A Long Way Home

Social Studies Online

Refugee Simulation: Polish children-Ruth, Edek & Bronia

• Divide the class into "family" groups of 4 - 6 people.
• Each student needs two large sheets of paper (A3 newsprint is ideal) and pens.
• The simulation takes about one period (45 minutes?).
• The simulation controller reads out the instructions, keeps time, adjudicates on any issues that arise and has total power!
• Time control is vital. If appropriate enforce the rule that any family group that fails to meet a deadline automatically loses half their possessions.
• No-one is allowed guns or weapons.

1. Your parents have been taken away by the Nazis. The Nazis are coming back for you. You have 15 minutes to pack two suitcases per person in your family. Head up your suitcases Suitcase A and Suitcase B. You are allowed 20 items in each case. You have to count what you are wearing. Choose wisely. You are only allowed items found at home. Write down the name of each item and which suitcase it is going in. You have to be able to carry your cases. Remember you are part of a family. Take a last look at your house - you will never see it again.

   (Need to have background knowledge of the Balicki family - house, furnishings, clothes, food, personal possessions. Also need some knowledge of East European climate - important when selecting clothes. Opportunity for Web research?)

2. The Nazis arrive to collect you. You walk all day along with other families. You stop for the night at a high school not far from the Polish border. During the night someone takes one of your suitcases. You have three minutes to decide which suitcase has been lost.

3. After several days Edeck becomes unwell - you can't carry all your bags. Everyone has to leave their heaviest item behind. You also discover that the walking has broken all fragile items in your cases. You have three minutes to find your heaviest item and any fragile items and cross them off your list.

4. Eventually you reach the river Danube and stop at a camp. The Nazi soldiers demand a valuable item from each person before they will allow you into the camp. You have three minutes to hand the items over.

5. You have run out of food and your money has been stolen. You have to barter. Swap two items from each of you for food. You have three minutes to decide on your items.

6. Edeck gets worse and you have to go to another camp with a hospital urgently. You don't even have time to retrieve your passports, photos and other items that you have hidden. You have three minutes to cross off all documents and other items that might identify who you are.

7. You are taken by train to another camp. During the trip you decide to take an inventory of what belongings you have left. You have five minutes to rewrite your belongings neatly on a new sheet of paper.

8. At the camp the 3 of you are split up. Who will take what possessions? You have 2 minutes to divide your belongings.

9. At last the Americans invade Germany and you are able to leave the camp to go and find your family. You travel west to where you hear of a man who will guide you across the border to Switzerland. You need a guide so you don't run into armed soldiers. Remember you have no money so you have to pay him with everything of value that you still have. You have three minutes to identify what you have of value. If you (as a family) don't have anything you have to remain in Germany.

10. You make it across the Swiss border and find your parents. After many months you find out that your names are on a list to go to New Zealand. At last you arrive at the Refugee camp at Pahiatua. You are about to start a new life with what you have left. You have five minutes to list what belongings you still have and to write down your feelings as you face living in a new country, learning a new language, becoming familiar with new customs and beliefs.