For the first time together in one place. At the end of September, Prague hosted the first ever conference of the "Welcome to the Czech Republic" project. It brought together all those who provide adaptation and integration courses for newly arrived foreigners throughout the country. From representatives of the Ministry of the Interior, which finances the project, to course coordinators, lecturers, interpreters, evaluators and representatives of Slovo 21. The latter organisation came up with the idea of the courses years ago and is responsible for the project methodology.
"We are really happy that we have managed to organise the conference after all these years. A large number of entities from all over the country are involved in the Welcome to the Czech Republic project. Although we meet regularly, it’s usually on computer screens via video calls. Meeting in person is always priceless," says Blanka Vosecká Veselá, the adaptation and integration courses methodologist from Slovo 21.
The national conference provided participants with a space to share practical experiences, as well as an opportunity to discuss various challenges. "The exchange of experience between course coordinators, lecturers, the Ministry of the Interior and us is extremely important. Based on this, we can continuously improve the courses, which is crucial to us. At the moment, for example, we want to work more on the promotion of adaptation and integration courses. We have the feeling that not all newly arrived foreigners who are obliged to complete the course actually actually know about it. And we want to change that," adds Vosecká Veselá.
A new promo video published by Slovo 21 in mid-September is supposed to raise awareness of the adaptation and integration courses. Its main face is Andrea, an influencer originally from Venezuela who has lived in the Czech Republic for over 6 years. The mother of two, and lover of Czech beer introduces the content of the courses in an entertaining way and explains why they are useful for newly arrived foreigners. The video is available on social media and on the project website in a total of six languages.
Among other things, the conference participants agreed that foreigners should be more frequently informed about the risks for not completing the course. If they fail to complete the course on time, they can be fined up to CZK 10,000. "I am glad that we discussed this topic at the conference. Some foreigners take it lightly and then they can get into trouble for not paying the fine. And that is not our goal. We want the newly arrived foreigners to pass the courses as soon as possible and not to postpone them unnecessarily," explains Veronika Bayerová, coordinator of the adaptation and integration courses in Prague.
Adaptation-integration courses are educational seminars that help foreigners to get oriented in a new country as quickly as possible. From 2021 they are compulsory for some groups of newly arrived foreigners. Since then, more than 30,000 foreigners have taken the courses. Most of them - more than 90% - were satisfied with the form of the courses.
