We use cookies to ensure that we give the best experience on our website. By continuing to use this site, you agree that we will store and use cookies on your device. You can revoke your consent at any time by deleting your saved cookies. Read more

Conference  “IntegRIGAtion: Humanity as integration tool”

In 27 March 2019 in The European Union House in Riga the Latvian Red Cross (LatRC) organised an international conference  “IntegRIGAtion: Humanity as integration tool”.

The aims of the conference was:

to identify the importance and practice of different integration activities in inclusion of refugees and asylum seekers (RAS) in local society;
to give an opportunity to State institutions and NGO’s from Latvia, Ireland, Great Brittan, Germany and Italy to share their experience in organising and evaluating integration events and projects in that way giving Latvian people to know more about the practice in Europe.
to formulate the good practice was formulated in every countries context.
During the event three refugees, who are living in Latvia, shared their life stories. Representatives of Latvian, Italian, German and Great Britain Red Cross national societies introduced with integration activities.  Representatives of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Centre for Public Policy “PROVIDUS” introduced with a joint review and latest information on the situation in the Baltic States and Europe.

During the panel discussion, the participants of the conference exchanged views and experiences, concluding that several countries are joining similar barriers to promoting the integration of refugees and asylum seekers. The main conclusions are:

  1. the short-term approach for integration is less effective than providing long-term strategic support;
  2. actual is issue of housing, especially during the first year after receiving status;
  3. difficulties to find a job due to lack of language skills of the hosting country, insufficient amount of host country language training;
  4. limited access to education for pupils due to different level of education and language gap;
  5. the local municipalities and the private sector should be involved in the support program;
  6. cooperation not a competition between NGOs and governmental institutions plays a key role in promoting the process of integration;
  7. an international network provides an opportunity to get to know other countries’ good practices, thus finding solutions to similar problems
  8. LatRC is one of the 191 national societies of International Red Cross movement, which works with the main goal to provide help and support to every person in need, including RAS.

Since February 2018 LatRC together with British, Italian, Irish Red Cross national societies and IFRC realizes international project AVAIL – “Amplifying the voices of asylum seekers and refugees for integration and lifeskills”. The project is funded by European Union within the migration and integration fund (AMIF).

Information was prepared by

Agnese Trofimova

The Latvian Red Cross

Head of International and Public Relations  

E-mail: agnese.trofimova@redcross.lv

Phone: +371 67686312

 

Tev varētu arī interēsēt:

EU4Health: PFA learning together with the Latvian RC

17.01 2024 Health promotion
Responses to stress, what is and what is not psychological first aid (PPA), self-care. These are just some of the valuable topics LatRC offers hands-on learning. More information about the  EU4Health project.  

Building a brighter future: EU4Helath project paves the way for a tomorrow filled with well-being and resilience

11.01 2024 Projects
Latvian RC, together with 28 other national societies of the Red Cross, have been working together for more than a year to help Ukrainian civilians in their countries, strengthening their psychological health and, therefore, the quality of life. In the project “EU4Health – provision of quality and timely psychological first aid to people affected by …

World AIDS Day activities in Latvian Red Cross Youth

21.12 2023 LatRC Youth
In 2022, the infection affected 1.3 million people worldwide.

Shipwreck in the coastal waters of Estonia: evacuation is practiced during the field exercise

This weekend Estonian, Finnish, Latvian and Lithuanian Red Cross are exercising response in the event of a ship accident, which, according to the scenario, will bring almost 1800 people to the coast of Hiiumaa. The goal is to develop cross-border cooperation in case of a mass evacuation. More specifically, how to register, temporarily accommodate and …

World Blood Donor Day 2023

14.06 2023 Uncategorized
On 14 June 2023 the World Blood Donor Day is celebrated. This years slogan is “Give blood, give plasma, share life, share often.” that on patients requiring life-long transfusion support and underlines the role every single person can play, by giving the valuable gift of blood or plasma. It also highlights the importance of giving …