Nieuwkomers écht laten meedoen in de Nederlandse samenleving, dat is uiteindelijk het doel van inburgering. In een artikel dat deze week in Sprank magazine verscheen, schetst Renée Frissen, mede-oprichter en directeur van OpenEmbassy, een aantal voorwaarden om dit te laten slagen.
Integration is more than language and work Renée mentions as the first condition. "In the Netherlands, integration is limited to language, work and education. More is needed for people to really participate fully."
She believes that the government and integration programs perpetuate the dependency of newcomers for too long and that municipalities do not properly utilize the talent and ambitions of people coming to the Netherlands.
Minister Koolmees of SZW explicitly called the new civic integration system a "learning system," but according to Renée, many municipalities buy their civic integration programs in the same way they have always done. In doing so, they usually partner with organizations they have known for a long time and small, informal organizations and neighborhood initiatives fall by the wayside. "That's a shame, because these are often close to the target group and play a big role in creating social connection."
Earlier than they do now, newcomers need to know more about the region where they will be placed if they receive status. And placement should be more focused on what they want and can do, Renée suggests as a sixth condition.
Haar laatste en belangrijkste advies aan gemeenten is om te gaan luisteren naar de nieuwkomers zelf. “Dat is het basisidee van OpenEmbassy. In 2015 zijn wij begonnen met een helpdesk voor nieuwkomers, die inmiddels is uitgegroeid tot een app voor nieuwkomers én ervaren Nederlanders. Uit die enorme community halen wij onze informatie, dáár zien we wat er nodig is om individuele nieuwkomers te ondersteunen en tegelijk het systeem van integratie en inburgering te veranderen.”
