Just another volunteer at Dortmund’s main refugee welcome centre

Scouts and Guides contributing to refugee support activities in their local communities in Europe (12): a story from Dortmund, Germany

“When it became evident that the many refugee families would continue their travel to different parts of Germany, including Dortmund, once they will have reached our country in the southern province of Bavaria, members of BdP Stamm Weiße Rose and BdP Stamm Vagabunden Dortmund, two local Scout and Guide groups from Dortmund and members of Bund der Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder e.V., one of the National Scout and Guide Associations in Germany, decide to offer their time, experience and skills:

They join volunteers of other local civil society organisations at the Dietrich-Keuning-Haus, which had been designated as main welcome centre for refugees arriving in the city of Dortmund. The prinicpal task for the volunteers is helping with the checking, sorting, and piling of donated cloths and other goods while others start setting up the distribution chain. Yet other Scouts and Guides join the organising team of the centre, responsible for making sure that enough volunteers are available all time and that they are allocated tasks according to their skills.

Many trains - each with up to 500 refugees - are expected to arrive in Dortmund for several days, but the main welcome centre at the Dietrich-Keuning-Haus is ready: a local, multilingual welcome committee awaits the first groups of refugees: just listen to these two short features broadcast by Radio 91.2 which capture the atmosphere just before the arrival of the first trains in Dortmund. Or read this story published by The New York Times"

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