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The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the effective social, economic and cultural integration of foreigners in Slovakia through provision of one-stop high-quality and targeted information and services.
The attainment of the main objective is determined by the fulfilment of specific project objectives that include:
- Supporting of the preparation of migrants for living in the Slovak society and improving their access to institutions and public services
- Facilitating the access to the labour market for migrants through vocational training and retraining
- Developing the dialogue between migrants and the host society and supporting the community living of migrants
MIC activities in 2009 are divided into 3 components:
- Comprehensive integration consultancy
Coupled with the development of the information tools to overcome language, cultural and administrative obstacles in the access to institutions and public services, the comprehensive integration consultancy is the main component of the integration of third-country nationals. Based on past experience, and the great need for provision of such services, the qualified MIC staff implement legal and social counselling for the target groups of migrants. A component part of the comprehensive integration consultancy is its direction at the practical orientation in the main aspects of foreigners’ life of in Slovakia, such as residence, employment, involvement in business, health care, health insurance, family life, education, etc.
Where legal representation is necessary, clients are referred to the cooperating organisations, such as the League for Human Rights.
The comprehensive integration consultancy also includes updating and distribution of information booklets that were issued within the preceding action of the MIC. Their purpose is to cater for the clients that cannot visit MIC in person, and who need to know the basic requisites of their stay and life in Slovakia. The information booklets proved to be useful both for the target group of migrants and other relevant partners coming into contact with foreigners (e.g. Offices of Labour, Social Affairs and Family, the Border and Aliens Police Department, SR embassies abroad, NGOs, etc.)
The website www.mic.iom.sk comes under Activity 1. It contains analytically processed legislative and practical information from the main areas of foreigners’ life in Slovakia. It comprises a unique information database, which is used, apart from foreigners, by professionals and the interested institutions operating in the area of integration.
- Labour market integration
The integration in the labour market and the acquisition of the economic independence is an essential condition for successful migrants’ integration in the host society. Third-country foreigners are particularly vulnerable in this respect, inter alia because of the language barrier, non-recognition of their education and qualifications achieved, the legislative obstacles to the employment of foreigners, etc. For this reason MIC offers consultancy and a financial contribution for taking up training or retraining courses.
- Cooperation with migrant communities and the support of intercultural exchange
MIC will continue to cooperate with the existing network of cultural mediators for particular foreigner communities. Cultural mediators are foreigners living in Slovakia or Slovak nationals with good knowledge and with established relations with the community they represent. In the course of the implementation of previous project MIC had developed a network of 23 cultural mediators, their number and composition may be subject to change during this project.
The role of cultural mediators is to organise the so-called multicultural information meetings that MIC will support financially but may also get involved in organisationally. The multicultural meetings (such as the sports and cultural events, concerts, discussion groups) will enable informal meetings of the community as well as the presentation of the community and its culture to the general public.
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