According to the results of a representative survey of International Organization for Migration (IOM) Public Attitudes toward Foreigners and Foreign Migration in the Slovak Republic, people form their opinions on migration and migrants on the basis on misconceptions, prejudices and lack of information. The Slovak population is concerned about a high number of migrants who take over Slovak jobs, spread dangerous diseases, represent an economic burden on the state budget and the criminality of migrants may gradually increase. Migrants are seen as a threat to the domestic population and these feelings of threat generate additional prejudices.

Removing prejudices on migrants

The We are at home here project was implemented by IOM – Office in the Slovak Republic from October 2012 to March 2013 to promote a balanced and evidence-based information that will contribute to forming of an informed opinion on migration and migrants, to incorporate this information into education, to enhance a discussion on migration and migrants and, thus, to contribute to removing stereotypes and myths in society and to prevention of bias, intolerance, discrimination and xenophobia utterances.

Within the project, IOM published a set of educational materials: a documentary film, a didactic material and an information poster. All materials are used as wide-range presentation tools on migration and migrants in public life and, specifically, within a multicultural education at all levels of formal education, trainings for professionals working with migrants in intercultural skills.

IOM provides all these educational materials for non-commercial use for the purpose of intercultural education and trainings in intercultural skills only. No educational materials or any part of them may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, disseminated or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of IOM.

Documentary film We are at home here

The film highlights the attitudes of Slovak public towards migrants and through personal stories of migrants – of a Palestinian doctor, a Florist from Ukraine and an entrepreneur from Vietnam – and the well-founded data as well presents the life of migrants and the reality of migration in Slovakia.

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Didactic material We are at home here

Didactic material provides teachers and lecturers with flexible and user-friendly manual with well-founded information, activities and link to resources that enable them to independently prepare and include the topics of migration and migrant integration in the school education and training curricula for representatives of institutions and organizations in an attractive way. The material introduces definitions of basic terminology, comprehensive information and concepts of migration and integration of migrants, the results of a representative public opinion research on migration and migrants, introduction to the film itself and proposals of topics for discussion and interactive activities before and after the film screening engaging audience in to the topic, enhancing their knowledge and providing the evidence-based information to form their opinions on migration and integration.

Poster We are at home here

Information poster introduces into the topic of migration and integration of migrants.

Public presentation We are at home here

In March 2013 in Bratislava, IOM carried out the public presentation of the film and the accompanying didactic material as well as showcased the methods of working with these products. The event was attended by 57 school teachers, representatives of methodological centres, ministries, organizations being active in the field of migration and integration and the promotion and protection of human rights and freedoms, journalists and representatives of migrant communities. After the screening there was a discussion with the film protagonists.

See photos from the event.

Evaluate your work with educational materials

Please, fill out and send us a questionnaire with your assessment of the work with documentary film and didactic material and of participant responses to the film, activities and migration topics. Your suggestions and comments will in many ways help us to prepare following high-quality educational materials.

Thank you!

Implemented with the financial support of the Government Office of the Slovak Republic within the framework of the Grant Programme Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms. International Organization for Migration is only responsible for the content of this document.

Production of this film was financially supported by the Slovak Audiovisual Fund.