The Polish Social Council in Berlin
Over the years more and more migrants from Poland arrived in Berlin. As a result, there were around 80,000 in the 1980s. The peak of social and political change was in 1989. But the problems of the Poles remained the same: lack of information and perspectives, an insecure legal status and scant knowledge of the German language. All this led to a new way of reaching those in need. On 3rd September 1989, the private alternative radio station, Radio 100, broadcast a programme in Polish for the first time. The newsroom worked on the principle of an "open collective". Hence the members of the Polish Social Council were joined by non-members who were nonetheless radio fans. The one-hour programme in Polish covered current topics as well as social and political structures in Germany. It aimed to promote integration and strengthen active social participation, without neglecting Poles' own identity. The station was in existence until February 1991, when it ceased broadcasting on account of financial difficulties.
The promotion of active participation in social life has become one of the Council's particularly important tasks. Advice on legal, social and psychological issues, further vocational training courses, social competence training and assistance in resolving conflicts between generations all serve this purpose. The service is not only used by Poles in Berlin, but also by those living in other German states. Now the Polish Social Council has also become involved in helping refugees. Since April 2016, it has been working with the Turkish community in Germany on a joint project called "Succeeding. Together!", which is dedicated to caring for the families of asylum seekers. So far 250 sponsorships have been established in this connection. Its "godparents" often include Poles who once needed such help themselves. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.
The Polish Social Council is continuously expanding its training programme in order to support the professional careers of new arrivals from Poland and to limit the number of job opportunities that do not correspond to their qualifications. In 2014, the Polish Competence Centre (Polskie Centrum Kompetencyjne), financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, was established in cooperation with the Council. It offers a wide range of training courses, including those in labour law, bilingualism, business start-ups, stress management and in the context of emigration isolation. The aim of the project is to improve the situation of the Poles in Germany. This is done not so much by demanding recognition for their minority status as by strengthening their potentials.
Although times have changed with the arrival of more immigrants in Germany, the work of the Polish Social Council is still based on the same idea: to address the urgent needs and current problems of migrants. However, in view of the still increasing number of new arrivals from Poland, the workload of the socially committed helpers in Oranienstraße in Berlin is not decreasing.
Monika Stefanek, October 2017
The web page of the Polish Social Council: : www.polskarada.de
