3.1 Looking for a job!
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In this section of the game, the character has to find their first job. Students get a chance to learn what it is like for a refugee to try to enter the job market in a new country. Employment is often a way for refugees to not only earn money but also gain control of their lives and free themselves from dependency upon state support or benefits.
Ask the class to read the interviews with refugees talking about their experiences looking for work in the web facts, as well as the articles on this and issues of discrimination. Assign the class the task of creating an information leaflet for refugees looking for work. In the leaflet, they may for example discuss the right to work, anti-discrimination laws, the local employment market, how to fill in a job application and write a CV, as well as things they may want to consider before the interview. Arrange a visit from a job centre or recruitment agency representative who can provide a realistic portrait of the challenges refugees can face. Ask the students to prepare questions before the visit.
Goal: To form an impression of how many people with a foreign background may struggle to find employment in a different country, and how this may be rooted in issues such as: language difficulties; having an education that is not in demand in the new country; existing high unemployment rates in the area; having a foreign surname; etc.
Ask students to write down five prejudices they think refugees may face from employers when applying for work. Write them on the blackboard and direct the pupils to discuss what can be done in order to counteract them.
Goal: To create understanding of the prejudices that refugees can face when seeking employment.
Ask the students to discuss what a refugee can do in order to transcend any prejudices and successfully enter the job market. Also discuss with the class what other members of society can do in order to help refugees find work.
Goal: To make students realise the numerous challenges refugees and persons with a foreign background may have to overcome in order to enter the job market.