Area of support for successful integration and migration:

• case-specific counseling and accompaniment in all life situations for people with (and without) a migration background
• support for/ integration and education of ethnic German repatriates, language support for migrant families and courses for children
• support through counseling and assistance for a successful strengthening of one’s own resources with the goal of integration into the German labor market
• support for entering or re-entering the labor market, this is done in cooperation with other associations and institutions
• assistance in dealing with the authorities, concluding contracts for integration and integration through interpreting support //
• placement in courses to support one’s language competence
• help and advice on the recognition of foreign professional qualifications, organization and examination of these qualifications, and referral to other institutions; this includes communication in the event of language barriers and support in dealing with the authorities.
• cooperation in the integration on the work sphere of the district Pankow of Berlin

The areas of our commitment often flow to and complement each other through our work.

We work in an advisory capacity, free of charge and on a voluntary basis.

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Migration: We are foreigners in every other country

It is difficult to integrate oneself into the “new” home country because there are so many differences from the life that one lived before.
There is a new language to learn and a new way of thinking to understand. Religious differences and conflicts of faith may also arise.
Sometimes it can be necessary to reorient oneself professionally, to have past exams recognized, or to retake them according to rules in Germany.

Visits to the authorities are part of everyday life on this path. For many migrants, their dream of a better life in Germany becomes a struggle soon after their arrival here. There is the mourning for the abandoned homeland, the feeling of homelessness and of being abandoned in a foreign country; all of this is based on the loss of the familiar. Friends were left behind, the system one had lived through before no longer offers any security. The change of social and moral orientation points makes integration into the new environment even more difficult. Life experiences and habits brought along, the whole previous way of life, do not correspond with the local customs.

These problems often result in an inner disruption of families, based on mutual communication disagreements. Due to the loss of their native linguistic culture, for themselves and the following generations, resentment and misunderstanding grow within the families; this is often a result of a lack of understanding of the parents towards their children, who who fail to authentically speak in their “mother” tongue. A communication barrier between the generations is created.

The daily confrontation with all kinds of unfamiliar “banalities” determines one’s new way of life. This can lead to fears of everyday situations; even going to the mailbox can be an insurmountable challenge for some, since it is always expected and can rarely be answered adequately due to language barriers. These communication gaps often cause serious feelings of disorientation and helplessness. As a result, the person stagnates, being dominated by fears and making everything seem unsolvable. Regrettable oversights or misunderstandings as a result of unawareness or misinterpretation of the rules and measures can be easily avoided through the offer of competent help.

This association was originally founded to be able to offer this kind of help. What we experienced in the consultation and support of migrants showed us that further assistance must be offered, which is tailored to the individual problems and needs of the Migran. Further support measures for these people are also urgently required and they must be properly addressed.

Thus, from people who have “experienced it at first hand”, the idea arose. It was developed and implemented to found an association that brings light, offers protection and points the way (“A ray of light in the dark realm”, story, Nikolai Alexandrowitsch Dobroljubow, 1836 – 1861).