Intercultural identities to counter xenophobia | Lidia Cámara | TEDxValladolid

Half of the individuals who flee from war are minors. Amongst them, some of the most vulnerable groups in society, is the teenager refugee girl. In this inspiring TEDx talk Lidia Cámara shares with us how to create a truly integration, also countering xenophobic tendencies promoting the development of creative and communicational skills based on respect and empathy, to then be able to create a strong sense of belongingness.

Social activist and researcher in applied linguistics, Lidia is truly convinced that education and the intercultural communication are the key to the actual integration for those being in disadvantage, which drives her to conduct projects for teenager girls. She also works in the Philosophy Faculty in the University Humboldt in Berlin. Additionally, has a doctorate in Computational Linguistics and a MSc in Language and Communication Impairment. Her research is focused in the learning process of a second language and foreign languages in multilingual communities in the web and in the digital and multilingual integration of those being in disadvantage due to their disability, social status or due their condition as immigrants or refugees.
Lidia is also member of the TED community as Language Coordinator for Spanish in TED Translators.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

You might remember this image
of the chancellor Angela Merkel

taking a selfie with a refugee.

This image and others like it

have raised concerns
in the German Parliament

and many European parliaments

putting the European Union
in a difficult spot.

From the beginning there hasn't been
a German consensus

regarding an avalanche of refugees

coming from the Middle East
and headed to Europe.

The welcoming environment created
by Angela Merkel at the beginning

was not always appreciated by everyone.

At the start, there were those
who supported her

and others who didn't.

Those who do not support her
are increasing -

there are more of them opposing her

which will clearly take its toll
on Angela Merkel.

I don't want to get into details
about Angela Merkel's political future

but I'd like to mention
that she is, for me,

one of the political figures
that currently

has moral authority
in spite of her mistakes,

which is something
that most current politicians lack.

This graph shows the number of refugees

that entered Germany last year.

The first group is from Syria,
followed by the group from Iraq

and the Afghan group.

According to a UNICEF report
published two weeks ago,

half of those who flee from war

are minors.

The anti-refugee discourse is well known:

"They will impose Islam on us."
"We are letting terrorists in."

"We are loosing our identity."

Also, it is true
that there are people who support

or show empathy
with those who flee from war

but I can also say that within them

there is a way to protect
against the political mistakes

to avoid taking action,

to not participate
in initiatives which could

at least alleviate
these serious personal situations.

In both unofficial and official discourse

something key to the integration
of the refugees stands out:

learning German.

I'm from Barcelona and I'm a linguist.

Four years ago I moved
to Cologne, Germany.

Learning a language is key factor
for me as well,

to be able to be integrated,

but not only is it a key factor
for the refugees,

but for all immigrants.

I have been researching different aspects
of language in multilingual environments

for several years.

My view is that language
is not a final product

that you could master.

For me, language is a process
that changes during one's lifetime,

throughout the personal experiences
we have.

Obviously, language
is a powerful instrument

for integration, for inclusion,

but also a powerful instrument
for social exclusion.

If, for instance, you have
poor linguistic competence

or you have a foreign accent,
or a dialect from a certain region,

or, perhaps if you have
some sort of disability

which affects the production
of your speech,

say, for example, stammering,

all of which are examples
that influence the way people

will accept or reject you in a society.

The use of language
and identity is not static,

it is something dynamic.

It isn't like fingerprints,
that stay with you for life.

Identity is something
you either create or forge

based on the values and beliefs
your families and friends give you,

and also about
what you really want to be,

and what you really want to be
is related to your motivation,

from the feeling of belonging
you have with other groups

that you feel connected to
or identify with

and also in relation
to interactions with groups

that are completely different from you.

In the refugee centres in Germany

free German lessons are offered,

and we could think -
it is natural to think -

that these people should be happy

because they are able
to have these German courses

and should also be grateful.

However, the absence of female teenagers
is quite significant

in these German groups,
in these activities.

Think about this:

these girls have a big burden,
many post traumatic disorders,

due to an exodus, to a land
that no one had promised to them.

They have seen how their
loved ones were murdered,

how their homes were burned or bombed.

Some other women, unfortunately,
have been witnesses or victims of rape

in this particular voyage,
from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria

headed to Europe or in this case, Germany.

If you could put yourselves in their shoes

would you be keen to take German classes

or anything at all?

If that wasn't enough,
these girls' families,

parents, brothers and other family members

don't allow them to participate
in these activities

because they think it's likely
that it could damage them further.

And the question is,

What can we do
so that these girls start participating

in this new society and integrate?

This is the question
that four friends and I have been asking:

in the red sweater, Sandra,
then me, Lina and Peter.

All of us, due to different reasons,

have a lot of connections
with adolescence.

Peter and I, by having
15-year-old daughters,

Sandra and Lina, for working
with this adolescent group.

We thought: what if we created a project

which wouldn't just be
attractive for refugee girls,

but also attractive for German girls?

Could we unite them?

Could we create a space
for them to interact

and maybe that could help
to transform their identity?

That's how Hallofoto! was born.

It is an intercultural project
for 13 - 17 year old girls.

The objectives of this project
were: to develop -

well, firstly to create spaces
for interaction to occur

so then with that,
develop communication skills,

and then the girls' creativity.

We thought:

If we develop both of them
it is certain that we will create

the possibility for them to develop
their intercultural skills.

Clearly, to develop communication skills

learning German was something
they would have to do

there was no other way.

And we utilised an innovative method:
augmentative communication boards.

These augmentative communication boards

are tools for those who are not verbal,

meaning, people who have
no spoken language.

This condition can be
present from birth, for example

chilrden with severe
Autistm Spectrum Disorders,

or, for example, children
with cerebral palsy.

This condition can also be
developed in adults,

following a stroke, or an accident,

or maybe following
a neurodegenerative disease,

such as Parkinson's.

The boards that we used on the project

are based on pictograms
and a core vocabulary.

The core vocabulary includes the words
that are repeated the most while speaking

and this happens, not only in German,

but even in Spanish, Catalan,
Basque, English, etc.

The girls accepted these instruments,

and the data gathered
from the project proves this,

that they value it positively.

In any case, for them
this isn't the most important factor

to learn German, to have dreams,
to stay motivated,

to actually really be willing
to participate in this new society.

For them, the most significant things
are our encounters

organised at HalloFoto!
through our project.

They are intercultural encounters

because we were promoting
face-to-face interactions

among groups with totally different
points of reference.

This, for instance, is an image
from one of the gatherings.

We organised the intercultural
gatherings by themes

which were chosen by the girls.

This theme is "Makeup and Hairdressing."

In another gathering we went
to an adventure centre

where there were zip lines,
balancing games and tunnels.

The idea was not to create fear,
but to overcome it.

They coordinated efforts,

and it wasn't about
who had more or less fear,

which group had more or less fear,

it was simply each person
expressing themseleves individually.

You can see it in their faces,

you can't tell who feels fear.

The point is that in this,
along with other gatherings -

this is the one we did
where they were cooking -

they can see its meaning.

And building such meaning

is what creates the sensation
of a cultural mixture,

one which will create bonds,

some intercultural developments

which go beyond the labels.

Labels serve to generate
stereotypes and breed prejudices

that don't take into account the great
richness that every one of us is,

or that every one of us has.

In addition to these communication skills

we also wanted to develop creative skills.

Creativity is the loving and cognitive
expression of each individual.

And if we activate
this expression together,

firstly, a space to generate things
is developed, previously unthinkable,

that is the mixture of expressions

where it is possible to see

how the intercultural skills
are being forged.

That is why these photography workshops
were done,

to stimulate that creativity.

Photography workshops
were held by Peter and Sandra,

they are the photographers in the group.

And these are the pictures

that the girls took during the project.

Sometimes they struck poses,
on other times they took the pictures.

They decided.

When one looks at those pictures,
one might ask,

Where is the "they"? Where is the "us"?

Frontiers are somehow very diluted.

How do we define ourselves?

Those pictures seemed so beautiful to us

that we thought we should
do an exhibition.

However, we didn't want to do any
kind of exhibition,

not in an art gallery or museum.

We wanted to take our pictures,
our exhibition, to an urban space

and we had a vision.

This is what it looked like:

we wanted our girls to be on a tram,

the tram of desire.

Our wish was to have a platform,

that was a political declaration

against sexism and xenophobia.

We presented it to the members
of Cologne's public transport system

and they got very exited by it.

And at the beginning of July last year,

the tram was presented

with the girl's pictures.

(Applause)

The project had far more success
than we ever imagined.

In fact, newspapers referred
to us as the perfect project

to counter xenophobic tendencies

that sadly are on the rise

not only in Germany, but across Europe.

In addition, there were many who asked us

if they could replicate the project,

if they could create
their special own Hallofoto!

Due to this, we thought,

We will license it,
so that the whole world can use it.

That is why the project
is in Creative Commons,

and on this stage, in TEDxValladolid,

I would like to invite anyone here
who wants to participate

and start up your own project, to do it.

(Applause)

And it isn't about what we've taught,
the four of us on the team,

rather, it is what the girls
have taught us.

All of the participants have shown us

ways to communicate and to interact.

Firstly, they break stereotypes.

Secondly, they make bonds.

That has also created

transformed, powerful
and intercultural identities,

and these intercultural identities
are not based on a consensus,

but on mutual respect,

in which they empathize with one another

by putting themselves in the other
person's shoes,

to have that feeling of belonging.

And that feeling of belonging

is the one I have been feeling from you
while I was telling you about all of this,

for which I am very grateful.

(Applause)