Snapshots From The Borders

Snapshots from the Borders – die Geschichte.

Der 17. Oktober 2015 war jener Tag der sich als Beginn der sogenannten „Flüchtlingskrise, Migrationskrise oder Asylkrise“ ins kollektive Gedächtnis eingebrannt hat. Tausende Menschen versuchten über Spielfeld Strass nach Deutschland zu gelangen. Die Grenzen nach Ungarn waren zuvor geschlossen worden. Jetzt versuchten sie es über die steirisch-slowenische Grenze. Sie waren Teil jener fast 1,3 Millionen Menschen, die aus den Kriegs und Krisengebieten nach Europa geflüchtet sind. Aus dem Nahen Osten und aus Afrika über das Mittelmeer und die sogenannte Balkanroute.

2019: Vier Jahre sind vergangen. Das Leben an der Grenze hatte sich rasch normalisiert. Nach wenigen Monaten war die Balkanroute geschlossen, der „Flüchtlingsstrom“ war versiegt. Die Zeltlager bald leer. Wenige Flüchtlinge sind in Spielfeld Strass geblieben. Heute sind keine Flüchtlingsfamilien mehr dort. Sie sind in andere Einrichtung innerhalb Österreichs gebracht oder außer Landes abgeschoben worden.

Seit 2020 hat Radio Helsinki eine Redaktion in Graz aufgebaut und seit 2022 auf Mytilini. Unser Dank gilt den Kooperationspartner:innen und allen Beteiligten im Projekt.

Snapshots from the Borders – the History.

17 October 2015 was the day that has burned itself into the collective memory as the beginning of the so-called „refugee crisis, migration crisis or asylum crisis“. Thousands of people tried to reach Germany via Spielfeld Strass. The borders to Hungary had been closed before. Now they tried to cross the Styrian-Slovenian border. They were part of the almost 1.3 million people who fled to Europe from war and crisis zones. From the Middle East and Africa via the Mediterranean and the so-called Balkan route.

2019: Four years have passed. Life at the border had quickly returned to normal. After a few months, the Balkan route was closed, the „refugee flow“ had dried up. The tent camps were soon empty. Few refugees remained in Spielfeld Strass. Today there are no more refugee families there. They have been taken to other facilities within Austria or deported out of the country.

Since 2020, Radio Helsinki has established a newsroom in Graz and since 2022 in Mytilini. Our thanks go to the cooperation partners and all those involved in the project.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Citizen Journalism and beyond

„Citizen journalism“ (also participatory journalism or grassroots journalism) empowers those who live at the grassroots of society and ask the questions from here. Through radio as a „borderless medium“, we reach out to an international audience.

Participation

We invite citizens to become journalists themselves, to participate in our project, to report on experiences in migration, refugee and asylum, education, politics, ecology, social justice, work or everyday life. We want to overcome discrimination through resilience and self-empowerment.

Community Radios

… have gained experience over the years in addressing, organising and involving people with diverse needs. Across all age groups, backgrounds (social, cultural or geographical), interests or personal dispositions.

Our partners

Doro Blancke: Flüchtlingsinitiative, COMMIT, empowerhouse are active in refugee aid, adult and media education and community building. We can rely on their local knowledge, long experience and networks and embark on this two-year journey together.

This podcast was empowered and financed by

Südwind Steiermark, Fair Styria, „Action for Sustainable Future (ASF) hub“ – supported by the „University of Applied Arts Vienna“ and „Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft“.

In collaboration with

Doro Blancke Flüchtlingshilfe und COMMIT.

We are pleased to have received the funding, support and trust for this project from these honourable institutions.