SELMA supports professionals in multi-culturalism who deal with immigration work. The forum gathers information and helps building thematic networks to facilitate regional discussion about multi-culturalism issues.

The target group is the personnel of social, educational and other relevant offices and NGO workers, who in their work serve migrant population. The Educational network covers about 40 schools.

SELMA’s main activities are :

• gathering information needed in multicultural guidance and counselling
• building up thematic networks of professionals in the field of Finnish language education, education and services for youth and young adults with immigrant background, services for elderly immigrants, mental health, illiteracy, etc…)
• collecting information on Finnish language courses
• gathering information on immigrants’ training courses for vocational education and group activities (peer groups) for immigrant citizens
• informing on related issues (complementary education for personnel, publications, activities, available funding, etc…)
• publishing this information on SELMA’s website (www.selma-net.fi). SELMA’s website has been defined together with personnel working in guidance and counselling immigrants.

The language course database was opened in 2004. It gathers now information on Finnish language courses from about 40 schools and other organisations providing language education for immigrants. It has become a tool in guidance and counselling.

The education network has produced a leaflet informing about their services and also uses the website actively.

The other thematic networks’ work includes mainly meetings with presentations of municipal activities and project results. The meetings material is available on the website. The network e-mail lists are used for delivering information. The networks are important source of up-to-date information on education and services like.

The evaluation has focused on website usability in order to further develop the service.

A user survey was carried out in 2004. The respondents were from the target group aimed at, working in municipalities, governmental institutions including employment office, schools and NGOs. 45% of the respondents stated that the website was very useful and 40% thought it was useful. The website users were most satisfied with the language course database. The website has a group of active users.

According to the website use statistics the database is used actively. The number of hits per month has doubled since 2004 to 25 000 hits per month. The language course database is used most, about 10 000 hits per month (August 2007).

Selma started as a project under the URBAN Programme for The Helsinki Metropolitan Area in 2003. In 2007 the project is funded by Cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen and the Ministry of Labour. The annual budget is 65 000 €.

Staff: Project manager working with website and networks.

Steering group: municipalities’ coordinators of immigration affairs, departments of education and social services; Ministry