integration of migrants in vantaa

Welcome to Vantaa

Integration of Migrants in Vantaa: Challengesand Good Practices

Vantaa Vocational College Varia, Newly arrived immigrants

Hannele Lautiola Head of Multicultural Affairs

3rd, April, 2017

203.05.2023

Vantaa in a nutshell • Founded in 1974• The fourth biggest city in Finland• More than 219 000 inhabitants• dynamic growing city, population growth 2.2 % in 2016

Vantaa constitutes part of Helsinki region • Helsinki region comprises 14 municipalities. At the turn of the year 2013/2014, the population of the region amounted to around 1.4 million. • The metropolitan area cities—Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, and Kauniainen—i.e., the HSY area, have joint waste management and public transport among other joint operations.Population of the neighboring municipalities(2014/2015)Helsinki 621 904Espoo 265 646Nurmijärvi 41 588Tuusula 38 213Kerava 35 313Sipoo 19 037

Source: Statistics Finland

Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport In 2014, 15.9 million passengers passed through the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport.

The Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is one of the best airports in the world.

The airport was completed in time for the 1952 Olympic Games.

Hannele Lautiola. City of Vantaa 5

Integration in the City of Vantaa 1. Integration2. City of Vantaa Integration Program

Employment Integration of second generation Good ethnic relations / NGO partnership

3. Integration in education 3.4.2017


Migrants in Vantaa (2)

• Highest amount of foreign language speakers in Finland,

- 16.6 % of the population speaks a foreign language as native language

(national level 6.4 %, Espoo 15,2 %, Helsinki 14.7 %)

- More than 36 000 inhabitants in Vantaa

• in Vantaa foreign nationals: 10 %foreign language speakers 15,4 %

• the city population grew in 2015 with 3800 inhabitants (includes 2700 foreign language speakers)

Source: Statistics Finland, data from the turn of the year 2015/2016 3.4.2017


Biggest foreign language groups in 2015

Kieli 2009 2014/2015Russian 3547 6436Estonian 1805 6537Somalian 1532 2188Albanian 1057 1705Vietnamese 763 1179Arabic 649 1270English 626 1064Kurdish 589 978Turkish 528 815Chinese 384 715Foreign language speakers 30 262 in the end of 2014, Centre of Statistics

3.4.2017

Hannele Lautiola. City of Vantaa 83.4.2017

2. City of Vantaa Integration Program


Goals and Pillars of IntegrationGoals of the

Integration Program

Employment, Skills and Future

An Inclusive City Networks and Partnerships

Higher level of employment for migrants

Conditions for migrant entrepreneurship improve

Vantaa attracts skilled international migrants

Everyone benefits from education and training Share of migrant background personnel employed by the City of Vantaa increases Diversity skills in workplaces improve

City services are shared, special services are offered as needed

The focus of integration is family

Vantaa is a safe and pleasant environment for everybody Good ethnic relations are actively cherished Everyone has a chance to belong to the community

International co-operation networks strengthen Collaboration with the state strengthens Promotion of interest of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area strengthens Collaboration in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area in developing services continues Partnerships diversify with NGOs

Foundation for migrant integration in Vantaa

3.4.2017


Integration at three levels 1. European Union

- Common Basic Principles, funding, partnerships- Eurocities, Urbact network: Arrival Cities

2. National level- national legislation, sharing of responsabilities between ministries

and between cities and state level

3. Local level - people, communities, the problems if integration is not succesful

The reality- Public services are suffering from economic decline – leads to fewer

services in the suburbs and danger of residential segregation- Not enough resourses for basic integration services

3.4.2017


Vantaa priorities 1. Employment among immigrants One of most important dimensions

of integration Metropolitan area, working area Employment management is

characterized by project dependency

Vantaa is one of the partners of a large ESF- consortium “ At Work in Finland” together with metropolitan area cities, Chamber of Commerce and trade union SAK and many others (2016-2018)

3.4.2017


2. Integration of second generation Finland is famous for scoring high in

international OECD PISA –assessment

But we have new studies showing that for migrant backgroud children it is not at all as positive

The principle in Finnish and Vantaa school system is ”same schools and services for all ”

3.4.2017


3. Strengthening good ethnic relations in Vantaa (1)

Vantaa faced the only ethnic conflict in Finland in the end of 1990, in Hakunila suburb area (skinheads against somali youth)

Refugee influx, crisis in 2015-2016,

hate speech specially in social media

BUT also: a never before seen wave of good will and voluntary work

• coordination of voluntary work with asylum seekers together with Red Cross and Local Lutheran Church

• 200 active volunteers, 20 Finnish language courses led by volunteer teachers

• Today about 1000 asylum seekers stay in 4 different refugee centers in the area of Vantaa

3.4.2017


3. Strengthening good ethnic relations in Vantaa (2)

How to mediate the general discussion? How to work against rasism?

How to maintain and strengthen the wave of good will?

Our response:- Structures to strengthen participation- Diversify partnership with NGOs

3.4.2017


Structures to strengthen participation Advisory Board of Multicultural Issues

close connection to municipal decision making and City Council

Local Roma Workgroup

recommended by the National Roma Policy

3.4.2017


Partnership with NGOsNGOs can offer: 1. connection to the people

2. culture and language skills 3. the voice of the immigrants 4. evaluation of public services

3 examples of NGO – City parnership from Vantaa:

Experiment ground for partnerships in projects Bridge between officials and inhabitants Connections to make dialogue possible

3.4.2017


Hakunila International Society- possibilities for new experiment projects

3.4.2017


Nicehearts ry –Neighbourhood mothers project: strengthening networks and solidarity between women (European Social Fund)

3.4.2017


R3 Maahanmuuttajanuorten tuki ryConnecting inhabitants and decision makers

3.4.2017


Integration in education New tendencies (Vocational education)

Reducing the gap between integration courses and vocational education

Stronger connection between vocational education and working life

European Social Fund –project Väyliä työhön

3.4.2017


Thank You

3.4.2017

integration of migrants in vantaa

Education