Before moving to the UK from Afghanistan Lylla had never used an escalator before, was unfamiliar with the idea of public parks and was understandably overwhelmed by the London tube.

Moving to a new country usually means a mix of anticipation for the possibility of a new life and adventures, as well as anxiety at the host of challenges that it raises.  These emotions are experienced even more intensely when you are fleeing to a new country as a refugee.

And often, as with Lylla and the escalator, it is the day to day challenges and unfamiliarities, that tend to be overlooked by many settlement and support services but which can often be even more isolating and difficult for newly arrived refugees. 

Time Together, a volunteer refugee mentoring initiative aims to address these often overlooked challenges associated with integration, as well as the practical issues of English language and employment seeking. After Lylla registered with Time Together, she was matched with Laura who helped her use the London Underground for the first time and took her around to the local attractions such as museums. Laura, an English teacher, had decided to become a mentor in response to the negative media portrayal of refugees. With Laura’s support, Lylla soon felt confident to visit local parks and explore the city on her own.

Translating Policy to Practice

The impetus for the Time Together programme emerged from a recommendation from Home Office, the government department in charge of immigration; that mentoring could assist in the integration of refugees in the UK. Evidence showed that a person’s ability to adapt to a new environment is greatly increased by having a patient companion with local knowledge,  who takes an interest in the life of a refugee, and who is dedicated to providing support and advice. The recommendation further stated that mentoring and befriending schemes illustrated how integration works as a two-way process - both refugee and host community have a role in the relationship, contributing towards stronger, more socially inclusive communities.

Time Together had identified nine dimensions of integration to highlight in the mentoring process: confidence, English language, employment, education, isolation, UK culture, becoming familiar with the local area, volunteering, and access to services. Each of these dimensions may affect people differently, depending on their previous national context, personality, expectations and needs. Broadly, the mentoring process is often about building confidence to access goods and services, and both trying and persevering with new opportunities.

Building Supportive Partnerships

All programme participants undergo a process to ensure that the mentoring match will be positive and sustained. First both potential mentors and mentees undergo training separately depending on their role in the pair, which can cover concepts of integration, refugee issues, and the essentials to mentoring. It is at this stage that people in the programme also become familiar with the mutual commitments of mentors, mentees and the programme coordinator. After training, potential pairs are introduced in a group environment, have the chance to read their partners written profiles of interests and skills, and also hear from the coordinator about each person’s needs and expectations in the relationship. So for example, Lylla would have already known that Laura was an English teacher, and Laura would have already known that Lylla wanted to be able to practise English with a patient native speaker. The coordinator’s role in the relationship is important even after the matching stage as they help to keep the pair motivated and committed to the arrangement, support the pair through possible challenges and if necessary, intervene if the pair doesn’t hit it off.

One mentor who underwent the process was empathetic to the aims of the scheme, “I know how much I appreciated it when people in the country I was travelling in took the time to talk to me and welcome me to their country. I wanted to offer the same experience to someone coming to the UK.” With her mentee, she had improved her French language comprehension and learned about African culture and cuisine.

Integration in Action

In an independent assessment of Time Together, the impact of this relationship-based mentoring initiative was found to have a highly positive impact on the integration of refugees. Out of the study sample of thirty mentors and mentees, twenty-two of the mentors had successfully enhanced the integration of their mentees. This was judged through the help and advice they offered on practical matters concerning everyday life in Britain, building and sustaining confidence in their mentees, and contributing to their mentee’s English language improvement. Furthermore, seven of the twenty-two mentors reported life-altering experiences, which often formed the basis of strong, mutually-beneficial friendships.

After three years of running the programme, TimeBank received funding in 2005 from the Home Office and HM Treasury Invest to expand the Time Together programme nationwide. There are now 24 projects running across the UK managed and supported by a central team based at TimeBank, the charity running the Time Together programme, in partnership with local organizations. Since the beginning of the programme seven years ago, over 2,500 refugees have been matched with mentors.  

On June 16 – 18sec, Cities of Migration participated in a series of meetings hosted by the Bertelsmann Stiftung in Berlin. On June 17, members of the Cities of Migration team from Toronto, London, Gutersloh and Auckland attended an extraordinary meeting of the Transatlantic Council on Migration, on the topic of “Integration at the Local Level - Diversity, Social Cohesion & the Descendants of Immigrants.”

Topics ranged from the reform of public school systems to the transition of the second generation into the labour market, with new research being reported by the comparative European TIES research project (The Integration of the European Second Generation), Canada’s Institute for Research in Public Policy and think tanks such as the Migration Policy Institute (US) and the Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies (The Netherlands). The group also learned about prize-winning US work in education recently recognized by the E Pluribus Unum awards, announced by the Migration Policy Institute in May 2009.

Discussions continued the next day, June 18 with a conference hosted by Bertelsmann and the German Federal Ministry of the Interior on “Shaping Diversity: Global and Local Action.”

Highlights included the results of a nationwide survey of immigrant attitudes to life in Germany. Most feel at home, but over 50% also feel excluded from full participation in German society and its institutions. Read more (in German).

For a panel discussion on ‘Diversity as a Global and Local Challenge,’ Maytree Foundation President Ratna Omidvar (Cities of Migration) joined Prof. Dr. Giuliano Amato, former Prime Minister of Italy, Prof. Dr. Ruud Koopmans, Director of Research, Social Science Research Centre (Berlin) and Trevor Phillips, Chair, UK Equality and Human Rights Commission, for a lively exchange on the relative importance of practice (local) and policy (national) in the integration debate.

For more about the “Shaping Diversity” meeting, visit the Bertelsmann website (in German). 

Integrationworkshop, Kerpen

With over 80 virtual attendees from around the world, the latest webinar delivered by Cites of Migration on June 9th was a great success!

The main presentation was given by Claudia Walther,project manager of integration and education at Bertelsmann Stiftung, our partner organization in Germany. Ms. Walther spoke about the organization’s integration workshops, which are designed for cities and municipalities.

To assist with the development of such workshops, the organization checked the pulse of the nation on issues related to the integration of newcomers to Germany.

Claudia noted that over the past few years, the debate in Germany has come to the conclusion that the issue of integration cannot be treated as an isolated matter, which only concerns the newcomer. Instead, it must be addressed in a manner that takes all stakeholders into account, and on the policy front, is multi-departmental in scope:  “It became more and more clear how important it is to develop strategies and activities together with migrants, not for migrants.”

To help cities develop their capacity to work out sustainable integration strategies, Bertelsmann established a ‘Integration Workshop” program that brings together an inclusive cross-section of city stakeholders for an intense 2-day session with experienced trainers.

Perhaps it was only ‘two’ days in the classroom –what we know from Annette Seiche of Kerpen, and feedback from Claudia, is that the workshops only go forward after a commitment to participate from a senior level of local government –the equivalent of a mayor or deputy mayor– and that this informal integration working group becomes the brains and engine driving the integration strategy forward long after the workshop is over.  In Kerpen, three months of post-workshop collaboration resulted in the November 2008 delivery of an action plan!

The workshops have received some high-level support from public officials. For example, the federal minister of integration in the district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Mr. Armin Laschet, played a key role in ensuring that cities within his jurisdiction could obtain 80 percent financial support by his ministry, which also deals with intergenerational affairs, family and women.

Currently, the “Bundesland Hessen” (federal state) has identified 5 “model-regions” for evaluating how effectively the the integration workshops deliver against their objectives. Using an  external evaluator, they intend to look at the whole workshop continuum -from preparatory meetings, workshop, post-workshop working group to integration strategy delivery and implementation–to measure impact and outcomes after 1 year, after 3 years, etc.

Have a look at our profile of the Integration Workshop programin Kerpen Germany –another Good Idea from Cities of Migration.

Learning Exchange Webinar: June 9, 2009

Today’s global cities are challenged by the rapid pace of urbanization and migration. The successful integration of immigrants is key to urban prosperity and quality of life for all city residents.  So, what is your city or town doing to face today’s integration challenge that is effective, accepted by long term residents and can endure over time?

This question and others were addressed by Claudia Walther, Bertelsmann Stiftung, and city guest, Annette Seiche, Integration Officer for the City of Kerpen, at the June 9, 2009, event in our Learning Exchange series.

The session focus was on the ‘Integration Workshop” program Bertelsmann has developed for helping local communities learn how to structure integration policy and programming in a way that is both inclusive and focused. The presentation included an outline of the recent activities of the Transatlantic Council on Migration on the theme of “Learning from the World, ” and introductory remarks from the distinguished Prof. Dr. Rita Süssmuth, former President of the German Bundestag, renowned for her contribution to the migration field.

The archived event is now available here.
For more information, see Past Events.

From Toronto and Auckland:

Webinar, July 28 & 29, 2009. ->Watch the archived event

Fulfilling the Promise: Integrating Immigrant Skills into the Urban Economy

Today’s global economy is characterized by unprecedented levels of labourforce mobility and growing levels of international trade. Research and common sense tells us that urban prosperity and well-being depends on the quality of welcome the newcomer receives and the relative success of the settlement and integration experience.

New Zealand City View

Cities that are able to harness the competitive advantage of diversity are able to reach into new markets, internationalize their customer base and benefit from skills and talent that fuel innovation and drive high performance. So how do successful cities do it?

Join Elizabeth McIsaac, Executive Director, of the internationally recognized Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council, to learn about TRIEC’s multisector approach to labour market integration and how corporate leadership can help you and your city benefit from the so-called “immigrant advantage”; with Justin Treagus, Program Director, OMEGA at the Committee of Auckland, New Zealand, and corporate partner and moderator Nick Main, Chairman, Deloitte New Zealand.

Now available online! To access the archived webinar, click here.

Read about OMEGA’s experience replicating the TRIEC model, see: From Alpha to Omega: Innovating in the Workplace.

Date (By Timezone)
July 28 in Toronto and western North America (note time zone)
16:00 in Vancouver and Los Angeles
19:00 in Toronto

July 29 in New Zealand and Australia (note time zone)
11:00 - 12:00 AM in Auckland NZ
8:30 AM in Adelaide
9:00 in AU (Melbourne Sydney, Brisbane)

Note: EU timezones are not compatible with the Toronto/New Zealand time of the webinar. For more information, please email citiesofmigration@maytree.com

Presenter bios

Elizabeth McIsaac
Executive Director, Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC)

Elizabeth McIsaac is the Executive Director of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC), a multi-stakeholder collaboration that identifies and implements local and practical solutions that lead to meaningful employment for skilled immigrants. Elizabeth has worked with TRIEC since it was launched in 2003 as a project of The Maytree Foundation. She has also held various positions at Maytree, most recently as the Director of Policy.

Before joining Maytree, Elizabeth was the Executive Director of the Association of International Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, and also worked in direct service with immigrant and refugee communities, as well as holding various roles in research and teaching.

Justin Treagus
Programme Director, OMEGA

Justin joined the Committee for Auckland as Omega’s Programme Director in January 2008. Justin brings a diverse array of experience in Leadership, Learning, Organisational Development and Change Management. His experience includes roles in Corporate, Consulting and Non Profit Organisations, with his work varying from developing E-Business capability within a global corporation, to piloting and developing a best practice adolescent peer leadership programme in Africa.

His passion for cultural diversity developed from living and working through South Africa’s transformation into a multicultural society and being part of a global organisation in Europe that actively pursued cultural diversity. Married to a Kiwi, Justin moved from Cape Town to New Zealand four years ago.

“All the girls with green on their t-shirts go to Jupiter!”

“Now, everyone with curly hair or who wears glasses go to Saturn!”

As these instructions are called out, a group of twenty boys and girls between 6-8 years old race between two cones (one labeled Jupiter and the other Saturn) , which are set in a local playing field about 20 meters apart.

As the game winds down and the children collapse in a circle on the grass, Monique, the camp counselor sits down with them and opens up a discussion. She asks questions such as:

• Did any of you end up alone on a planet during the game?
• Did you have a hard time knowing which planet you were supposed to go to?
• How did being stuck between the two make you feel?
• And, What did you end up doing when that happened?

This game, “From Saturn to Jupiter” is designed to promote an understanding of diversity by helping children become aware that while members of a group are all different, they also have many things in common and are fundamentally equal in terms of their human rights

It is just one of the many activities available in Play It Fair! an educational toolkit developed by Equitas, a Canadian NGO working to advance democracy, human development, peace and social justice through its human rights-based programs.

A Focus on the Future

Developed in collaboration with the City of Montreal, the Play It Fair! program is designed for children and youth between the ages of 6-12 years old and is used at summer day camps and after-school activities in several Canadian communities. The program has developed more than 60 games and activities to promote the core human rights values of cooperation, respect, fairness, inclusion, respect for diversity, responsibility and acceptance.

The games and activities in Play It Fair! serve as an early-intervention tool since they help children develop positive and constructive responses to conflict. The toolkit also includes specific training for counsellors and teachers who are brought to Montreal from across Canada to undergo a training session.

The Play It Fair! toolkit was originally developed by Equitas as part of the project “Preventing Racism and Discrimination: Preparing Canadian Children to Engage in a Multicultural Society”  undertaken with municipal agencies and community organizations involved in non-formal education programs for children and youth.

Its human-rights approach has been successful because it emphasizes commonality amongst children while teaching respect for difference. This essentially equitable and democratic approach appeals to children’s innate desire for fairness and invests in them the values and skills required to help build a more cohesive and equitable society for the future.

Success

According to Fréderic Hareau, Equitas’ Senior Program Officer, the program is effective because it engages children on a level that is age-appropriate while encouraging them to share their feelings during after-game discussions. “The children become much more conscious of difference and sameness and the games reinforce underlying human rights values, which promote a more harmonious society where everyone is respected.”

Some of the most common issues encountered by children include name-calling, bullying and racism, but Hareau believes change is possible.” In one borough of Montreal where the program was used,” he notes, “there was a reported decrease in physical aggression after a year’s use among 6-12 year olds.” Hareau also mentions that the use of racial slurs and absenteeism also became less common among the children.

In Toronto, David Hains, supervisor of community recreation with the City’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation division, is also convinced of the program’s merits. As a result, he’s pleased to see it break ground in Toronto where it has already reached 5,000 children. Last year, the program was implemented at 30 summer camps in Toronto; projections for 2009 are set for 100. And that’s not all….

“By the summer of 2010, we’re hoping to have the program running in all of Toronto’s approximately 130 summer camps in addition to some after-school programs,” Hains explains. “It’s been a great way to teach important life lessons to children and the biggest draw is that it’s done through a variety of fun games, which the children love.”

Play It Fair! has also successfully travelled to other cities across Canada and is now being used by children in Vancouver, Toronto, Winnipeg and Fredericton, Moncton and Dieppe in New Brunswick. Camp counsellors in all of these cities have confirmed that the games in the Play it Fair! toolkit help to reinforce the importance of having children respect one another. They always cite a decrease in verbal abuse, violence and intimidation and a marked improvement in team-spirit and participation. By 2008, the Play It Fair! toolkit had been used in over 200 camps and approximately 2,000 instructors and over 40,000 children had been reached.

First Nations post-script

The program is also winning admirers with Canada’s First Nations community. Ma Mawi, a Winnipeg-based organization that works with First Nations families began using Play It Fair! in 2006.

“The program was easy to adapt”, says Sande MacKinnon, a former youth program coordinator who still maintains an affiliation with Ma Mawi. “We stressed the similarities between human rights values and those of our own culture, and the children really liked that.”

“The program’s incredibly effective,” MacKinnon says. “As instructors, we’re not only teaching, but we’re learning ourselves. Children have so much to say and they need to be given back their voices. This program really helps with that.”

Most recently, in May 2009, the success of the Play if Fair! program in Montreal won Equitas the Anne Greenup Prize at this year’s Prix Québécois de la citoyenneté at the National Assembly in Quebec City. The Anne Greenup prize recognizes contributions in the fight against racism by a non-profit organization.

Integrationworkshop, Kerpen

How do we go about creating communities that are cohesive and responsive to the reality of increased immigration? In the city of Kerpen, a group of city managers and community representatives came together to brainstorm that question over a two-day workshop hosted by the Bertelsmann Foundation. Three months later, the city had a comprehensive integration strategy based on Kerpen’s particular population, history and the will of its people.

“It was an open, friendly experience resulting in a great sense of community,” says Annette Seiche, Integration Officer for the City of Kerpen. ” It also smoothed the way for further political activity, helped spread accurate information, conveyed a constructive sense of the importance of the work and improved the willingness of politicians to fund it.”

With more than 15 million non-Germans making Germany their home and one in every three school children having non-German roots, turning this perceived challenge into an opportunity to engage a variety of stakeholders and make a difference was seen as essential to Bertelsmann Stiftung, a German-based foundation committed to serving the common good.

With a business mindset and results-based approach, Bertelsmann responded to this challenge with a series of actions that included an innovative integration workshop program designed to help local government and community stakeholders work together to develop strategies that accelerate the integration of immigrants into their new communities.

As Claudia Walther, Program Manager, Integration and Communities, at Bertelsmann Stiftung explains, “It became more and more clear [to us] how important it is to develop strategies and activities together, with migrants, not for migrants.”

Developing a culturally responsive structure

Bertelsman’s Integration Workshop program was developed in response to the overwhelming level of interest generated by an earlier national competition entitled “Successful integration is no coincidence - Strategies for community policy” that was launched by the Bertelsmann Foundation and the German Ministry of the Interior in 2005.

107 cities made submissions, and three winners were selected: the cities of Stuttgart (large), Solingen (medium) and the district of Hersfeld-Rotenburg (small). Winning communities were able to address integration challenges constructively while recognizing the potential of immigration to contribute to city success. Their integration policies were developed and implemented using an inclusive, participatory process that recognized all stakeholders and promised sustainable outcomes.

The competition resulted in the creation of the practical Demographie-Konkret website, a collection of “best practices” based on successful integration practice and policy in 27 German cities -to which a further 10 international practices have since been added. It also produced a guide to integration policy with “10 recommendations for success,” including the importance of establishing political commitment, securing and activating citizen participation and recognizing cities as employers requiring well-administered HR policies on diversity.

According to Claudia Walther, checking the pulse of the nation was essential “because it showed us that the issue of integration cannot be treated as an isolated matter that only concerns the newcomer. Instead, it must be addressed in a manner that takes all stakeholders into account, including immigrants, civil society organizations, educational institutions and politicians at all levels and in various departments.”

Further analysis determined that practical local solutions were needed for the successful integration of immigrants into German society. The model chosen by Bertelsmann: integration workshops held in local communities, especially those heavily populated by immigrants. Bertelsmann wisely decided that local leadership was also needed of the workshops were to be successful. The participation, and not just the commitment, of the local mayor or deputy mayor in the workshop was made a condition of city eligibility.

As Klaus Herzog, Mayor of Aschaffenburg, one of the pilot sites for the workshops, confirmed: “The first step always is that there needs to be mental changes - the consciousness of people needs to change. You need to define fields of action, and you have to develop concrete activities.” Then, Herzog continues, ” It is important to have sustainability…and to always evaluate the process. Where are we now, what were we able to reach, what has still to be done.”

Integration Workshops in action

The two-day Integration Workshop program was launched in 2007 with the assistance of three experienced moderators, and then tested in two cities before being offered to local managers and representatives from the following target groups: community-level policymakers in decision-making positions; public administrators at all relevant levels; immigrants and members of immigrant-serving organizations.

On the first day, participants are asked to evaluate the community’s current situation through activities ranging from an assessment of prevailing attitudes towards integration to an evaluation of existing projects and analysis of local data. Questions addressed included: “What does ‘integration” mean in our community?” and “What do current facts and figures imply regarding population trends, economics and social affairs?”

On the second day, participants were asked to think about the current situation in their city with questions such as, “What is the untapped potential that immigrants have to offer?” and “What might on-the-ground community project management and networking efforts look like? “

Hard-hitting questions and group brainstorming resulted in greater insight and awareness of the situation in Kerpen, one that is informed by the various perspectives of each and every participant.  Summing up her workshop experience in Kerpen, Annette Seiche feels that the workshops have helped to break down barriers and as a result, are very effective.

“They brought people and institutions closer together, helped to clear up prejudices and made it possible to see what Kerpen in particular needs to make its integration strategy a success. ” In short, the integration workshop was…” an entirely positive experience for everyone.”

For more information on the Bertelsmann Integration Workshop program, visit the Bertelsmann website.

Rita Cheng

If genuine integration is a mutual dynamic between the newly arrived and the local community - then “success” happens when “community” is no longer defined primarily by ethnicity, religion or culture.

As Superior Tofu, a Vancouver based business describes it, “Our heritage is Chinese. Our roots are family and the local community - regardless of ethnic origin.”

In 2007, to celebrate their 25th anniversary, Superior Tofu created the Superior Tofu Community Fund with the help of the Vancouver Foundation. The purpose of the fund was to help them give back this community at large.

To date, this has included donations to the Richmond Hospital, the Children’s Hospital, the Royal Columbian Hospital, Red Cross, United Way and Breast Cancer Foundation. Superior Tofu also sponsors regular community events throughout the City and donates significant amounts of tofu to local schools for their lunch programs.

Founded in 1982, Superior Tofu is the result of three generations of tofu making knowledge. This Vancouver based business now produces a variety of tofu and tofu products from soy desserts, drinks to tofu puffs. They have annual sales in the millions and continue to grow their markets- with a current focus on exporting into China.

For Rita Cheng, the President of Superior Tofu and founder of the Superior Tofu Community Fund, both the business and the ability to now give back to her community is an immigration story that has come full circle.

“I grew up with stories of my grandparents’ tofu store, which they started in Vancouver in the 1940’s. My grandfather made tofu in an old building situated in the outskirts of Chinatown. The small, ground-level rented room served its purpose well. My grandparents lived upstairs in the same building in small living quarters. As an entrepreneur, Grandpa sold and delivered his hand-crafted tofu blocks in big white pails filled with water. He towed his old red wagon daily through the Chinatown streets delivering his tofu orders” reminisces Rita. See video.

The Superior Tofu Community Fund that Rita created operates like a savings account that will grow, and each year, a portion of the income generated will be used by the company to offer grants to non-profits of their choosing. The choice of a community fund was deliberate since, “I wanted to give back on a permanent basis,” explains Rita. A community foundation focuses on addressing all kinds of needs in the local community as well as building legacies in those communities. A community foundation can offer advice to its donors on emerging community needs, innovative projects and opportunities to make a real impact.

Rita admits that the experience of her family have given her a soft spot for issues that relate to new immigrants, but says to open to all projects and charities that need her support. “We’re all here as part of the bigger community of humankind. My goal is to work to improve people’s lives - whatever that may be or whatever they may need - whether it is music lessons, a place to live or whatever.”

Asylum seeking woman: [thinking] She asked a few questions, so I told her about being in detention…
Ticket Inspector: Do we do this in Britain? Do we lock people like you up? And babies?
Asylum seeking woman: Yes, in places like Yarl’s Wood [removal centre].
Ticket Inspector: My God. What did you do again?
Asylum seeking woman: Nothing. I came to Britain to ask for asylum, but I was refused.
Ticket Inspector: I thought prisons were for people who were criminals or something. I’m so, so sorry…

This interchange comes from Asylum Dialogues, performances that show acts of solidarity between British people towards asylum seekers by the theatre company iceandfire. The dialogues incorporate real conversations between three couples, one asylum seeker, and one British citizen and document the positive transformations created by their encounters.

Asylum Dialogues was launched for Refugee Week 2008 in conjunction with a national British charity, Refugee Action. In 2008 the tour included Derby, London, Liverpool and Bristol. This year, the tour is going to seven of the ten British Cities of Sanctuary: Swansea, Norwich, Oxford, Bristol, Sheffield, Leicester, and London. The partnership between IceandFire and Cities of Sanctuary made sense as they both aim to recognize and strengthen the solidarity between British people and asylum seekers.  Iceandfire bring Actors for Human Rights, and the Cities of Sanctuary bring the audience.

The Leicester City of Sanctuary estimates that there are at least 2,000 asylum seekers in Leicester, 25% of which are destitute. Asylum Dialogues aims to raise awareness about human rights concerns among the public such as destitution, in addition to personalizing the experiences of being an asylum seeker in Britain.

As a theatre group, their audience can be larger and more diverse than traditional campaigning organizations, potentially reaching members of the public who might be  unaware or apathetic to refugee and asylum issues. One audience member of the 2008 tour commented that the performance was, “enlightening, amazing, heart-wrenching, exactly the kind of truth that should be presented on the British stage today.”

Background

Iceandfire is a theatre company that explores human rights stories through performance across four work strands: production, outreach, education and participation. It was established in London in 2003 by playwright Sonja Linden. The outreach arm of iceandfire is their Actors for Human Rights, which was established in 2006 to replicate the success the original Actors for Human Rights in Melbourne, Australia.

It began as a handful of actors, made through contacts of iceandfire. Christine Bacon, co-Artistic Director commented, “Some actors have told us that they had no understanding of what the asylum system was like until the reading… and then they become ambassadors.” Through word of mouth the network has grown to over 400 professional actors and musicians who contribute their skills voluntarily.

Actors for Human Rights’ flagship performance was the Asylum Monologues, which presented testimonies of people’s experiences with the UK asylum system. They were intertwined with public opinion, political statements and statistical fact.  An audience member from Oxford remarked on the effect of the performance, “It really brought home just how easy it is to demonise asylum seekers and just how ignorant a lot of people are about the issues, including myself.”

Since June 2006, over 20,000 people have seen the work and 91% of the audience members have said that seeing Asylum Monologues has encouraged them to become more actively involved in asylum and refugee issues. As well, the response from the people who have shared their stories of asylum has been universally positive. Other refugees and asylum seekers have likewise given Actors for Human Rights their encouragement and support, recognizing a bit of their own experience in the stories.

See 13 minute sample video of Asylum Dialogues; click here.

Last year Abdikarim and his wife Fawzia were given great news. The Home Office - the UK department responsible for immigration control - wrote to inform them that they and their two young daughters had been given UK refugee status.  In the UK, gaining “refugee status” means they have have indefinite leave to remain in the UK and also the right to work (on their previous status as “asylum seekers Abdikarim and Fawzia were not permitted to have any employment).  The change in legal status means that their access to state benefits and state supported accommodation would end in 28 days.

Eager to seek employment, Abdikarim and Fawzia were also worried by the reality that they now had less than a month in which to both find employment and save a sufficient amount for a private rental.

In Sheffield, like much of England, the demand for social housing is high with 18,000 households bidding annually for around 3,000 council vacancies. High demand for housing all over England in the context of a housing shortage has meant that there is an affordability crisis in the private property market. The average house price in Sheffield is seven times the average household income, and most of the new housing that has been built is city centre flats rather than family homes. The result is that families are being forced into poor quality or unsuitable housing.  

This is especially true for refugees since they often have limited knowledge with regards to finding and acquiring cheap and suitable accommodation and limited savings to put towards upfront costs and fees such as the deposit.

Still recovering from the stress of their flight from Somalia and the difficulties in setting up in the UK, the additional worry of where he would house his family began to take a toll on Abdikairm’s mental and physical health - further eroding his confidence just as he was in the process of applying for jobs. 

Addressing the housing needs of refugees

Housing shortages often have a disproportionate impact on refugees, increasing their already fragile social balance.  The Housing Associations’ Charitable Trust (hact) is a London based charity that has been attempting to create housing solutions for refugees and migrants for the past 15 years of their 45 years of operation.

Hact aims to develop, test and promote practical housing solutions to improve social inclusion in all segments of society, but also with particular projects aimed at older people and migrants and refugees. As part of the work on refugees, in 2004, Hact launched Accommodate, a programme targeted towards refugees. The aim is to help meet housing demand in refugee communities in five cities in England. Accommodate was a time limited project that helped to facilitate partnerships between refugee community organizations (RCOs), housing associations, local authorities and other voluntary and statutory agencies. Bringing these groups together would then allow a housing action plan to be created that incorporates both the current and projected housing needs of refugees in each partner city. These action plans however were not limited to getting refugees into housing but aimed to promote the wider integration of refugees by including their needs into mainstream thinking and practice in the area of housing policy.

Accommodate Sheffield

Somali Mental Health Project (MAAN) is a refugee community organization (RCO) which has been in operation since 1994 providing free specialist mental health services within the Somali community in Sheffield which can include anything from counseling, interpreting, home visits, to information and assistance on housing, health and social services. Individuals like Abdikarim who are encountering mental health problems, such as from the stresses of seeking asylum, unemployment and khat addiction, can turn to MAAN for help in identifying the right health services, making appointments and being part of conversations with the doctor. As a result of fifteen years of working in the Somali community, MAAN is well known for its ability to successfully offer culturally appropriate services for Somalis.

MAAN, therefore, was a strong contender for hact’s national call for partnerships because of its clear sense of purpose, its connection and reputation in the community, its existing resources, and strong organizational structures. MAAN became the lead partner in Accommodate Sheffield, a partnership that consisted of refugee community organizations, housing associations, health service providers, Sheffield Hallam University and Sheffield City Council. The goal of the Sheffield partnership was to build capacity amongst the different partners. Smaller RCOs could learn how to extend their service provision from larger organizations and local mainstream agencies, such as council and health services, could benefit in training and raising awareness on refugee mental health and housing issues. As well, all organizations would work to improve access and quality of services for this group. For example, their Refugee Housing and Well-Being Awareness Day in 2006 had presentations on housing, the private rented sector and  mental health promotion. It brought in over 100 attendees. 

In addition to increasing the impact of service  delivery, the Sheffield-based partnership influenced local and national mental health strategies by raising awareness of refugee issues through their substantial casework. During the partnership, destitution among asylum-seekers became a pressing issue for the partnership organizations to address. In 2006, they had over 400 cases in just the Kurdish community alone.  Because these individuals do not qualify for benefits and often receive no support, the partnership made it their duty to ensure they received the appropriate support.

Building agendas based on city need

Accommodate Sheffield was just one of five partnerships that made up  the second phase of Accommodate that focused on the delivery of practical services. The first phase saw the creation of ten city partnerships across England, with each partnership developing action plans to reflect the social needs and realities of the given area. Five of the ten partnerships were then given small grants to implement their action plans over a two year period.

Different cities developed housing actions plans that reflected their partnerships interests as well as the needs of the local refugee communities. For example, Accommodate Bolton involved its Somali community in a refugee-led community initiative focused on investing in a number of properties. Accommodate Bradford focused on providing advice to refugees during their ‘transition period’ as described in Abdikarim and Fawzia’s case. As well, refugees and young volunteers from disadvantaged backgrounds worked together to refurbish the properties in which participants were to live for the Accommodate Leeds. The Accommodate North West Birmingham partnership sought empowerment through a different means, as there the refugees advocated the needs and aspirations of their communities to housing and regeneration policy makers and practitioners.

The Sheffield partnership built a network of organizations to raise the awareness of the link between refugee mental health and housing with the aim of improving integration. The project was true to the concept of integration, in that the aim was to provide better services to refugee communities, to enable their access to services, and also to influence mainstream services and policies to recognize the presence and needs of refugees. The partnerships enabled participants to learn and build on each other’s expertise while also addressing immediate concerns such as the destitution of refused asylum seekers. Through is partnerships,  MAAN has developed beyond its original mission and now extends its services to other refugee communities.

Success

“My children are in school, myself and my wife are both working, which are good indications of the future. God willing, we intend to join the rest of the Sheffield community in developing Sheffield, the United Kingdom and the world at large! God Bless!”     – Asylum seeker, hact report ‘Between Nass and a Hard Place’

The success of Accommodate comes from its recognition for the need of cross services delivery - in this case that refugees often face unique mental stresses as a result of their journeys and that assistance with practical issues such as housing can do a great deal to alleviate these pressures.   As well, the strong role of partnerships that were also focused on a common aim, was another essential component of their success. All five partnerships were based in different areas of recent refugee migration and provided lessons for the future of refugee and new migrant housing provision. The aims included building better partnerships, pioneering housing and support solutions for refugees, empowering refugee community organizations, and changing policy and practice. 

Most evenings on the way home from work, Dewei Lee stops by the library to browse for books or newspapers from his native China or to pick up DVDs and other resources that help him improve his English and his hopes for a better job. Currently studying computer programming and employed part time as a janitor, Dewei can’t afford to spend anything extra on recreational reading material or English classes.

“It’s a very helpful place for the immigrant people,” Dewei said of the library. “I come to use the internet, to read the papers and to attend their classes and to meet other people.”

Public libraries have long played an essential role in the integration and settlement of urban immigrants. As libraries across the United States shape their collections and program offerings to better serve the needs of changing demographics, the Queens Public Library, one of New York City’s three independent library systems serves as a model for how libraries can play a vital role in integrating newcomers to American society.

As early as 1977, the Queens Library system was demonstrating leadership in its positioning of the library as responsive institution ready to adapt its collections and services to meet the needs of the changing composition of the city borough’s population.

Enmi Sung Kendall

Queens County in New York City is one of the most diverse counties in the United States, with more than 55% of its population speaking a language other than English at home. Residents of the area come from across the globe including China, Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, South Asia, Latin America, the Philippines, Korea, Poland, and Ireland.

As newcomers settle and then migrate in and out of the borough, the population demographics are constantly shifting and changing. Keeping the library system responsive to the needs of this evolving community required a proactive and flexible approach. Hear stories from library users like Enmi Sung Kendall.

The Queens Public Library collection is regularly updated to ensure that it remains relevant to the changing community. The success that Queens Public Library had had in tapping into the needs of their surrounding community is reflected in their circulation rates.

The library system is the nation’s busiest, circulating more than 23 million books, videos, music and other library items in 70 languages in 2007. In August 2008 the most recently released copy of the “PLD Public Library Statistical Report 2008″ showed that the Queens Public Library topped all U.S. public library circulation with over 21,000,000 items lent, confirming their first place ranking for national circulation levels.

Expanding their offer

The programs at the Queens Public Library also reflect their longstanding commitment to serving this diverse community. The home page is available in six languages and as part of the “New Americans Program” (NAP) launched in 1977, the library regularly holds free lectures and seminars to help new immigrants access information, often in their native languages, on conducting job searches, social services, citizenship as well as parenting classes to help make the transition easier for newly arrived children. It was under the New Americans Program that the Library first began building an international collection of resources based on the demographic study of the populations living near the library system. The program includes a stream of cultural projects such as free readings, concerts and workshops celebrating the literary, performance and folk art from immigrants in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The success of the New Americans program (NAP) remains strong. In 2005 they offered over 73 coping skills programs in 9 languages which attracted 1,300 people and they organized over 84 cultural and arts programs drawing 6,500 participants. Offerings ranged from discussions of workplace rights and of Islam in Spanish, to dance workshops, author visits, and health seminars on obesity.

The library’s ESOL programs were so popular that in 2000 the library created a new Adult Learner Program to oversee the ESOL classes formerly offered through the New Americans Program, as well as family literacy and adult learning center programming. Today, the Queens Public Library ESOL program is the largest library-managed ESOL program in the country. Approximately 100 semester-long free classes are offered per year serving between 2,500 and 3,000 students, taught by paid, professional instructors.

Other project streams have developed around the second language programs based on demand and need. For instance, the Adult Learner Program set up computer labs in early 2005 to teach basic computer skills to ESOL students. Hundreds of students have already taken these free classes. In 2002, a family literacy program was created to offer classes for pre-kindergarten and K-3 aged children and their caregivers at the library. The classes prepare caregivers and children on what to expect in American schools, helps parents understand the educational system here, and teaches them how to be advocates for their children.

Long Standing Success
The Queens Public Library has been a community hub and national leader in immigrant integration for over thirty years. This success is due in part to their consistent focus on the ebbs and flows of immigration in the community they serve. The Library was the first in the US to use a demographer to conduct detailed analyses of the population within its library service areas. This data is used to inform international collection development, design ESOL classes and living skills workshops in multi-languages and to plan cultural events for area newcomers. The demographer also provides accessible reports on Queens population data and posts them to the website for the benefit of the public.

The Library also benefits from its long history and aggressive approach to community relations. In the early years of the New Americans Program, library staff conducted regular and focused outreach into the community to ensure that immigrants were aware of the libraries’ programs and not afraid to use them.As the Queens Public Library programs have grown over time, so too has their impact on the community. For instance, in January 2007 the Library partnered with the Queens Hospital system to help address issues of health literacy in the community with the creation of HealthLinks an initiative designed to improve access to cancer screening and care in under-served communities. The Library has similarly partnered with the Queens Museum and the Queens Health Network to provide on-site ESOL classes. In 2008 Queens Library partnered with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs to facilitate the process for immigrants wanting to apply for the Diversity Visa Lottery (DV-2010). On a national level, the Queens Library is working with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the American Library Association on a compilation of library best practices for use around the country to promote immigrant integration. The best practices guide will be issued by USCIS.

Most recently the Queens Library was listed as a 2009 Finalist for the prestigious E Pluribus Unum Prize coordinated by the Migration Policy Institute to recognise the efforts of those who are creating more unified communities by strengthening the relationship between native and foreign born Americans.

How does a city know if their integration efforts are being successful?

While anecdotal evidence and observation is useful, it is often not enough when it comes to planning and implementing policy and programming. For instance, what if a city needs or wants to know the percentage of children with migration backgrounds that are attending the local kindergarten in order to effectively track these numbers and decide whether the existing efforts are successful or if they need to be adapted?

Developing strategically planned and successful integration policies requires up-to-date, accessible data that maps a city’s population to reliable social and economic indicators of well-being. Yet demographic data in this area is often poorly maintained, incomplete, inconsistent or inaccessible. How can city planners and community actors measure their progress or learn from one another without access to standardized data in easy to use formats?

With these concerns and questions in mind, the Bertelsmann Stiftung partnered with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia’s Ministry of Integration (MGFFI) and the GEBIT Institute in Münster to create an on-line database which provides data on community level integration and allows German cities to answer these and other demographic and data related questions.

This project known as, “Wegweiser Kommune” covers approximately 85% of the German population and has become the first ever nationwide resource with data, projections and ideas at the municipal level. The site provides users with current data and facts about immigrant integration as well as analysis of the effects that these demographic developments are having. This data is available for all cities and municipalities in Germany that have 5,000 or more residents.

While the project was intended for municipal policy and management decision makers, it is also an open public resource, freely available to other interested municipal stakeholders and citizens.

The impact of having this data available is significant. It allows for an equitable and objective comparison of municipalities which in turn allows local governments and other actors to assess what policies are working, which need to be changed and as a result of the increased transparency between regions - which ideas or initiatives can and should be duplicated.

About

Wegweiser Kommune is an interactive platform that allows complex contents to be searched and viewed in a variety of media compatible and interactive forms.

Data, studies and ideas on municipal issues such as demographic change, economics and employment, housing, social status and integration can all be interactively displayed and examined from an interdisciplinary perspective.

For instance, a user can choose a municipality and find out the number of foreign students graduates living there that tare taking the Abitur (the university entrance qualifications examination) as compared to the total number of graduates. This data can then be compared with data from the district, the state and up to 5 other municipalities. The result of this comparison can indicate whether there is a need for action in that area. A similar approach can also be used to compare data related to “job integration” and “social status.”

If the figures from other cities and districts are better, then best practice examples from those cities can be used for guidance. The result? through the Wegweiser Kommune, hard data can be used to provide key learnings from other cities and to prompt the implementation of improved integration strategies and measures.

The Wegweiser also provides population projections for 2025, individual demographic reports as well as action plans that can be generated dynamically using flexible criteria.

The strength of the Wegweiser Kommune is that the data is defined by consistency, clarity, practicality and relevancy.

Success

Since its launch in 2006, Wegweiser Kommune has received over 1 million visitors. It is considered the key knowledge platform for policy decision makers and strategic planners and recognized as an essential tool in actively supporting sustainable municipal policies –on the cutting edge of modern social knowledge management.

Cities may have always used statistical information as powerful tools for planning and knowledge management, but projects like the Wegweiser Kommune are demonstrating creative ways in which such data can be put to use for social change and competitive advantage. Other cities are also examining how open data initiatives or social mapping exercises can be leveraged to support better integration and social policy.

Harvey Low, from the City of Toronto’s Social Policy and Analysis & Research Section, comments, “We are in the midst of releasing an information portal that will help both municipal government and community sector organizations use data to map critical social indicators to specific questions and issues and will allow us to examine the effectiveness of our social inclusion strategy.” Low also points out that data liberation projects like these also level the playing field and foster collaboration and a more unified multi-sector approach to tackling city issues like poverty.

Imagine coming to a new city, from across the globe, unsure of the local language or customs and with little support from friends or family. A small gesture, a welcoming sign and a reassurance that you are wanted and welcome in this new community could make all the difference.

The “City of Sanctuary” movement is intended to build a culture of municipal hospitality for people seeking sanctuary in the UK and with it dispel the misconceptions around refugees and instead, create an environment of broad based support and understanding for their reality.

In 2007, with the support of the City Council and over 70 other local organisations the City of Sheffield became the UK’s first “City of Sanctuary.”

The City of Sanctuary movement compares itself to the idea of a “Fairtrade City.” In the latter a wide range of community groups and organisations make a commitment to using and selling fair trade goods. Similarly, in a “City of Sanctuary” a broad range of local organisations, community groups and faith communities, as well as the local government publicly commit to welcoming, supporting and including within the community all those people seeking sanctuary.

Craig Barnett, the City of Sanctuary national coordinator says that the project aims to dispel misconceptions and build a culture of hospitality. “It’s about offering a positive vision of our city as a place of sanctuary,” he says.

The Journey to Sanctuary

Since 2005, 96 organisations in Sheffield, including schools, community projects, student groups and faith communities, have made a commitment to welcoming asylum seekers. Their role is to offer friendship and advocacy and invite asylum seekers within their organisations to participate and hold positions of responsibility.

Donna Covey, chief executive of the Refugee Council cites the mix of grassroots support as one of the unique aspects of the Sheffield City of Sanctuary Movement. “It comes from the wider community. These aren’t people who work in the refugee sector or campaigners necessarily. They are just ordinary members of the public who want to provide a place of safety to people who are forced to flee to the UK.”

The journey towards becoming a “City of Sanctuary” began when community and faith groups pledged their support to the idea. Over the next two years, the movement grew and Sheffield city council came on board. Supporting organisations agreed on a long-term vision of inclusion for asylum seekers and refugees, set out in a ‘City of Sanctuary Manifesto’. These include ambitious goals for the participation of people seeking sanctuary in city life, and their access to essential services and support such as education, healthcare and accommodation.

Gathering wide community support and drawing up an inclusion strategy are two of the main criteria for becoming a City of Sanctuary.

The City of Sheffield estimates that around 1000 asylum seekers are supported in Sheffield by the government’s UK Border Agency, plus up to 1000 who have had their claims refused but who are unable or unwilling to leave the UK - however, it is not possible to estimate how many asylum seekers the project has helped as its purpose is to spread goodwill and change cultures rather than offer direct assistance.

Among the successes visible around Sheffield are signs throughout the city that read, “We welcome asylum seekers and refugees”.

A Growing Movement

Since Sheffield led the way by becoming a City of Sanctuary, the movement has grown across the UK. There are now an increasing number of City of Sanctuary working groups in towns and cities in the UK including Bradford, Bristol, Coventry, Leicester, London, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Sheffield and Swansea.

This national network of groups meets regularly to share learning, supported by a national co-ordinator who is responsible for promoting the movement throughout the UK. The national City of Sanctuary movement has also published a handbook ‘Becoming a City of Sanctuary’, which contains guidance on building a local initiative, and case studies from City of Sanctuary groups around the UK.

For some organisations, the challenge is that unlike other projects, the concept of a City of Sanctuary is not one based on fixed numbers or quantifiable targets, but rather a long-term vision of cultural change.

It is also an idea with global interest. In the United States, approximately 31 cities have designated themselves Sanctuary Cities. For instance, in 1989, San Francisco passed the “City of Refuge” Ordinance (Sanctuary Ordinance) which prohibits City employees from helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with immigration investigations or arrests unless such help is required by federal law or warrant. The Ordinance is rooted in the Sanctuary Movement of the 1980’s when churches across the country provided a refuge to Central Americans fleeing civil wars in their countries.

Mayor Gavin Newson of the City of San Francisco and Supervisor Tom Ammiano recently re-affirmed this commitment to being a City of Refuge when they launched a public awareness campaign to promote San Francisco’s “sanctuary” policy for undocumented residents and to assure all residents that accessing city services does not make an individual vulnerable to federal immigration authorities. “As a Sanctuary City, San Francisco has and will continue to provide compassionate services to all immigrants regardless of status,” said Supervisor Ammiano.

March 24, 2009

Webinar: Routes to belonging: the role of cities in the civic and political integration of immigrants. Click here to view archived webinar.

The first event in our 2009 series is on the role of cities in accelerating the civic and political integration of immigrants, with city representatives from Dublin and New Haven, Connecticut. Join us for a 60 minute seminar about successful municipal integration strategies, introduced by Howard Duncan, International Metropolis project, and hosted by Ratna Omidvar, Maytree. Revised participants include:

Cormac O’Donnell, Strategic Policy Manager, Intercultural Unit
Dublin City Council (Ireland)

Kica Matos, Community Services Administrator
City of New Haven, Connecticut (USA)

Howard Duncan, Executive Head, International Metropolis
Project, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (Canada)

Both of these cities are featured in our Good Ideas in Integration collection for their groundbreaking work: Dublin for its recent immigrant voting campaign, and New Haven for its brave “Elm City ID” card for non citizens, the first of its kind in the USA.

Click here for archived webinar. For further information: citiesofmigration@maytree.com

Time: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 (Past event)

Registration is closed. These are free, open learning events.*
* Registration is limited, so please register early.
* No special technical requirements; see registration for details.

Participant Bios

Kica Matos
Community Services Administrator
City of New Haven, Connecticut

Kica Matos is the Community Services Administrator with the City of New Haven, Connecticut. Ms. Matos is formerly the Executive Director of Junta for Progressive Action, New Haven’s oldest Latino, community based organization. She is also a clinical visiting lecturer in law at Yale Law School. For most of her adult life, she has devoted herself to advocacy in the area of human rights and civil rights, working in non-profit organizations including Amnesty International and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. In 2005 she was the recipient of the national “New Frontier” award.

Cormac O’Donnell,
Strategic Policy Manager, Intercultural Unit
Dublin City Council

Cormac O’Donnell is the Strategic Policy Manager of the Intercultural Unit of Dublin City Council. He has undertaken and overseen an array of research and consultative work in the areas of housing, social inclusion, new community development, interculturalism and integration and led the development of policy and practice at local government level. In 2008 Cormac coordinated Dublin’s 2008 Migrant Voters Registration Initiative. Cormac’s was awarded a 2008 ‘Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Award’ for his work with the Central-Eastern European Network.

Howard Duncan
Executive Head, International Metropolis Secretariat
Ottawa, Canada

Howard Duncan is the Executive Head, International Metropolis Secretariat, Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Metropolis is an international network for comparative research and public policy development on migration, diversity, and immigrant integration in cities in Canada and around the world.

In 1997, Howard joined the Metropolis Project as its International Project Director and became the Executive Head of International Metropolis in 2002. He has concentrated on increasing the Project’s benefits to the policy community by creating effective opportunities for direct and frank exchange between researchers, practitioners, and policy makers, increasing Metropolis’ geographic reach, and expanding the range of issues it confronts.

Ratna Omidvar
President, Maytree
Toronto, Canada

Ratna Omidvar is President of Maytree. Maytree is a private Canadian charitable foundation established in 1982, committed to reducing poverty and inequality in Canada and to building strong civic communities. Maytree is Canada’s only private foundation that focuses on the acceleration of immigrant and refugee settlement. Maytree has developed well-recognized in-house expertise on creating and implementing practical solutions through its programs, policy insights and grants. As an independent voice, Maytree has demonstrated its capacity to raise public awareness and to speak on the issue of immigrant inclusion from a basis of fact and substance, and in the interest of nation building.

Ratna also serves as a director of the Toronto City Summit Alliance. She was the first executive director of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) and is its founding chair. In 2006, Ratna was appointed to the Order of Ontario.

April 29, 2009
Webinar: Dealing With Diabetes and Other Everyday Dilemmas: The Maslaha Project. Click here to view archived webinar

Some of the greatest integration challenges occur during the essential transactions of everyday life: a visit to the doctor, a meeting at your child’s school or paying a bill in a bank. Established by the Young Foundation and one of our featured Good Ideas, the Maslaha Project provides practical information to help the Islamic community navigate cultural issues to do with healthcare, education, family life, finance, and civic and democratic engagement.

‘Maslaha’ translates from Arabic as ‘for the common good’ and the website aims to open up new creative spaces to ask questions and share knowledge, as well as addressing significant social issues by working closely with communities and public services in areas such as health and education.

From the city of London, join Raheel Mohammed, Project Lead, Maslaha Project, and colleague Natalia Chan for a presentation on the innovative approaches used by Maslaha to provide culturally sensitive and practical information about Islam, and to open dialogue on some of the most pressing social issues of the day. Videos, audio recordings and a unique design combined with active engagement with local communities all help deliver effective practical solutions to the daily challenges faced by minority communities.

From the City of Chicago, home to the largest Muslim population in the United States join moderator Alya Adamany from The Chicago Council on Global Affairs with questions and commentary from Kyle Ismail from The Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN).

Raheel Mohammed, Maslaha Project
Young Foundation, London (UK)

Natalia Chan, Maslaha Project
Young Foundation, London (UK)

Alya Adamany, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Chicago, (USA)

Kyle Ismail, Inner-city Muslim Action Network (IMAN)
Chicago, (USA)

For an introduction to the health strand of Maslaha, have a look at the Diabetes in Tower Hamlets website. Maslaha’s pilot project looks at health issues in Tower Hamlets, a London borough with one of the highest levels of religious diversity in the UK. The interactive website offers advice on diet, exercise, and Ramadan both from a medical and Islamic perspective and is used by both medical staff and patients to help advise on diabetes.

Time: Tuesday, April 29, 2009

9:00 — 10:00 (CDT Chicago)
10:00 — 11:00 (EDT Canada and US)
15:00 — 16:00 (UK and Ireland)
16:00 — 17:00 (Germany and EU)

Registration is now closed. Look for the archived webinar in the next few days.

These are free, open learning events.*
* Registration is limited, so please register early.
* No special technical requirements; see registration for details.

For further information: citiesofmigration@maytree.com.

Speakers

Raheel Mohammed, Maslaha Project
Young Foundation, London (UK)
Raheel leads on the Maslaha project, which focuses on promoting a greater understanding of Islam for Muslims and non-Muslims and finding practical solutions for Muslim communities and public services in areas such as health and education. Maslaha’s health strand is currently leading the way in the UK in combining faith and medical advice in helping to change patients’ behaviour.

Raheel has also been profiled in The Guardian newspaper, in a supplement focusing on social pioneers. He was selected for the Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow Conference in Doha, as well as taking part in the Religion and Democracy in Europe Initiative, the US International Visitor Leadership Program and the UK Race and Europe Network’s project on ‘Muslim Youth and Active Citizenship’. He has also spoken on a number of issues: at the Royal Geographical Society about global citizenship and and democracy; and at the 2008 NHS London conference - ‘Innovating for a World City’.

Raheel also helped set up and was the Assistant Director at the Offscreen Education Programme, advising on and initiating education programmes designed to raise awareness of Middle East and Muslim cultures through art in partnership with organisations such as the British Museum and City Hall. He has a background in journalism and has written a number of articles around issues facing Muslim communities, including an article in Time Out magazine for which he was awarded awarded the CRE Race in the Media award. After the July 7 bombings he worked with a number of reconciliation and inter-faith organisations to help them focus on the most relevant issues facing young Muslims today.

Natalia Chan, Maslaha Project
Young Foundation, London (UK)
Natalia Chan is Research Associate for Maslaha. She has previously worked at the Young Foundation in a variety of roles, including external affairs, developing the Young Foundation website to a high standard, as well as providing in-depth research on a range of issues such as leadership and penal reform. as well as working in a variety of roles at the Young Foundation, including providing in-depth research on a range of issues such as leadership and penal reform.

Her experience of creating new opportunities and developing innovative strands of work with the Sudan Associate Parliamentary Group have proved invaluable in developing Maslaha’s health work and relationships with potential partners. She has used film to enhance parliamentary relations between the two countries, including producing a film on the political status of women in Sudan, and has organized a visit from a delegation of representatives of Sudanese Parliament and civil society to the UK.

Natalia has also worked with organizations such as the Sudanese Red Crescent Society and London Youth to build organizational capacity.

Alya Adamany, Senior Program Officer
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Chicago (USA)
Alya Adamany is a senior program officer for studies at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. A staff member since 2003, Alya is responsible for research, planning, and the logistical execution of task forces and study groups, including the Council’s 2007 Task Force on the Civic and Political Integration of Muslim Americans and the 2006 Chicago-Birmingham Dialogue “Muslim Communities in Domestic and Foreign Policymaking in the United States and United Kingdom: Empowerment and Engagement.” In addition, she cochaired the Council’s GOAt initiative (Globally Occupied Attention) in 2005. She also currently serves on the auxiliary board of Teach for America’s Chicago Chapter. Alya received her B.A. in political science with a focus on International Relations from Yale University and her M.A. in international relations from the University of Chicago, with a specialization in the Middle East and security studies. Alya previously held internships at the U.S. House of Representatives and Amnesty International.

Kyle J. Ismail, Associate Director
Inner-city Muslim Action Network (IMAN), Chicago (USA)
Kyle Ismail has a B.A. in Communications/Journalism and an M.A. in American history from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale where he lectured in American and world history and an M.A. in Human Resources Management from University of Illinois at Urbana Champagne. He is a long-time volunteer with IMAN ’s Project Restore focusing on education and outreach. Ismail was certified by the Lincoln Foundation for Business Excellence in quality management of government and non-profit organizations

June 9, 2009 - Webinar

Working Solutions: Lessons from local communities on integration strategies. Click here to view archived webinar

Download Bertelsmann Stiftung powerpoint presentation (June 9, 2009)

Today’s global cities are challenged by the rapid pace of urbanization and migration. The successful integration of immigrants is key to urban prosperity and quality of life for all city residents.

What is your city or town doing to face the challenge of developing an approach to integration that is effective, accepted by long term residents and can endure over time?

Join Cities of Migration and the Bertelsmann Foundation (Germany) for an open, 60 minute online seminar on developing sustainable integration strategies for local governance. The webinar will describe the participatory approach Bertelsmann has developed for helping local communities learn how to structure integration policy and programming in a way that is both inclusive and focused. The presentation will include an outline of the recent activities of the Transatlantic Council on Migration on the theme of “Learning from the World, ” and introductory remarks from the distinguished Prof. Dr. Rita Süssmuth, former President of the German Bundestag, reknowned for her contribution to the migration field. Speakers include:

• Rita Süssmuth, former President of the German Bundestag
• Claudia Walther, Bertelsmann Stiftung, (Germany)
• Christal Morehouse, Bertelsmann Stiftung (Germany)

Recommended for: Community-level policymakers in decision-making positions ; Public administrators at all relevant levels; Immigrants and members of organizations representing immigrants who are active in community life.

Time: Tuesday, June 9, 2009

10:00 — 11:00 (EDT Canada and US)
15:00 — 16:00 (UK and Ireland)
16:00 — 17:00 (Germany and EU)

These are free, open learning events.*
* Registration is limited, so please register early.
* No special technical requirements; see registration for details.

For further information: citiesofmigration@maytree.com.

Speakers

Prof. Rita Süssmuth, Dr. Dr. h.c.mult
former President of the German Bundestag (1988-1998)

Rita Süssmuth is former President of the German Bundestag (1988-1998), former Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Women, Youth and Health, and former Chair of Germany’s Independent Council of Experts on Migration and Integration. Prof. Süssmuth is renowned as an international expert on migration and integration and for her international comparative educational research. Her distinguished political and academic career includes: Global Commission on International Migration (UN), former Chair of the EU High Level Group on ‘Social Integration of Ethnic Minorities and Their Full Participation in the Labor Market; OECD Development Center Project ‘Gaining from Migration’ Advisory Board; chair of ‘Independent Commission on Migration to Germany’; and former vice-president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Prof. Süssmuth has been the President of SRH Berlin University since 2005; former academic posi in addition to former posts as Director of the Research Institute “Woman and Society” and Professor, International Comparative Educational Science, Universities of Bochum and Dortmund.

Claudia Walther, Bertelsmann Stiftung
Bertelsmann Stiftung, Gütersloh (Germany)
Claudia Walther is Project Manager at the Bertelsmann Foundation with the Programme Integration and Education, responsible for Integration and Local Communities. Claudia direct’s Bertelsmann’s Integration Workshops for Communities project, and has participated in the development of the superb web resources, Demographie-Konkret.de and Wegweiser-Commune.de. Claudia joined the Bertelsmann Foundation in 2001 with a special focus on local governance issues.

Prior to joining Bertelsmann, Claudia worked with EUREGIO Maas-Rhein, a European Region connecting Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, where she led a project on migrants and border crossing in Aachen. From 1994 to 1996, Claudia worked on youth-related projects for an international NGO in Vienna, and from 1993-1994 she worked in a federal Ministry of North Rhine Westphalia, Germany. Claudia s interest in politics is ongoing; she is involved in various local political activities on a voluntary basis. Claudia Walther studied political science in Aachen, Germany, where she completed her Magister Artium.

Christal Morehouse, Bertelsmann Stiftung
Bertelsmann Stiftung, Gütersloh (Germany)
Dr. Claudia Walther is Program Manager for the Bertelsmann Stiftung in the field of migration and integration. She is responsible for managing the Stiftung’s integration programs at the European and Transatlantic level.

From January to December 2006 she was the Head of Office for Prof. Dr. Rita Süssmuth, the former President of the German Bundestag. Christal has also conducted research for the Global Commission on International Migration (2005) and participated in the German Independent Council of Experts on Migration and Integration in Berlin (2003-2004). Christal has advised various European and American multinational institutions on policy matters. She was among the experts whose advice on integration issues was sought by the German EU Presidency in 2007. In 2004 she was a consultant to the Organization of American States for anti-trafficking research in Europe. Christal has published widely in the area of integration, migration and citizenship policy; most recently on Combating Human Trafficking Policy: Gaps and Hidden Political Agendas in the United States and Germany (2009).

Banking and financial literacy are essential to successful integration - both for the newcomer and for society at large.

North Carolina has more than 500,000 immigrants of Latino origin and is the fastest growing Latin immigrant population in the United States. More than half of this community speaks English poorly and over three-quarters of them do not have bank accounts. In part this is the result of a lack of documentation, an inherent distrust of banks and language issues. The result is that as a community, they are regularly overcharged for services such as loans, cashing a check or obtaining a money order. A lack of banking infrastructure also makes long term financial planning essentially impossible.

The Latino Community Credit Union (LCCU) was founded to address the financial needs and knowledge shortfalls of this growing immigrant community. The first branch of the LCCU was opened in 2000 when it became the first fully bilingual financial institution in the state.

For the Community, From the Community

Unlike conventional banks, credit unions are non-profit institutions where members pool their money, are able to vote for the leadership of the institution and share in its ownership.

The focus of the LCCU was to provide services to immigrants who had not previously held bank accounts or had been otherwise excluded from the US financial system. As a result, the LCCU does not inquire about member immigration status and accepts all official government issued photo id when someone is seeking to open an account. It also accepts temporary U.S. visas and Matricula Consular identification cards issued by the governments of their home countries.

All of the LCCU’s employees are bicultural and bilingual in English and Spanish. Most are immigrants themselves and are trained to help first time banking customers navigate the system and its requirements. All forms and policies are available in English and Spanish. The LCCU also works in partnership with trusted community organizations such as churches and community centres to market their offer.

To improve the financial literacy of its members, the LCCU has established a financial education program that offers free financial education classes in Spanish and covers essential topics such as how to manage accounts, taxes, how to save money, develop a budget, and how to build credit. As part of their educational materials, they also developed a financial film, “A Guide to Buying a Home - Angélica’s Dreams: An Immigrant Family’s Path to Homeownership“. Approximately 2000 people per year now attend these classes that are offered twice a month at each of the five branches as well as at target work sites, churches and local community organizations.

On a more fundamental level, all LCCU employees are trained to educate members on banking basics such as ATM use, filling out withdrawal and deposit slips, and balancing checkbooks. Loan officers similarly instruct members on how to build credit, read a credit report, and correct any errors they identify in the report.

Success

Since its 2000 launch, the LCCU has opened another four branches in Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro and Fayetteville. Currently, the LCCU has over 45,000 members and assets of oer $35 million. Over ninety-five percent of its members are low income earners and over 75 percent are first time banking users.

The LCCU is now recognized as a national model and consults extensively with other credit unions and activists. The program has won numerous community and best practice awards and most recently, in November 2008, the LCCU was recognized by Business North Carolina for its Returns on Assets.

Most recently the Latino Community Credit Union was listed as a 2009 Finalist for the prestigious E Pluribus Unum Prize coordinated by the Migration Policy Institute to recognise the efforts of those who are creating more unified communities by strengthening the relationship between native and foreign born Americans.