Joanna Krzemińska studied Dramatic Arts and Social and Cultural Anthropology (BA) and Intercultural Education (MA) at the Free University of Berlin. In view of her degree combination, she developed a particular focus on interdisciplinary research approaches within the intersection of diversity, inclusion, and (inter)cultural education.
Since finishing her studies, she has volunteered and worked for NGOs, international organizations, and public institutions in Germany, Poland, Belgium, and Turkey, where she has been active in the fields of youth exchange, (inter)cultural learning, and refugee integration.
Krzemińska is currently working as regional manager of the Plattform Kulturelle Bildung Brandenburg, which is part of the Mercator program “Creative Potentials”—a program promoting the incorporation of cultural education into German school systems. One of the thematic focal points of Krzemińska’s work is the inclusion of young refugees through artistic-creative and cultural learning processes.
Project: “Refugees and Elementary School in Istanbul - Inclusion of Young Refugees through Cultural Education”
There are currently 1.2 million school-aged Syrian refugee children living in Turkey, with over 600,000 enrolled at formal education institutions. Integration of refugee children into the Turkish educational system is a long-term measure necessary for successful social participation. Therefore, national and international actors are continuously working to expand education for Syrian refugees in Turkey by integrating them into the public school system.
Referring to the educational policies for school-aged Syrian refugees in Turkey, this research project examines current as well as long-term development strategies for establishing inclusive cultural learning processes for refugee students at Turkish elementary schools. One key objective of the project is to investigate the potential roles for cultural institutions and extracurricular partners/“cultural locations” in addressing the acute conditions within schools in order to create opportunities for inclusive learning spaces for refugee children and their Turkish schoolmates. In addition to investigating the immediate role cultural educational partners can assume, another objective of the project is to determine future visions for sustainable and long-term cultural educational processes in urban Turkish and German elementary schools.
Refugee Inclusion and the Role of Arts Education in Turkish Primary Schools
IPC-Mercator Report ''Refugee Inclusion and the Role of Arts Education in Turkish Primary Schools'' by 2018/19 Mercator-IPC Fellow Joanna Krzemińska was published.
Click here to download the document.
Welcoming of the 2018/19 Mercator-IPC Fellows
We welcome our 2018/19 Mercator-IPC Fellows, Cem İskender Aydın, Annegret Warth, Jannes Tessmann, Ender Peker, Maissam Nimer, Yohanan Benhaim, and Joanna Krzeminska.
Cem İskender Aydın | Assessing Multi-level Governance Using Participatory Multi-criteria Evaluation Frameworks: The Case of Windfarm Conflicts in Turkey
Annegret Warth | Municipalities as Actors of Youth Exchange?! An Exemplary Case Analysis of Youth Work and Local Governance Structures in Turkey
Jannes Tessmann | Multi-scalar Labor Governance in EU-Turkey Garment Value Chains: Challenges and Potentials for Workplace Integration of Refugees
Ender Peker | Producing Actionable Knowledge to Achieve Climate Responsive Urban Development in Turkey
Maissam Nimer | Access of Syrian Refugee Adults to Language Instruction
Yohanan Benhaim | Turkish Business People and the War in Iraq: Impacts and Prospects in Trade and Construction Sectors
Joanna Krzeminska | Refugees and Elementary School in Istanbul - Inclusion of Young Refugees through Cultural Education
Primary Schools and Refugee Inclusion: Improving Social Cohesion in Schools with Art, Cultural & Civil Partners in the Community
2018/19 Mercator-IPC Fellow Joanna Krzeminska’s workshop titled “Primary Schools and Refugee Inclusion: Improving Social Cohesion in Schools with Art, Cultural & Civil Partners in the Community” took place on June 19, 2019 at İKSV Alt Kat.
The inputs were given by Burcu Meltem Arık from Education Reform Initiative, Ebru Kılıç Arguç from Selim Sırrı Tarcan Primary School, and Zülal Fazlıoğlu Akın from Tulane University.
Presentations on best practices in the field were given by İKSV Alt Kat: Learning and Interaction Space, Small Projects Istanbul, Koc University Global Aid Volunteers, Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanical Garden, Contemporary Drama Association, Yuva Association/Goethe Institute, and Maya Foundation.
Welcoming of the 2018/19 Mercator-IPC Fellows
The Welcoming of the 2018/19 Mercator-IPC Fellows was held on October 8, 2018 at Salon IKSV. The event marked the seventh cycle of the Mercator-IPC Fellowship Program of the IPC-Sabancı University-Stiftung Mercator Initiative.
The event began with welcoming remarks by Director Fuat Keyman, followed by remarks from the Chairman of the Advisory Board at Stiftung Mercator, Rüdiger Frohn. The welcoming remarks were followed by a movie screening that introduced 2018/19 Mercator-IPC Senior Fellows Atila Eralp and Özcan Mutlu and the 2018/19 Mercator-IPC Fellows Annegret Warth, Cem İskender Aydın, Ender Peker, Jannes Tessmann, Joanna Krzeminska, Maissam Nimer, and Yohanan Benhaim.
