Mahdi (26) comes from Afghanistan. He grew up in Iran and Pakistan and came to Austria in 2014. Mahdi works at Breaking Grounds on projects such as Kicken ohne Grenzen (Kicking Without Borders) and Life Goals. His life in three words: »Learning, laughing, growing.«

Place of birth
Isfahan, Iran

Education/profession
→ High school diploma, technical college for chemical industry Trainer and
→ workshop leader at Kicken ohne Grenzen and Life Goals

If I hadn't come to Austria in 2014, I would probably be in Iran now. I would have tried to study, which is really difficult for refugees there. As an Afghan, you are severely disadvantaged in Iran.

     I didn't think about my origins until primary school. It was only in secondary school that I began to understand what it means to be a foreigner. You get insulted just because you're Afghan. Fortunately, we moved. First to Pakistan – that was also a difficult time. But in the end, it was worth it when we came to Austria.

     It was difficult at first, everything was new. I was lucky to have found the Prosa association, which supported me immensely. When you meet the right people, it's easy to integrate.

     Integration is like clapping – you need both hands for it to work. You have to reach out to each other with both hands. Both the locals and the immigrants should try to communicate with each other and help each other.

»Integration is like clapping.«

Integration is when people see each other, when they accept their differences. I have no influence over which country I come from, who my parents are or what I look like. But I do have influence over how I behave, what I do and how I treat others. That's what people should be judged on, I think that's fair.

     Austria is my second home. I feel safe here. I really want to become an Austrian citizen. I'm looking forward to being able to vote. Politics has a big influence on our everyday lives.

     I joined Kicken ohne Grenzen in 2019. At that time, the organisation was still very small. Now we are also in Vorarlberg, Upper Austria and Styria. This means we can reach more young people and our services are much more extensive. I have been employed by Kicken ohne Grenzen for two years. I am a coach for two teams and a project worker for Life Goals, where we run workshops in schools. I am part of the ‘Gender, Diversity and Anti-Racism’ task force and work on child protection issues.

»I have no influence over which country I come from, who my parents are or what I look like.«

At Life Goals, we support and accompany children and young people in becoming more independent and courageous so that they can pursue their goals. When I see the children and young people laughing in class or on the football pitch, it's a good day. Then we've achieved something.

     For me personally, the support and guidance I've received over many years has motivated me and convinced me that this really makes sense. Kicken ohne Grenzen has changed me a lot. I've learned to be brave. I now see mistakes in a completely different light. At school, you are judged on your mistakes. I was very impressed by the fact that you cannot learn without making mistakes. I would like to see this acceptance of mistakes in the education system too.

     For me, it's important to keep learning. You never stop learning – and that's a good thing. And you should enjoy doing so. I love travelling. Travelling helps you grow as a person and as a soul; you get to know different cultures and people. I believe that travelling can reduce prejudice – because you see that we are not so different. I want to experience as much as possible and learn about other cultures.

     Professionally, I would like to continue working with people. My long-term goal is to build something that helps people and that will remain even when I am no longer there.

»I was very impressed by the fact that you cannot learn without making mistakes.«

Fotos: Karo Pernegger
Interviews: Birgit Riezinger

Diese Geschichten wurden im Rahmen des 10-jährigen Jubiläums von Breaking Grounds protokolliert.