EUKN - Netherlands - Participation and integration in urban immigrant self-help organisations

Participation and integration in urban immigrant self-help organisations

Introduction

The research was performed by Regioplan Beleidsonderzoek (Regional Plan Policy Research) by order of the Social Development Department of the City of Amsterdam. The city wants to gain a better insight into the contribution of self-help organisations to the integration process, as the granting of subsidies is based on activities that promote integration.

Description

Do the activities of subsidised urban immigrant self-help organisations contribute to the promotion of participation and integration of the immigrant rank and file in Amsterdam?

Conclusions

All the researched self-help organisations contributed to integration to a greater or lesser degree. They offer tools for further integration into society, such as language courses and social services’ information.
The self-help organisations hardly contribute to the participation of the immigrants in wider society.
Immigrants mainly go to self-help organisations to meet fellow countrymen in familiar surroundings.
The social function of the self-help organisations is for the immigrants, but do activities outside the home that form a first step towards integration.

To summarise, it was concluded that the objectives and activities of self-help organisations have a two-layered character. On the one hand, a contribution is made to integration via both counselling and courses, but, on the other hand, meeting in one’s own language is central to the immigrants.

Contact info

Regioplan Beleidsonderzoek (Regional Plan Policy Research)
Phone: info@regioplan.nl

Publication date

15/07/2003

Project finished

Researcher

Brink, M. E. Tromp and A. Odé

Links

Regioplan Beleidsonderzoek

Participation and integration in urban immigrant self-help organisations - full report (PDF, Dut, 445 KB)

Document type

research

Themes

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration

Keywords

Integration of social groups