At OpenEmbassy we strive to build inclusive mixed communities of newcomers and Dutch residents, while offering individualised support rooted in experience and evidence-based action.
Equality and dignity are our watchwords and the foundation of our attempts to support a swift and seamless process of integration.
Behind it all we are constantly advocating for positive change in the civic integration process.
We work on our mission based on the following beliefs:
The Dutch system of ‘inburgering’ and integration does not work well for all newcomers.
The current system can potentially stall newcomers’ attempts to promptly build their own new lives. It also may fail to provide adequate help where needed. We’re doing our best to ensure that the introduction of the new Civic Integration Act in 2021 runs optimally for newcomers. How? By putting newcomers’ voices to the forefront and making sure they are heard in a place where everything is usually devised in terms of rules and regulations.
The integration of newcomers is largely society’s responsibility.
We believe society evolves, and that while the government should continue to invest in social initiatives to integrate newcomers, the responsibility to do so falls on all of us.
To change the system, you have to work alongside it.
There are necessary and already well-functioning parts of the system. We are committed to change from within, which is why our work is often commissioned by stakeholders, such as municipalities, provinces, the central government, housing corporations, and care providers.
Newcomers’ agency is at the center of everything we do.
By agency, we mean the ability to influence one’s own life and surroundings.
Social entrepreneurship is the best approach to achieve our mission.
We are a private limited company (LTD) so that we can eventually share ownership of OpenEmbassy. This way, we can also make a profit and use it at our own discretion to achieve our mission. We do this through Impact R&D, with which we finance, for example, our Academy, our help desk, and our Trainee Action Researcher.
OpenEmbassy is an inclusive workplace.
Diversity in backgrounds and perspectives is crucial to our work. Thus, we strive to be a good example for our clients and partners both through the composition of our team, and the way in which we work together.
Knowledge is vital for change.
It’s essential, for example, to know the wishes and ambitions of newcomers, the practical side of the civic integration (‘inburgering’) process, and the way in which regulations work. However, change only takes place when it is operationalised. This is why we prefer to build learning communities rather than to publish comprehensive reports. All of our products are also meant to be operationalised.
Our name is OpenEmbassy because we started as the place to go for support and knowledge in one’s country of arrival
….while ordinary embassies are for one’s country of origin. Furthermore, we want to be the source of “everyday diplomacy,” which is crucial in order to live in a diverse community.
Do you have a question about your new life in the Netherlands? Ask us!