INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO INTEGR ATION 1

Results of the 2016 Transatlantic Symposium

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO INTEGR ATION 2

Those who live together peacefully—not in terms of us and them, but together—we need to become much more vocal and visible, and not to allow those who currently dominate social media and want to give the impression that everyone is

against [immigration] to frame the debate.

We are the majority, and we must remain the majority and struggle for this every day.

2016 WCTE Program ParticipantCity of Mannheim [translated from German]

“

Innovative Approaches to Integration: a Transatlantic

Symposium was held in Berlin, 29 - 30 September 2016.

It was presented by:

The United States Embassy in Berlin

Cultural Vistas

in conjunction with the Welcoming Communities

Transatlantic Exchange program (WCTE)

The Welcoming Communities Transatlantic Exchange

program is administered by:

Cultural Vistas

Heinrich Böll Foundation

Welcoming America

The Welcoming Communities Transatlantic Exchange

program is funded by the Transatlantic Program of the

Government of the Federal Republic of Germany through

funds of the European Recovery Program (ERP) of the

Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi), as

well as by the U.S. Department of State, the Robert Bosch

Stiftung, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, and BMW Group.

Embassy of the United States of America

Embassy of the United States of America

CONTENTSBACKGROUND

SYMPOSIUM OVERVIEWRESULTS

CONCLUSION

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO INTEGR ATION 4

Addressing Integration of Refugees and Migrants in the U.S. and Germany

In 2016, Cultural Vistas, together with the Heinrich Böll Foundation and Welcoming America, initiated a professional exchange for integration

practitioners between the United States and Germany, the Welcoming Communities Transatlantic Exchange (WCTE). The exchange will last

three years (through 2018) and will foster a transatlantic network of leaders working with immigrant and refugee populations.

40 integration practitioners from 9 communities participated in this transatlantic dialogue and in-person exchange throughout 2016. Every

year, an additional group of 9 new communities will be added to the emerging network. Challenges and successful solutions to refugee and

immigrant integration at the local level were addressed through in-person exchanges and sharing of best practices. This paper summarizes

the exchange and the resulting conclusions about refugee and immigrant integration that the program participants discussed.

Background

When over one million refugees entered Germany in 2015, city and state administrations, non-profits, and volunteer organizations were

overwhelmed with the logistical challenges that the newcomers brought with them. As the numbers of refugees began to decrease and

the processing, registration, and relocation of immigrants throughout Germany became more manageable, some integration practitioners

already began looking ahead to the next stage: successful integration of the newcomers into their new communities, to allow a meaningful

contribution to German society and culture as soon as possible. With Germany’s historical declarations that it was “not a country of

immigration” despite receiving an influx of immigrants for decades, the question of how successful integration in Germany should look,

especially given the scale of the migration in the past two years, is still being answered.

BACKGROUND

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO INTEGR ATION 5

Welcoming Communities Transatlantic Exchange Program 2016

During the course of the exchange there are visits to each country during which participating communities are involved in meetings with

leaders in the field of immigrant integration, meeting with refugees, drafting action plans, and learning about local and national immigration

policies. In addition to the participating communities, the capital cities of both countries are visited to facilitate high-level meetings with

government and NGO representatives.

Participants of the 2016 Welcoming Communities Transatlantic Exchange came from the following communities and organizations in the

United States and Germany:

United States

Atlanta: R. James Properties, Inc., Atlanta Mayor’s Office of

Immigrant Affairs/Welcoming America, New American Pathways,

& Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, Inc.

Boise: Agency for New Americans, Boise State University,

City of Boise, & Idaho Office for Refugees

Columbus/Dayton: City of Dayton Human Relations Council,

Board of Lucas County Commissioners, US Together, Inc.,

& City of Columbus

St. Louis: FOCUS St. Louis, St. Louis Mosaic Project,

International Institute of St. Louis, & Missouri History Museum

Germany

Dresden: City of Dresden, Projektschmiede gGmbH,

& CSD Dresden e.V.

Essen: University of Duisburg-Essen, Werden Hilft e.V.,

Integration durch Sport und Bildung e.V., ProAsyl/Flüchtlingsrat

Essen, & Kleiderkammer Steele

Mannheim: City of Mannheim

Stuttgart: City of Stuttgart & eva - Evangelische Gesellschaft

Stuttgart e.V.

LK Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge: Caritasverband für

Dresden e.V., SPS Schiekel Präzisionssysteme GmbH / AKuBiZ

e.V., Initiative Asyl Altenberg, & AKuBiZ e.V. / AG Asylsuchende

Sächsische Schweiz e.V.

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO INTEGR ATION 6

Transatlantic Integration Symposium

The conclusion of the 2016 program brought all 40 participants together in Berlin for a Transatlantic Symposium on Innovative Approaches

to Integration. The two-day event convened integration practitioners from throughout the United States and Germany to discuss the topic

of refugee and immigrant integration as well as discuss the findings of the program.

Approximately 150 individuals attended the symposium including local and federal government officials, NGO leaders, think tank

representatives, and media to address challenges to integration in both countries. The symposium was hosted by the Honorable John B.

Emerson, Ambassador to Germany, who gave the opening remarks.

[Successful integration occurs at the local level] when members of a town or city feel that they belong,

are secure in their rights and responsibilities, and share ownership in the future of their community.

Ambassador John B. Emerson

SYMPOSIUM OVERVIEW

“

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO INTEGR ATION 7

Assistant Secretary of State Anne C. Richard and Mathias Licharz from the German Federal Chancellery spoke with Deutsche Welle

moderator Brent Goff on the results of the Leaders Summit on Refugees that took place during the U.N. General Assembly the week before.

They touched on the global response to the humanitarian crisis and the importance of a transatlantic response.

The discussion then transitioned from the challenges at a global level to local-level initiatives and solutions with a panel discussion of four

exchange participants of the WCTE program. Participants from Boise, Columbus, Mannheim, and Essen shared their experiences and lessons

learned. Despite major differences in the ways that each country receives refugees and approaches integration, common ground was found

in a variety of areas.

These included the need to present positive examples of successful integration to prevent anti-immigrant backlash and to help refugees

find pathways to self-determination as quickly as possible, be it in education, the job market, citizenship, or other means of participation

in society. Providing locally adaptable solutions to ensure a sense of belonging in the community is an integral first step to successful

integration on a larger scale.

Workshops on Key Areas of Integration

The second day of the symposium consisted of working groups led by experts in their fields from the U.S. and Germany and was moderated by

Kimberly Emerson. The working groups focused on three key areas of successful integration, led by:

1. Education Policy

Marguerite Lukes (US) Internationals Network for Public Schools

Gün Tank (Germany) Integrationsbeauftragte, Tempelhof-Schöneberg

2. Job Creation

Allie Levinsky (US) Upwardly Global

Max Klasen (Germany) DIHK

3. Community Engagement

Susan Downs-Karkos (US) Welcoming America

Luisa Seiler (Germany) SINGA Deutschland

In a moderated discussion with Ms. Emerson, each of the experts presented what they saw as the top three challenges to integration in their

key area and country. These served as the discussion areas for their working groups. Each symposium attendee was assigned to one of the

working groups based on their professional experience.

Like any relationship, effective integration requires a two way process [between the newcomer and the

host community] with shared opportunities and responsibilities.

Ambassador John B. Emerson“

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO INTEGR ATION 8

RESULTSResults: Education Policy

Challenges to integration in education policy in Germany:

1. A lack of inclusive leadership in which refugees/newcomers play a visible role

2. A lack of vertical communication

3. A lack of innovative approaches and of investment in integration infrastructure

Challenges to integration in education policy in the U.S.

1. The “deficit” model (whereby a lack of information leads to mistrust or skepticism)

2. The “fix-it” model

3. A need for more teacher training / capacity building

The workshop discussion yielded a list of best practices and solutions that could be applied universally:

» Positive messaging to create a narrative around immigration, which offsets the often negative connotations that emerge in the media.

Crucial to this is incorporating data, real-world examples, and good storytelling.

» Adaptation of the system based on experience, or not just relying on the same methods that have been done in the past (sometimes

unsuccessfully)

» Less emphasis on credentials (a major hurdle in Germany, as they can often not be translated across cultures, languages, or systems

very easily) & more focus on identifying competencies

» Providing additional special support for youth (refugee and otherwise), especially young males and those with traumatic experiences,

as they tend to have more difficulty in integrating

» Using education as means to promote a feeling of belonging in the community and consequently to counteract any appeal of religious

extremism

» Providing parallel education and language learning (not relying on a sequential model, which puts learning on hold as the language

acquisition process takes place)

» Supporting voluntary learning outside of school (through extracurricular networks)

» Highlighting the power of partnerships (government – NGO) instead of leaving each educator or school handle matters on their own

» Teacher training in intercultural competence; not relying solely on ESL/DaF teachers to be the cultural bridges, but expecting this

from all teachers

» Viewing multilingualism as an opportunity

» Using arts & music as a means to reveal potential of students (including to their teachers and to themselves)

» A more thorough use of existing funding opportunities (making communities aware of them)

» Using digital media to ensure dialogue (communication is a two-way street)

» Fostering dialogue among parents as an important means to promote empathy

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO INTEGR ATION 9

Results: Job Creation

The group focusing on workplace integration began by identifying a series of common challenges, which were applicable in both U.S. and

German contexts. A list was compiled, including language, data collection, skills matching, inclusion of entrepreneurs, etc. From these, four

were selected as the primary focus, for which the group discussed potential solutions from their collective experiences:

1. Credentials, Skills & Training

» A fast track into employment is of crucial importance, in order to identify competencies among employees and help match them

with appropriate jobs

» By extension, flexibility in credential recognition, rather than relying on formal certifications or demanding exact German criteria

for corresponding foreign certifications could ensure a faster transition into the workplace and, by extension, promote language

acquisition and feelings of pride and societal “buy-in” from newcomers, while opening to positive change an established, perhaps

culturally hesitant workforce.

2. Government Policy & Bureaucracy / Resolving the question of status

» By partnering with local NGOs to assist in job placement services, the government could free up some of its resources

» Lack of clarity in their status can lead to unfair treatment (abuse of the situation by employers) and forces some immigrants to

work “under the radar”

» An openness to new cultural approaches among employers would allow the labor market on the whole to benefit much more from

the “brain gain” that immigration represents

» Motivational and intercultural training to administrators with little intercultural skills would help avoid many misunderstandings

3. Language

» Creating programs for incoming population & meeting their needs is just as important as the expectation that they adapt to their

new environment

» Mental health care (PTSD) is often needed alongside the high expectations that a new job, language, and culture bring along in an

unfamiliar environment and the aftermath of fleeing a conflict zone

4. Educational & Career Pathways

» Providing more opportunities for incoming population to explore careers, and different forms of education than the track on

which they may have been in their home countries

» Making cultural involvement and contribution to society an educational goal

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO INTEGR ATION 10

Results: Community Engagement

The community engagement group focused on an aspect of integration that is often overlooked but vital to successful integration:

preparing the receiving community to be receptive and welcoming of refugees and newcomers.

Challenges in Germany and solutions that work:

1. Stereotypes on both sides

» The choice of words is important (i.e. “newcomers” or “Neuangekommene”) in forming the public perception the role of refugees

in society.

» When opponents of immigration drive the framing of the message, take a proactive approach in positive messaging: it becomes

much more difficult for anti-immigrant sentiment to take hold. Practitioners can reframe the conversation from a deficit model

to an asset model by using positive examples.

2. Participation (together with newcomers) seems to be lacking

» Hiring or creating leadership positions for newcomers and not just as “helpers“ to create visible beacons of integration for

receiving and arriving communities

» Supporting immigrant communities to become self-organized, in order to represent their own interests.

3. Representation (civil society doesn’t reflect the makeup of society at large)

» Differing types of volunteers: offering help without expectation of something in return

Challenges in the U.S. and solutions that work:

1. Communication (creating a shared and welcoming narrative)

» Sharing best practices with other communities

» Creating virtual networks (i.e. Facebook)

» Focusing on strategic communications

» Targeting the “moveable middle” those who due to lack of knowledge are not welcoming to newcomers in their community

» Using core messaging and including community leaders when developing that messaging

2. Collaboration (local-level; learning from others to create a welcoming plan)

» Focus on strengthening small, local organizations through stronger networks

» Sustainability

3. Limited Financial Resources

» Learning from other communities that have successfully improved their welcoming infrastructure with limited funding

Additional challenges identified by the community outreach group included:

» Tensions between/among refugees; mental health/need for psychological support services; hate speech targeting immigrants

Further resources suggested by the group include:

» Phone counseling services for refugees (in their native languages, where practicable); volunteer groups for doctors; introducing

a “wellness concept”/alternative methods like yoga, art therapy, etc.; greater collaboration among immigrant organizations

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO INTEGR ATION 11

The results of each working group were presented to all attendees. Similarities emerged between topics including: positive messaging,

collaboration, flexibility, financial resources, and more as outlined above. Symposium attendees also received contact information for

all attendees and descriptions of the integration project(s) they or their organization is involved in. Moreover, attendees who have been

working in various areas of integration expressed gratitude in the opportunity to come together with colleagues and share best practices.

By having the opportunity to participate in an exchange and get to know such great people, we have

the courage and hope that we can succeed. 2016 WCTE Program Participant, City of Mannheim [translated from German]

Further Information

The 2016 Welcoming Communities Transatlantic Exchange was funded by the Transatlantic Program of the Government of the Federal

Republic of Germany through funds of the European Recovery Program (ERP) of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi), as

well as by the U.S. Department of State, the Robert Bosch Stiftung, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, and BMW Group.

The Welcoming Communities Transatlantic Exchange (WCTE) is administered by Cultural Vistas. The exchange will continue through 2017

and 2018, gaining 9 new participating delegations from additional communities the U.S. and Germany each year. For more information on the

program and to apply as a participating community in future years of the exchange, please visit www.culturalvistas.org/wcte.

CONCLUSION

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