DESCRIPTION AND METHODOLOGIES
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is receiving funds from DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) for a programme called „Welcome – students initiatives for refugees“. The language tandem program PELICAN and the buddy-programme are two of these initiatives.
Buddy-Programm
The Buddy-Programm is for international students with and without a refugee background. In this case, a student of KIT will assist international students enrolling for a bachelor’s or master’s degree programs for one semester, if possible from the same degree program. This contact person is available for all questions and topics that arise in everyday student life.
Tandem program „Pelican“
The work group "Engagement for Refugees" at the Institute for German Studies offers the tandem program "Pelican" (http://www.pelican.kit.edu/english/index.php). Pelican provides tandems of one student and one refugee, who already worked in his/her home country in an academic environment or who is interested in studying at KIT. Through interacting and intercultural exchange, the linguistic competence of the refugees improve, and longer-term encounters with natives are also possible.