The cycling Somalis - Non-formal adult education's role in integration

Abstract

Associations for adult education provide much more than an opportunity to develop a hobby. They are above all an important tool for integration and can provide quality of life, mobility and security for new immigrants.

I met a cycling Somali when I was on my way to work today.  With a suit and briefcase, he pedalled past on his man's bike, a little stressed and a little warm.  He was in a hurry in the morning, just like any Swede would be.  I was proud. You see, in recent years my work has changed, from focusing on hobby circles and study programmes to, in a more concrete way, providing people with the tools to change their lives.  The cycling Somali could not have provided me with clearer evidence of the results.  I know that he, along with many others, have learned to ride a bike with the help of a study circle.

The work of a business developer at ABF involves identifying needs and creating solutions. At the beginning of autumn, I often get asked why we do not have any study programmes and why we are not seen in advertisements anymore.  The picture of the adult education associations as a provider of hobby activities still seems to be deeply rooted. The fact is that more than 500,000 Swedes are already attending a study circle at ABF, but through, for example, their union, their housing association, their political party or their association involvement.  ABF does so much more than hobby circles.  A large part of non-profit education in Sweden is provided through adult education associations.

“Most to those who have received the least” is ABF's slogan.  The everyday work of the organisation is often directed towards socially and economically vulnerable groups in society.  In Sweden, we have one of the world's strongest social safety nets – no one should have to be hungry, homeless or afraid.  But then what?  The road from food on the table to having a sense of dignity and a role in society is long.  It is along this road that ABF wishes to help and provide a boost for people who need it.

Language is key

One of the groups that has been shown to have high needs is refugees from Somalia.  They come from a country with a history of war and civil war.  Foreign powers have gone in with the goal of bringing peace on numerous occasions over the past twenty years, but without success.  Somalia is a country where people's social and legal safety net is entirely dependent on which family they belong to.  It is a big adjustment, both getting to know and living in Swedish society.

When a person is granted a residence permit in Sweden, a long schooling period begins for most.  Primarily, it involves learning to master spoken and written Swedish.  The level of knowledge is assessed in advance so that the tuition begins at the right level.  Social studies is also part of this schooling.  But learning a new language and reading about a new society is a time-consuming process.  It can be a long time before the skills are at a high enough level to put into practice.  A time living in an unfamiliar society with customs and practices that differ from their home country.

Therefore, many Somalis wish to meet Swedish residents. They want to meet Swedish people and they want to speak Swedish.  It is now that ABF begins to identify needs.  Here there is a large group of Somalis who want to speak more Swedish.  Here there are also eager non-profits who would really like to help and teach the Swedish language in practice. A collaboration with the municipality began in order to arrange language get-togethers.  But no one turned up. After unsuccessful changes to the schedule and structure, we concluded that something was wrong.

It turned out that the Somalis – just like any other Swedish citizen – had too much on their plate.  Work, school and family life consumed the day and there was no time to take part in the coveted language groups.  It was easy to change the setup after talks with the Somalis.  Instead of holding the circles in the centre, far from the participants' homes and families, we agreed to hold targeted language circles for women out in one of the residential areas.

In parallel with the language circle plans, child-minding considerations were also discussed.  A non-profit association with a focus on children was called to the first get-together.  The idea was that the association would be able to occupy the children while the mothers took part in the language circle.  In this way, the child-minding did not pose an obstacle for women to practice their Swedish.  We presented the idea onsite to our male Somali contact.  I looked away and felt myself blushing as he gently protested:  “But we dads usually take care of the children when the women have hobby activities.”

Dangerous ignorance

It may seem comical with these small misunderstandings caused by prejudices.  But it is dangerous when they are based on ignorance.  One example is social welfare services.  In recent years' cooperation with Somali associations, the subject of social welfare services has popped up periodically.  Many Somali parents are terrified of social services.  They have heard that social services can come and take their children from them. This is a typical example of problems that arise when society does not have a system to educate new Swedes in how Sweden is organised.  There is an urgent need to learn more about how social services work in Sweden.  Ignorance of how social services work, and that they only take children who are maltreated, is ignorance that unnecessarily creates a great concern.

Swimming school for women

Much of what is known as Swedishness revolves around leisure and family.  When the sun starts to appear in spring, a new need arises.  Summer is approaching and parents would love to go to the beach with their children to have a picnic and swim.  But swimming ability among Somali women is very low.  They dare not take the kids to the beach for fear that something will happen to them in the water.  Several parents without swimming skills speak of a great concern about not being able to help their children if something were to happen.

Starting a Somali swim school is not as easy as it sounds.  Many Somali women are Muslim and many of them do not want to show themselves scantily clad among unfamiliar men.  Attending adult swimming lessons during regular opening hours would undoubtedly exclude many participants.  In conversation with the swimming baths, it was found that, just as in the case of the language groups, they had failed to recruit to their special adult swimming lessons for women.  At the same time, there were obviously many Somali women who actually wanted to learn to swim.

ABF took on the task of coordinating the swimming school.  Using contacts in Somali associations, it was not hard to spread the word and gather the interested women.  However, while the problem of recruitment began to slowly be resolved, completely different issues appeared at another level.   Male staff and male visitors felt side-lined when they were denied access to the swimming pool during the time of the swimming lessons.  The swimming instruction times for the Muslim women were carefully pieced into the schedule in such a way that it would not clash with other activities in the building.  At the same time, the staff were invited to take part in a course on how to deal with the issues and situations that may arise in connection with the swimming.  After this, the swimming school got underway, and it is now a regular activity offered by the swimming baths.

The bikes roll on

But everything really began with the cycling. In Somalia, there is no tradition of cycling.  There are hardly proper roads and any travelling is done by car. In Sweden, the bike is one of the most common means of transport for those who do not have a driver's licenses.  Learning to ride a bike has great symbolic value for new Swedes.  But not only the cycling itself. Rules of the road, safety and maintenance of the bike are also natural parts in a bicycle study circle.  There was a great demand from the Somalis' side.

A new partnership was established with the police who generously contributed four abandoned bikes.  They really liked the idea of ??the bicycle study circle and were more than willing to help.  The repair of the bikes became a natural and valued part of the study circle.  It included everything from simple repairs, like repairing punctures, to more advanced adjustments to brakes and gears.  In the bike circle, many have learned to ride a bike, and the circle still continues today as an advanced course in traffic sense and etiquette in Swedish society.

When I encounter a cycling Somali, I feel proud.  I will be equally as proud when I meet a Somali family on the beach or see a Somali's mastery of the Swedish language get better and better.  Swedish society provides newcomers with a foundation to stand on, a start in their new life.  A language, a home and food on the table.  But the adult education associations play an important, I would say invaluable, role in the integration process.  In the adult education associations, there is the freedom to concentrate on the soft values??, the small details that are not classified as essential in the regular curriculum but which play a very significant role in a person's ability to fit into a new society.