Webinars

About the series

Integration is now on everyone's mind, at least since the so called refugee crisis in 2015. But what is it that belongs to integration and who has to integrate into what?

In this workshop cycle, integration is rethought by adopting different perspectives, examining the topic from different angles, and looking at different groups of actors.

We want to move away from viewing integration as a one dimensional task of the immigrants and want to reflect on privileges. Local conditions and relations to different spheres also matter.

Whether you are an integration officer, mayor, a newcomer to a European country, a volunteer or part of a civil society organization, or just interested in this topic, feel kindly invited to this workshop cycle and support us with your knowledge and experience to rethink integration.

Click on the topic that interests you to learn more about the workshop

Elements of Integration

To rethink integration issues, the first cluster of the workshop cycle will look at classic elements of integration, which are discussed frequently. These include education, employment, housing and health. Here, however, we are not asking ourselves what newcomers must do, but rather what prerequisites are needed to create positive framework conditions for everyone in these fields.

What are the challenges for the municipality, civil society, companies and newcomers?

What is the significance of racism, discrimination and stereotypes?

Local policy

The second cluster focuses on the local level, as the central unit for integration. However, we also look at the relations to higher levels. In this way, we approach the question:

What changes are needed at the local level to rethink integration? To do so, we look at two approaches in research and European discourse.

First, we will explore policy coherence and then put the local level in relation to bigger spheres by learning about multi-level governance.

Awareness

The third cluster is about awareness. If we want a society in which newcomers can positively make a living, we need an open mindset on everyone’s part.

For this, we have to deal with questions of gender, discrimination, racism and have to reflect on privileges and power.

How do we need to communicate about these issues with each other in order to create an open society?

What does queer mean in and for our society?

What do racism and discrimination mean for local cohesion?

What will be the format of the webinars?

There are many questions that we would like to ask and discuss within the framework of this cycle, but at the same time we also want to identify approaches to implementation.

Therefore, the workshops will be a mixture of lectures, discussion rounds, group work and presentations of practical examples.

All stakeholder groups should have a voice.

Every participant is allowed to contribute and should take something away with them.