Against the backdrop of the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a collaborative initiative in the Principality has sought to shift young perspectives on the global refugee crisis through direct narrative engagement and cultural exchange.
The third edition of "Inter’Act," an educational initiative designed to raise awareness for the plight of displaced populations, was recently organized inside the local school system. The program represents a coordinated effort between the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Monaco’s Office of International Cooperation (DCI), and the Prince’s Government Directorate of National Education, Youth and Sports (DENJS).
Held on the eve of World Refugee Day - an annual international observance marked on June 20 - the immersive day of programming engaged two eighth-grade (4ème) classes from the Institution François d'Assise-Nicolas Barré (FANB). The event was framed around the themes of sharing and mutual understanding, blending heavy geopolitical realities with interactive cultural discovery.
Central to the day’s curriculum was a photography exhibition displayed on the school premises entitled "The most important thing." The series featured poignant portraits of refugees posing alongside the single most significant item they chose to carry with them when forced to flee their homelands. Following their viewing of the collection, students were challenged to engage in a parallel exercise of self-reflection: identifying their own "most important thing" and determining what lone possession they would preserve if faced with sudden, mandatory exile.
The theoretical elements of the curriculum were anchored by firsthand human testimony. Students met and conversed with two young refugee women originally from Syria and Venezuela. After sharing personal accounts of their life journeys and displacement, the two women led the eighth-grade students in specialized dance and sports workshops.
The multi-sensory educational day concluded externally to the classroom, as participants sampled a traditional meal featuring the distinctive culinary flavors of Central Africa.
Photo credits: Direction de la Communication - Stéphane Danna