Bridge Builders Between Cultures in Hafnarfjörður

Bridge between the worlds of culture

Did you know that the City of Hafnarfjörður offers support to international families so that each family can quickly and effectively familiarise themselves with their child's school environment and how they will become a full participant in the community? Two bridge-builders work with the city's nurseries and three with the primary schools.

Just as bridge-builders help parents with an overseas background to understand the school environment, they also educate school staff so they better understand the culture of the immigrant family. The staff build mutual understanding.

• NURSERY SCHOOL: Bridge-builders in the nursery schools help with the integration of foreign children. They place a special emphasis on families with refugee experience. They speak a number of languages, with a focus on Spanish and Arabic.
• PRIMARY SCHOOL: Bridge builders in primary schools help parents from other countries to understand how the school day works and how the after-school club operates. They also act as a bridge to sports and leisure activities, and encourage participation.
  • Welcome to our open house on Thursdays at Strandata 41, from 2 pm to 4 pm.

Support that matters

„We are all here to support you, parents of foreign origin,“ says Aleksandra Kozimala, a multicultural education officer in nurseries. She points out that a bridge builder working on the nursery floor talks to the children and helps parents register the children for primary school, explaining the school system.

„But this is also a help in getting to grips with the Icelandic environment; clothing, when do you need wellies?“ A lot is different from what it is back home. One thing that comes as a surprise to many is that children in Iceland go outside in bad weather. Then they need the right equipment. „Yes, parents need to know how life in an Icelandic nursery works.“ Aleksandra also gives an example of how the bridge-builders inform the staff about Ramadan, the Muslim religious festival, just as they then inform the parents about the great freedom that prevails here.

„Everything is so free here. In many parts of the world, children are never allowed to walk to school alone. Then there are the school grounds here in Iceland, which are often not fenced off, something many of the parents are not used to from their home countries. This needs to be explained.“

Multi-faceted role

Aleksandra says the role of the bridge-builders is multifaceted. They teach parents about the workings of sports clubs and help ensure that children can take part in leisure activities and sports. They also teach parents about Abler and other apps used in schoolwork.

„Bridge-builders should reduce unnecessary problems and show how beautiful diversity is. Enrich the community,“ she says. „We help parents solve the problems so they can do it themselves in the future.“

Do you want to contact a bridge builder?

• Primary schools: bru@hafnarfjörður.is
• Nursery schools: bru.leikskoli@hafnarfjordur.is

Posts can be sent in many languages: Arabic, English, Polish and Spanish.

Caption: Brúarsmiðir Hafnarfjarðar The bridge-builders Bjarki Rafn Andrésson, Anna Sigríður Sveinbjörnsdóttir and Hemn Hussein in the primary schools. Elisabeth López Arriaga and Rima Alhakeem in the nurseries. There is a great deal of expertise in the group.