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Intergration Learning Exchange

On the Trail of Good Ideas: Mentoring Takes Rank

Good Ideas about successful integration are traveling from city to city. This month meet Patrick Voss, a Commissioner of Police at the Netherlands Police Agency.

What Good Idea caught your eye?

The Good Idea that most recently caught my eye was Family Mentoring for Migrants where German families volunteer to “sponsor” immigrant families as mentors in order to help them get started and adjusted to their new lives. Along the way, both groups have the opportunity to learn about each other and build their relationships. So one minute the mentor is helping the mentee with insight and information about culture, language, work, politics, shopping, etc. and the other minute – so to speak- vice versa.

Why?

I think this will result in a life-long friendship and understanding differences, respecting them and give value to those differences.

How did you share this Good Idea?

I shared this idea within my own organization, not family-to-family but at a leadership level. Police officers who want to become leaders within the Police Service join an intense program with senior leaders. Both parties are mentor and mentees at the same time. It is very refreshing to speak openly and transparently in a secure environment; different insights, different approaches and feedback to each other is very important to learn and to be surprised. It improves your awareness and it keeps you alert. It is also about understanding differences, respecting them and give value to those differences.

Feedback?

Think ahead and organize a group meeting on a regular basis with several participants and local government to share the results and best practices. The circle of learning will increase as will getting to know each other! To make it successful – take care and provide different styles of food of the participants. It is the best way to feel at home!

Resources

• Good Idea from Bremen,Germany: Family Mentoring For Migrants: MEMI. Successful integration means long term residents as well as newcomers are at home in a changing city
• Good Idea We Are Watching from Amsterdam,The Netherlands: Amsterdam: A Dutch police officer’s field trip to Toronto