The Creation of a Community of Language Learning, Empowerment, and Agency for Refugees in Rhodes, Greece

Abstract

Since 2015 the Aegean Islands have been receiving an influx of refugees, which has by far exceeded the existing capabilities of the islands in terms of reception and hospitality. Refugees/migrants from Syria, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries, en route to Europe, have found themselves “trapped” in Greece, due to the tightening of the EU border controls. Due to this, a considerable number of refugees/migrants are increasingly coming to terms with the potential of staying in Greece. Since 2016 Greek language lessons have been offered to adult, adolescent, and child refugees at the Linguistics Laboratory of the Department of Primary Education, University of the Aegean, in Rhodes, Greece. The lessons are provided by volunteer members of the teaching staff and students. The language and cultural diversity of the group, the mobility of the learners, as well as their unstable present and future have led to the adoption of communities of language learning, empowerment, and agency, as well as the implementation of new pedagogical approaches, which reflect the dynamic character of the learners’ identities and their multiple needs. This paper will present the case study of the Greek language lessons, focusing on the multicultural, multilingual community of learning that has been created, and specifically on the volunteer teachers in this community and the ways they feel that they have been affected by teaching refugees.