Lesson plans for ages 12-14 in Art: Repatriation and Graphic Communication

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As ethnic Albanians returned to Kosovo in 1999, tens of thousands of ethnic Serbs fled in the opposite direction. Some have been encouraged to return home by being provided with help such as newly constructed greenhouses.

© UNHCR/R.Chalasani, 2001

LESSON 1: Going home

Preparation

Have ready the DVD, Global View 2006, produced by UNHCR, (Geneva, UNHCR, 2006). This is available free of charge, from the

UNHCR Public Affairs Unit, Case Postale 2500 CH-1211 Genève 2 Dépôt, Suisse.

Procedure

This lesson is spent in explaining the purpose of the sequence of drawings and in discussing what themes could be used in them. Encourage the students to think about the features that make a place 'home' and transpose these ideas to a refugee context.

Examples of themes could include:

going back to rebuild the family home going back to till the land, plant and harvest, to have enough to eat going back to be among family and friends going back to receive education or to earn an income.

At this point, the DVD, Global View 2006 could be shown. The DVD highlights the main areas of conflicts around the world, and shows examples of repatriation.

Discussion questions about the video

Name some of the countries from where refugees have fled. What caused the people to flee their countries? What are some of the worries that refugees have about returning home? What does voluntary repatriation mean? What should the ideal situation in the home country be like before refugees go home? The first two letters of the word 'repatriation' are R,E. Related to repatriation are other words that also begin with R,E. What are they, and what do they mean? (refugee, returnee, reconstruction, rehabilitation, reintegration).