The goal of the project was to facilitate the integration of third-country nationals of different economic, social, cultural, religious, linguistic and ethnic backgrounds. More specifically, the objectives of the project were to develop an adaptation program "Living in Latvia: A to Z" and organise integration courses for third-country nationals to improve and enhance the integration process in Latvia. The aim is to enable third-country nationals to better understand their rights, expand their intercultural communication skills and Latvian language skills via promotion of activities dedicated to the underprivileged third-country nationals in the country (women, children and the elderly).

The project attracted a variety of participants - 46 people in total, all of which had recently come to live in Latvia from other non-European Union countries (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, the United States, Cuba). Participants were also of mixed ages, educational background and diverse professional experience.

Based on experiences with the first programme in 2012, a new programme was improved so as to fit the target audience more fully. Participants were able to participate in three different seminars: “Me in Latvian Society”, “How does Latvia work?” and “Latvian history, culture and traditions”. In addition to different activities and discussions, participants also received informative materials and leaflets so as to gain more in-depth understanding of the issues in question. All materials were provided in Latvian, Russian and English. Participants also had a chance to meet experts of citizenship and migration questions, who provided participants with consultations and arranged channels for future communication. In addition, in order to promote communication and interaction between participants of the programme, interactive workshops (aka interest clubs) were held. Also, during the “How does Latvia work” seminar, each participant received basic information package on Latvian legislation, crucial state institutions, including contact numbers and addresses for cases of emergency.

In total, 46 third country nationals took part in the training. Their opinion about the practice was gathered in evaluation questionnaires and interviews. The participants stated that projects of this kind are very important for them, as they lack interaction with other people in society. They admitted they have now gained new friends and expressed hope that these projects will continue to run in the future, too. In addition, EC representatives attended the activities of the programme, evaluating initiative as successful and appreciating the informative materials produced as a part of the project.

During the project, an evaluation was carried out via questioners and interviews so as to determine what the experiences of participants were like. These opinions, combined with the overview of their opinions regarding support system for immigrants in the country were then compiled in a document to provide overview of the programme, evaluate its success and provide feedback to all the involved.

The practice was funded by the European Fund for the Integration of Third Country Nationals – 75% of the budget coming from the EU, with 25% national co-financing.