Wintershall Dea supports integration project for children and young people who had to flee their countries

Wintershall Dea is launching the partnership with FutureSpace Kassel to support the integration of children and young people who had to flee their countries.

From 26 October, FutureSpace will be offering special support at its premises in Kassel, with financial assistance from Wintershall Dea, for children and young people from the age of 12 who have fled to Kassel and the surrounding area from their home countries to escape wars and other crises.

The regular afternoon get-togethers will provide an open space where individual needs of those taking part are taken into consideration. To simplify communication between new arrivals and locals, language assistants will support with German, English and Ukrainian. Depending on their age and interests, the young people will be able to carry out scientific experiments, receive German tuition and help with their homework, network with each other and their German peers, or simply talk over drinks and cake. In the long run, the children and young people should gradually be integrated into the existing FutureSpace structures and introduced to the numerous STEM experiment worlds.

“Children and young people who had to flee from their home countries face a lot of challenges at their new place of residence –learning a new language quickly, coping with the new learning environment and also finding new hobbies. At FutureSpace, with the support of specially trained staff in a relaxed atmosphere, the children and young people can gain knowledge in different areas and make contact with other peers – that’s a great basis for successful integration!” says Klaus-Peter Haupt, CEO of FutureSpace.

FutureSpace, founded in 2021 as an offshoot of the North Hesse Student Research Centre (SFN) which is famous beyond Kassel, is committed to supporting young people in their education and strengthening their skills and talents. It is intended to be a space where new ideas are developed and a spirit of research is awakened and satisfied by freely experimenting and researching. The Idea is based on the conviction that children and young people learn self-determined and independently with appreciative support from advisors.

“We have a long-standing partnership with the SFN to support young research talents. I am pleased that we are now jointly expanding the support with the spin-off, FutureSpace, to include children and young people who have had to flee their countries. These young people, who have often undergone traumatic experiences, need our special support,” says Thilo Wieland, member of the Wintershall Dea Executive Board.

Wintershall Dea has been the main sponsor of the North Hesse Student Research Centre since 2020 and supports both the annual STEM Student Congress and the regular work of the education initiative.