the conditions have gotten to the point where they didn't see a future."

Among those they encountered were a number of displaced young men; many of them not much older than the students Bouley and Hinrichs teach in Branford.

"These young men are faced with either fighting on a side for a cause they don't necessarily believe in, or leaving," said Bouley. "We got to go to a school in Germany for unaccompanied minors and visited a classroom about same size as one in Branford. They were probably juniors or seniors in high school and in Germany for about a year. They had found their way to Germany by themselves," said Bouley.

The two teachers took the opportunity to interview the students, asking them what message they might have for American students.

"Everything they said is exactly what you'd think," said Bouley. "They said to tell our students to be thankful you can vote, and that you have freedom and have rights."

On April 23, Bouley said he and Hinrichs hope their discussion will help inform others in the community beyond what can be found in the headlines.

"It makes a big difference if you're watching the news versus showing what we experienced by being in that story, in a small way, even for just a few weeks," said Bouley. "Our biggest message is that this isn't a black and white issue; it's very complicated. There are so many variables; and so many people are being affected in different ways [including] political and economic issues and safety issues."

Branford High School educators Peter Bouley and Joel Hinrichs will share their insights on The Syrian Refugee Crisis at Branford's Blackstone Library, 758 Main St., on Sunday April 23 at 2 p.m. Advance registration for this free event is requested. Register online here

BHS Social Studies Dept. Chair Peter Bouley is shown here in June 2016, at the remnants of a makeshift refugee camp in Idomeni, Greece. The area had been home to largest informal refugee camp in Idomeni on the Macedonian border, with thousands of refugees hoping to get to Germany. The camp was bulldozed by the Greek military, which bussed refugees who remained to government-run sites.Photo from www.facebook.com/bouleyhinrichsFFT

BHS Social Studies teacher Joel Hinrichs visits with some youngsters in a housing center in Germany for refugees, where families can select donated clothing, shoes, and baby supplies.Photo from www.facebook.com/bouleyhinrichsFFT

Before making their journey in June of 2016, the teachers mapped out points they hoped to visit while following the Western Balkan Route taken by Syrian refugees through points including Serbia, Greece, Germany and Norway.Photo from www.facebook.com/bouleyhinrichsFFT