Integration
Integration is one of the pillars of the Norwegian refugee program. "The integration policy is based on the principles of equal opportunities, the acceptance of difference and shared responsibilities. In order to benefit from the resources and the experience immigrants have, it is thought important that they are allowed to participate in the Norwegian society under the same terms...as the rest of the population."1 In order to fully function in a society and culture that is very different from that one is used to, one must feel a part of that new culture; the Norwegian government is very committed to this concept.
Integration begins before the refugees ever leave their homeland. A new program that was recently instated allows Norwegian immigration officials to hold informational meetings on Norwegian culture and community for refugees in their homelands. "Målet er å lette integreringsprosessen i norske lokalsamfunn gjennom å forklare hvordan det norske samfunnet fungerer, og å bidra til å skape realistiske forestillinger hos flyktningene om hvilke rettigheter og plikter de har i norske kommuner," says Atle Berge, the regional director of UDI.2
The first three meetings were held in refugee camps in Malaysia, Guinea, and Tanzania, including over 300 refugees from 7 countries. All the adult refugees attended the sessions; the goals of the program included introducing the refugees to school policies and work qualifications, the Norwegian job market, and family life in Norway.3 This gave the refugees the opportunity to ask questions and receive information that they otherwise would have had to learn on their own after entering Norway. "Vi har allerede fått tilbakemeldinger for kommuner om at opplegget letter deres informasjonsarbeid og starten på integreringsprosessen for flyktningene," says Berge.4 Beginning in January 2003, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) took charge of session leadership.
Once the refugees enter Norway, they fall under the umbrella of the UDI. The UDI manages three support schemes to support integration into Norwegian communities. The first provides support to those municipalities with the largest refugee population; this support is designed to "contribute to the active social participation of immigrants, multicultural diversity and interaction between immigrants and the remainder of the population".5 The other two schemes provide financial support, financed over the national budget, to organizations that encourage equal opportunity and multiculturalism on both the local and national levels.6
Integration is "en prosess der personer med innvandringsbakgrunn og majoriteten må tilpasse seg hverandre, en prosess der alle har ansvar for å bidra".7 Following this theory are the Flyktningeguider (Refugee Guides) - Norwegian citizens who voluntarily take responsibility for a refugee or refugee family for a year. These volunteers help the refugees to adjust to Norwegian society by showing them around, helping them shop and find housing and childcare, and answering any questions they may have. This program spans nearly 100 communities and has over 600 guides on its rosters.8
Reception to this program has been extremely positive. "Det gjør det lettere å 'bli norsk'... nå har vi noen som vi kan ta opp problemer med og stille spørsmål. Det gjør oss tryggere," says Sima, an Iranian citizen who moved to Norway in 2001.9 Sima and her guide, Cecilie Kluver, have become close friends and continue to support each other outside the program.
pictured: Sima and Cecilie10
Norwegian integration policy is among the best of its kind. Refugees are guided but taught to be independent Norwegian citizens at the same time, allowing for the smoothest transition possible. As a major theme of Norwegian refugee policy, integration receives the attention to detail that both the Norwegians and the refugees deserve.
1 Kommunal- og Regionaldepartementet, "Background information about the immigration, integration, and urban policy of Norway", n.d., <http://odin.dep.no/krd/engelsk/publ/rapporter/016081-990011/index-dok000-b-n-a.html> (14 April 2003)
2 UDI and Kommunal- og Regionaldepartementet, "Norges-informasjon til FN-flyktninger", 23 January 2003, <http://www.odin.dep.no/krd/norsk/publ/periodika/nb/016081-990118/index-dok000-b-n-a.html#2> (14 April 2003)
3 "The goal is to ease the integration process into Norwegian community by explaining how the Norwegian community operates, and to help to create realistic expectations among the refugees about what rights and obligations they have in Norwegian communities." ibid.
4 "We have already received responses from the communities that the introduction eased their informational work and the beginning of the integration process for the refugees." ibid.
5 UDI, "Integration Support Schemes", n.d., <http://193.71.11.42/default.asp?PubID=2948&MenuID=2529&intStrukturID=11244> (12 April 2003)
6 ibid.
7 "...a process where people from immigrant backgrounds and the majority must accept each other, a process where everybody has a responsibility to contribute." UDI og Kommunal- og Regionaldepartementet, "Nyhetsbrev: Viktig med møteplasser", 23 January 2003, <http://www.odin.dep.no/krd/norsk/publ/periodika/nb/016081-990118/index-dok000-b-n-a.html#2> (14 April 2003)
8 Olsen, Krister, "600 er sosiale guider for nye flyktninger", Aftenposten, 26 March 2003, <http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/article.jhtml?articleID=516082> (23 April 2003)
9 "It makes it easier to 'be Norwegian'... now we have somebody with whom we can bring up problems and ask questions. It makes us feel safer." Olsen, Krister, "Vi føler oss velkomne", Aftenposten, 26 March 2003, <http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/article.jhtml?articleID=516083> (23 April 2003)
10 ibid.