"You can go beyond the sky. There is nothing you can't-do as a refugee..." Our first #IntegrationChatRoom event brought together many different people from all segments of the community. We shared our experiences working in the Dutch labor market, how to overcome the obstacles we might face when experiencing cultural differences and learned about the Syrian situation from first hand! At the end of the event, we shared an amazing multicultural dinner when all of our attendees could chat in a relaxed and safe environment. We had a brilliant time and learned a lot, and we all hope from our hearts that you have also enjoyed the event! As a closing remark and advice from the event: "Never miss an

Title: Zina’s Kitchen is the Netherlands’ first business run by a female refugee Type: Article Location: Netherlands Name of Responsible Persons: Evelin Source: Economy Date: 08 March, 2017 The article discusses how Zina, a Syrian female refugee had found her ground in the Netherlands through the love of cooking and sharing food with others. It also lists the obstacles she had to go through and how the community helped her to make her dream come true, to open her own restaurant. Additionally, the article lists some issues in the Dutch system, about how refugees cannot earn a cent while they are dependent on the governmental aid and how much harder is to be a female refugee on the Europe

Title: Syrian refugee turns page on war with Holland’s only Arabic bookstore Type: Article Location: Netherlands Name of Responsible Persons: Evelin Source: Middle East Eye Date: 29 June, 2017 The article discusses the journey of Samer al-Kadri from fleeing Damascus, Syria to having a bookstore in Istanbul, Turkey and in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It also highlights how the bookshop had managed to help people in the community to come together and engage in discussions about Syria, obstacles in their lives and about everyday topics. Additionally, it mentions how funds and grants can help refugees to fulfill their dreams, like Same al-Kadri had, when he was looking for a place to open hi

Miriam's Mogogo Eritrees Restaurant is led with a warm heart with the aim to bring authentic Eritrean food to her guests. No wonder her restaurant was chosen as the second best African restaurant in Netherlands according to the largest Dutch restaurant guide. Miriam has been donating food for our activities continuously, so in this video we would like to thank her for her generosity and hope she will be with UID for a long time. Donors like Miriam keep us going and make us better every day! Dear Miriam, we are still grateful to you and Mogogo Eritrees Restaurant. As you celebrate 2 decades of serving wonderful meals to the community, we your friends at UID say a big thank you! If you would l

Five brilliant, strong Minds will join us as we kick start our IntegrationChatRoom project. Christina, Shahira, Sofie, Alain and Ahmad will share their experiences, talk about the socio-cultural differences that can be encountered at the workplace and they will give advice on how to manage such differences. Later, they will stay with us to enjoy our multicultural dinner and embrace the beauty of diversity. Christina Moreno is the founder and CEO of She Matters – a platform designed to connect refugee and migrant women with employment opportunities in the Netherlands. An international lawyer and communications professional by training, Christina is also currently with Global Rights Compliance

Writing IELTS exam isn't only about speaking English, but also about being able to follow the techniques, to keep to the time, and meet your score cut off. Many new comers desire to take the IELTS exam, either as a way of proving their English language skills, in order to pursue an academic purpose, or for professional purposes. Whatever the case, our volunteers have made it possible for our participants to prepare for the real test, by administering a practice IELTS exam.​This practice exam, just like our English classes, is free. The participants who took advantage of our practice IELTS exam were grateful for this opportunity, as most of them are better prepared for the real exam, while ot

Title: Prison turned hotel helps refugees integrate into Dutch society Type: Article Location: Netherlands Name of Responsible Persons: Source: I Am Expat Date: 15 September, 2017 This article discusses a new sustainable model for refugee integration in the Netherlands using the former Bijlmerbajes prison as a pop up hotel where refugees and professionals work together to run the site. The project aims to provide a dignified way to integrate refugees through providing them employment and training which does not just help them to develop employability skills but it also empowers them. Photo from booking.com Additionally, the article lists other best practices to use former prisons, like

Let's get active together and celebrate diversity with tasty food! We grabbed our bikes and head out for a trip on the 9th September at 12:00! After we have discovered the city and became exhausted enough we will continue with a multicultural picnic where you can try finger food from different parts of the world, including Syria, Nigeria, Eritrea, Sudan, the Netherlands, Philippines and Germany. TESTIMONIAL "The perfect thing you can do to discover new places or to know more about a city is “bike tour”. With Unity in Diversity we had a brilliant tour in the Hague city with people from different nationalities and cultures. We visited altogether many historical, political, royal and public a

On 1st September 2017, we will be distributing for the second time donations received; they mainly include clothes and accessories. ​ This will hold in a local church that has provided its lounge area for this purpose.

Title: Understanding Society: Involved with Refugees Type: Information on University Website Page (Article) Location: Tilburg, Netherlands Name of Responsible Persons: Unknown Source: Tilburg University Website Date: Unknown This summary discusses the involvement of many Tilburg University students and employees with refugees via activities helping them to integrate into society. The motto of Tilburg University in this regards is ‘Understanding Society’, where students and employees can work together and suggest alternative solutions to the social problems we face. The Tilburg University Steering Committee is crucial to setting up the contacts between refugees and organizations that aid re

Title: The Netherlands has accepted 2,100 refugees under EU quota scheme Type: Article Location: Netherlands Name of Responsible Persons: Unknown Source: Dutch News Date: July 27, 2017 This brief summary talks about the number of refugees who have been taken into the Netherlands since the European quota plan was drawn up. While the Netherlands was supposed to accept 9,000 people under this plan, it ended up taking 2,100 refugees. However, another difference is that there is a significantly lower amount of people claiming refugee status – making it harder to know how many refugees have entered the country. The Dutch News source also notes that a foundation We Gaan Ze Halen (we are going to fe

Title: Save the Children NL Type: Social Media Platform: Twitter Page of the Organization and Official Page Online Location: The Hague, Netherlands Name of Responsible Persons: Unknown Source: Save the Children NL Date: Joined Twitter July 2009 This summary briefly describes the main aim of the Save the Children NL organization as well the contents of its twitter page. The organization is active in over 120 countries on six continents; the branch within the Netherlands is based in The Hague. The multiple departments include the Programs, Lobby & Advocacy, Communications, Fundraising, and the Finance and Control departments. Their main function is to improve the living conditions of children

Title: Volunteer Facilitator Recreational Activities for Refugee Children in the Netherlands Type: Article (project) Location: based in Amsterdam, Netherlands Name of Responsible Persons: Unknown Source: War Child (organization) Date: 25th July 2017 This summary discusses the joint collaboration of War Child, UNICEF Netherlands, and Save the Children to help refugee children be children once again. They aim to provide for the social and emotional needs of these children so that they feel relaxed and safe in their host country. The three-way collaboration of these organizations has led to the birth of a new program titled ‘TeamUp’, where these kids engage in numerous activities like dance, pl

Title: Refugee Food Festival Type: Social Media Platform: Twitter Account Location: Europe: Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille, Lille, Madrid, Florence, Amsterdam, Brussels, Athens, Milan, Bari, and Rome Name of Responsible Persons: Unknown Source: Refugee Food Festival Date: Food Festival was held in June 2017 This summary is of the contents of the twitter account of the Refugee Food Festival and the aims of this festival. The goal behind this initiative is to have restaurants open their kitchens to refugee chefs for cooking. Aside from sharing and enjoying good food with people from different cultures, such festivals serve as very important tools for the integration of refugees into mainstre

Title: EWSI – Netherlands Type: Social Media Platform: Twitter Location: Utrecht, Netherlands Name of Responsible Persons: Unknown Source: EWSI - Netherlands Date: Unknown (Twitter Account created in May 2013) This summary aims to briefly describe the European Website on Integration (EWSI) and its specific insights into the process of refugee integration within the Netherlands as a whole. A more recent tweet by EWSI – Netherlands concerns an action taken by the European Commission so that the fifty or so integration initiatives taking place within the EU can be monitored via an online dashboard. This concerns basic information pertaining to refugees and their education, labor contribution, b

Title: Sofar Sounds (A Global Music Community) Type: Social Media Platform: Facebook Page Location: Global concerts, but began in London, England Name of Responsible Persons: Unknown Source: Sofar Sounds Date: Founded in April 2009 This summary briefly describes Sofar Sounds and the tasks and events it has hosted since its founding in 2009 by three young artists in London. Sofar Sounds is unique in that it grants artists and music lovers the chance to mingle and hold mini concerts in tightly packed living rooms. Although the community is young, the music shows sponsored by Sofar Sounds and Amnesty International have taken place in over 300 cities globally. The latest event they are sponsorin

Title: Refugee Project Maastricht Type: Social Media Platform: Facebook Page Location: Maastricht, Netherlands Name of Responsible Persons: Unknown Source: Refugee Project Maastricht Date: Unknown (Founded in February 2015) This summary briefly discusses the history of the local organization, The Refugee Project Maastricht, and discusses some of their upcoming events/tasks concerning refugees. The organization aims to bring locals, students, and refugees together to further tolerance and the socio-cultural integration of the refugees. On the 6th of September, the Refugee Project Maastricht will be at the Get Involved! Information Market at the Student Service Centre in Maastricht where its m

Title: Host Culture Adoption and Ethnic Retention among Turkish Immigrants and their Descendants in France, Germany, and the Netherlands Type: Research Project Location: France, Germany, and Netherlands Name of Responsible Persons: Prof. Dr. Ruud Koopmans (Project Manager) and Evelyn Ersanilli (Staff) Source: WZB Berlin Social Science Center Date: Project Date: 2004-2010 This summary focuses on explaining the theoretical background and objectives of a research project aiming to assess how successful the socio-cultural integration of Turkish immigrants was within France, Germany and the Netherlands. Each country has different integration policies, and the project focuses on the extent to whic

Our English classes launched in July has seen tremendous success, with 6 sessions going on all week round; including intensive one-on-one classes with dedicated teachers and students. Most of the beneficiaries to these courses intend to improve their English Language for their studies, while others take these classes to improve their spoken English for personal and professional basis. Whatever the case, we are happy that our beneficiaries and teachers get along very well, and each class promises to be fun!

UID has finally launched the My University Cares Too Campaign research. So far we have received information on Socio-cultural integration activities for refugees and by refugees in Universities across the Netherlands, starting with Amsterdam University College. We have begun creating a database that will host all these different projects, making it easier for new comers and interested parties to easily reach out to any project of interest. Do you have information about projects for refugees or by refugees, going on in your school, or other educational institutions? Send an email to muct@uidnl.org and share this information with us. We welcome your tips, suggestions, and comments.