Municipality/Region

Schneverdingen, Germany

Summary

The city of Schneverdingen, Germany has implemented a range of refugee integration initiatives:

• Welcome cafés organised on a weekly basis
• One-on-one meetings between aid workers and refugees
• Various activities such as a reading group, cooking group, bicycle workshop, group for mothers, etc.

Following social orientation for refugees, the integration initiatives focus on the needs of people in their educational and professional lives. Relevant local institutions like the daycare centre, school, vocational school and the Federal Employment Agency are also well prepared to handle the needs of refugees. An informational website and a variety of informational materials complement the initiatives.

Areas of integration covered by practice

• Integrating migrants into education system
• Integrating migrants into the labour market
• Migrants’ access to health services and housing

Background and purpose

The different initiatives are a response to the increased arrivals of refugees in Germany.

Timeframe

The integration initiatives are ongoing.

How does it work?

The city has facilitated a wide range of initiatives relevant to integration. Many of the initiatives were coordinated and implemented by various local individuals or groups, who did not necessarily want to adopt uniform methods in their approach to helping refugees. Thus, coordination could be difficult at times, but ultimately every has found their own way to accompany refugees in their integration. Over time, there has been a shift from projects and weekly meetings with a larger group of refugees towards individual support with a looser group structure.

For the various initiatives, the municipality provides information, assists projects with applications for funding, recruits a coordinator and makes material resources available.

Results and evaluation

All refugees in Schneverdingen are still involved in some process of integration. They each have a contact person for assistance but also orient themselves independently in society and relevant institutions (kindergarten, school, vocational school, integration course, etc.).

Funding

Funding for the integration initiatives comes from the city budget, project funding from Länder initiatives, project funding from the Lotto Foundation and funding from the state.

Further information

Website of the practice