Tall and tan and young and lovely… …goes the opening line of “The Girl from Ipanema,” one of the most covered songs in modern music history. Originally performed in the bossa nova style, the one-hit wonder has been adapted to classical compositions, performed by punk bands, and jammed by jazz legends. So, what does that have to do with our recent leadership development workshop for Austrian youth? In short, everything.
The surge of refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Africa, and southeast Europe has posed significant challenges to the European Union’s and Germany’s identity, and sense of obligation to people fleeing war and persecution around the world. In 2015 alone, Germany became a new home for nearly 1.2 million displaced individuals. While the fair and manageable accommodation of these people in need throughout the EU will require a political solution that can be agreed to in the coming months, the integration of these individuals into new communities not currently equipped to handle the task looms as the longer-term challenge of this crisis.