Integration for Everyone Zak Reimer

Minor is an organization that offers research, consultancy, and pilot-testing services in Germany. Though their work covers a variety of issues in civil society, they boast an impressive number of projects related to migration. Their website lists 15 current projects and another 20 projects concluded in the last eight years related to migration topics from voting to science to religion. 
The project we're discussing in today's episode is Fem.OS. With a focus on female migrants, their team of counselors engages on social media platforms in 10 languages (Arabic, English, French, Pashto, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, and Turkish) to share reliable and quality information on a variety of topics. 

Finding a job is hard even if you speak the language, know how to write the perfect cover letter, craft just the right CV, and give all the right answers in an interview. Imagine having to learn to do all of that in a completely new country. Where do you even start?

Jobs 4 Refugees, helps newcomers with that start. In Germany, those who are seeking safety and stability often look for a job as a means to gain experience in their new home and provide security for themselves and their families.

Listen to today's episode to hear Julia, a client of Jobs 4 Refugees, share her experience working with the organization, and attending its workshops. Then Friederike Löwe, Integration Coordinator, tells us about Jobs 4 Refugees' history and how they have addressed the unique challenges of helping newcomers find a job in a new home.

We also address how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected refugees' ability to work and find work.

Thank you, Friederike and Julia, for coming on the podcast and sharing your experiences.

Thanks again to Friederike for interpreting my conversation with Julia.

This podcast is made possible by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and Social Science Works.

Please visit the Jobs 4 Refugees webpage to learn more (English version): https://www.jobs4refugees.org/?lang=en 

This week's guest is Dr. Corinna Krume of Mosaique, a cultural center in Lüneberg that creates space for refugees and locals to meet, interact, and create cultural events. The organization hosts yoga, German practice, meet-ups over coffee, and much more.

In this episode, you'll hear about what Mosaique does and why it serves as an important model for our society as a whole.

We also address the important topic of burnout for volunteers and how to keep up motivation over a long term commitment to helping newcomers adjust.

Email with suggestions: feedback@integrationforeveryone.com

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This week you'll hear from Katharina, a volunteer with the Begegnungscafe Babelsberg.

We discuss what it's like to be a volunteer in Geramny and Katharina draws on her experience of helping at refugee integration organizations in several German Bundesländer (States of Germany).

We hear about the struggles of community integration, some of the successful approaches, and why this organization has been successful in bringing together around 100 locals and refugees each week.

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Companion page: https://www.integrationforeveryone.com/cafe 

Welcome to Dallgow, a small town on the outskirts of Berlin of about 10,000 people. Here you can find the welcome initiative Willkommen in Dallgow which formed to create a welcome community for refugees when they arrived in Germany and found themselves temporarily placed in refugee accommodations. This week's episode highlights the importance of those first days, weeks, and months for organizing community members for a welcome initiative. This week's guest, Elisabeth, discusses what it takes to ready a community for this kind of commitment. She shares her experience as a communication volunteer organizing volunteers and sharing information with the residents of Dallgow. She also discusses things that are important for enhancing integration in Germany such as cultural events and maintaining strong lines of communication between refugees and the community.

Visit Willkommen in Dallgow at their website and Facebook page:

Willkommen in Dallgow Website
Willkommen in Dallgow Facebook

This episode is a follow-up from last week's conversation with Julia from Amal, Berlin!. Amal is a news organization that publishes news stories in German, Farsi/Dari, and Arabic. After speaking with co-founder and reporter Julia, she recommended here colleague, a reporter writing in Arabic, Asmaa for another conversation. Getting another perspective from Amal was incredibly valuable as Asmaa was able to draw on her experience writing for an Arabic speaking expatriate community and her own experience of moving to Germany as a refugee and going through the process of settling in.

In this conversation, you will hear:
- Reporting during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
- What "integration" means and why it may be time to think beyond integration.
- Next steps for involving refugees in society in a meaningful way.
- Two-way integration.
- Asmaa's own experience moving to Germany.

There are a lot of ways to connect with Amal, Berlin! and Amal, Hamburg! You can find those below:

Amal, Berlin! Website
Amal, Berlin! Facebook
Amal, Berlin! Youtube Arabic
Amal Berlin! Youtube Farsi/Dari
Amal, Hamburg! Website
Amal, Hamburg! Facebook Arabic
Amal, Hamburg! Facebook Farsi/Dari

Amal, Berlin! Instagram

Send your feedback on what you thought about this week's episode or suggestions for integration organizations in Germany that I should interview to: feedback@integrationforeveryone.com

Follow Integration for Everyone on Twitter @ifepodcast