The entire lesson revolved around the question of how the school should get a new school building. This is because the ASZ has to leave its current location at the Güterbahnhof at the end of April and despite an intensive search, it has not yet found an alternative.

A school instead of prisons

Right on time at 14:30, the 150 ASZ participants and their supporters set up their classroom in the atrium of the town hall and demonstrated how committed German lessons can be. The moderator’s question “Do you want prisons?” was met with a firm “No!”, while the question “Do you want a school building?” was met with a loud “Yes” in unison. It continued in the same style: “We need a school. We want to learn German. We want to understand German. We want German courses. We want math courses. We want Arabic courses”. Everyone present, not just the participants in the German course, chanted these sentences in the well-filled atrium of the Stadthaus.

An open letter

After the course, the ASZ handed over an oversized open letter to City clerk Claudia Cuche-Curti, who accepted it without a word (letter attached). The City of Zurich, as the owner of the property, was asked to provide the ASZ with rooms for ten classes of different levels or 200 school students per day. Now it is up to the city – the ASZ is eagerly awaiting an answer.

Not just one addressee

It is not only the City of Zurich, as the property owner, that is called upon to offer the ASZ a helping hand. The other major owners – private individuals, cooperatives and churches – are also called upon to find solutions to the ASZ’s space problem. Because on the one hand, it is impossible to imagine Zurich city life without the ASZ with its courses, cultural and other activities. However, as a (migrant) volunteer project, it does not have the financial means to secure space for its free activities.

Finally here

This is why the ASZ has had to occupy empty houses in order to run its classes. With its open appeal to various groups of owners, this is now set to change: After the school’s nomadic existence over the past four years, the ASZ finally wants a permanent home so that it can devote itself full-time to its actual mission: To provide education to all people, regardless of whether they have money or not. However, this requires a free space that is managed by the volunteers with and without Swiss passports themselves – a free space where they not only teach, but also cook, do craft projects, discuss and celebrate.

Here you can find photos of the campaign: Flickr-Album

Everything about the campaign: hier!

The ASZ is a place of exchange. It lives a welcoming culture towards all people, promotes good coexistence and tackles the challenges that many migrants face due to institutional discrimination.

The ASZ is characterized by a clear anti-racist and committed stance. We will not be pushed out of the city!