MKF Seminary - Conclusiones

MKF
Minutes Local Seminar
Lünn, Germany

Program:

9:00      Registration and coffee
9:30      Welcome and Introduction
            Kenan Küçük, Managing Director of the Multicultural Forum
9:45      Stronger Participation of Migrants in Decision-Making Processes – Empowerment in and through Migrant Organizations – Chances and Challenges
            Cemalettin Özer, Mozaik Consulting
10:15    “Migrants support migrants” – Good practice examples
            Dr. Aysun Aydemir, Multicultural Forum
10:45    Coffee break
11:15    Project presentation STEP
            Ingibjörg Pétursdóttir, Multicultural Forum
11:45    Results of the dialogical discussion groups carried out before
            Topics: Welcoming process, Counseling, Adult Education
            Zeynep Kartal, Multicultural Forum
12:30    Lunch
13:30    Workshops

1. Welcoming process
2. Participation in Adult Education
3. Counseling

15:00    Coffee Break
15:15    Presentation of conclusions from each workshop
            Discussion about the results
            Statement by a participant of the dialogical discussion groups

Welcome and Introduction
Kenan Küçük, Managing Director of the Multicultural ForumMr.

Küçük addressed the meeting and shortly explained the aims of STEP and what the seminar will be about. Furthermore he emphasized the importance of the participation of migrants in all fields of society, especially in education, adult education and counseling activities but also the political participation. He pointed out that in Germany politics has been made about migrants, but not with them for a long time. He remarked that this is only changing slowly and that there are some positive developments such as initiatives like the integration summits on different political-administrative levels, in which migrants and migrant organizations are included. Especially the fact that approximately 20% of the population in Germany has a migration background he underlined the significance of hearing the voices of migrants themselves in decision-making processes.

Stronger Participation of Migrants in Decision-Making Processes – Empowerment in and through Migrant Organizations – Chances and Challenges
Cemalettin Özer, Mozaik Consulting

Mr. Özer gave information about the situation of migrants in Germany. He provided statistics and numbers about the migrant population in Germany, especially with respect to topics like education, adult education and employment. Furthermore he talked about possible obstacles to the integration process.
Mr. Özer pointed out the importance of comprehensive information and counseling in adult education and job placement. Especially with the high unemployment rate of migrants in mind, he emphasized that it is essential to give consulters with a migration background an overview of the education and employment situation. He suggested that migrant self-help organizations could have a consultative role in this process. He then gave an overview of the migrant self-help organizations in North-Rhine-Westphalia and informed about their structures, aims and main focus. According to Mr. Özer, migrant self help organizations could act as information agents, representative bodies, brains trusts, co-operation partners and registered institution for integration projects.

“Migrants support migrants” – Good practice examples
Dr. Aysun Aydemir, Multicultural Forum

Mrs. Aydemir gave some good practice examples of how migrants can participate in integration processes and help other migrants in a variety of ways and situations.

Project presentation STEP
Ingibjörg Pétursdóttir, Multicultural Forum

Mrs. Pétursdóttir introduced the project STEP. She explained its background, aims, the three products the project wants to disseminate, activities, the dialogical discussion groups, the conferences and seminars as well as the (planned) outcomes like the website, the forum and the DVDs.

Results of the dialogical discussion groups carried out before
Topics: Welcoming process, Counseling, Adult Education
Zeynep Kartal, Multicultural Forum

Ms. Kartal presented the results of the dialogical discussion groups, which had been carried out five times at the Multicultural Forum. She gave information about the participants (countries of origin, duration of stay in Germany, age, level of education) and about the method of the dialogical discussion groups. Under the topics education, adult education, counseling, welcoming process and political participation she resumed the questions discussed, the arguments in the discussions and the results (recommended actions and claims).

The following lists show, which topics were discussed intensively in the dialogical discussion groups and the workgroups of the local seminar:

Education:

Some questions discussed

1. What do you think about the educational situations of migrants in Germany?
2. How could migrants participate stronger in education and take part in decision-making?
3. Which problems and obstacles did you experience with respect to access to education? What (could have) helped you?
   
   

Some contributions to the discussion

1. Language acquisition important first step to LLL
2. Language lessons for migrants in their mother tongue
3. Equal chances for every student
4. Free access to education
5. Access to information technologies esp. internet
6. Demand-oriented curricula
   
   

Adult education:

Some questions discussed

1. Is lifelong learning important in your life?
2. Which problems and obstacles do migrants experience when they want to study further?
3. Should adult education centers respond to the special needs of migrants? Why/why not/how?
   
   

Some contributions to the discussion

1. Free access to language courses
2. Reasons for the low participation of migrants in further education: fear (language deficits, foreignness), financial problems, information deficits, lack of perspectives
3. Better individual education counseling needed
4. Bilingual instructors helpful
5. Recognition of foreign degrees
6. Valuation of experiences, language knowledge etc.
7. Intercultural dialogue as part of educational processes
8. Education centers as meeting places
9. Importance of migrant self-help organizations
   
   

Counseling:

Some questions discussed

1. What experiences did you have with counseling centers?
2. Could the counselor help you?
3. What criteria should counseling for migrants meet?
   
   

Some contributions to the discussion

1. Counselors were mostly kind but unqualified and/or overstrained
2. No comprehensive counseling: one becomes help only on inquiry
3. Information deficits: Migrants often do not know, where they can go for counseling
4. Networking between social centers, authorities, administrations etc. not enough

Welcoming process:

Some questions discussed

1. How were you welcomed when you came to Germany?
2. Did you feel welcome in Germany?
3. Did you feel to be in good hands? Were you informed and counseled well?
   
   

Some contributions to the discussion

1. Family members and friends already living in Germany support migrants arriving here
2. Situation in Germany unclear and confusing at first; administrative system, rules etc. often quite unlike the structures in the country of origin
3. Language deficits complicate the situation
4. Counseling in the native language important for the welcoming process
5. A “Welcome package” with all relevant information would be good
6. There should be more civil servants with a migration background
   

Political participation:

Some questions discussed

1. How important is the political participation of migrants according to you?
2. How could a stronger participation of migrants be reached?
3. What role could migrant self-help organizations play in this process?

Some contributions to the discussion

1. Local voting right for migrants from non-EU countries living in Germany for a long time
2. Initiation of a debate about naturalization among migrants
3. Migrant self-help organizations as agents of migrants’ interests

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