Hundreds of refugees arrived in the district of Tübingen in 2015, 2016 and the following years. It was a turbulent time. All the people who came to us first had to be provided with housing and the bare necessities. Due to the high number of new arrivals, some gyms even had to be converted into accommodation. We had to help all these people when they arrived in Germany, a social environment that was completely foreign to almost all of them at that point. There was a lack of information everywhere about how things worked, who was responsible for what, but also about mundane matters such as the ‘notorious’ waste separation system.
At that time, tuenews INTERNATIONAL was created by the Tübingen District Office. Since then, people with a history of flight and migration have been working as authors with the help of journalist coaches, researching various topics at official agencies, preparing them journalistically, translating them themselves and making their articles available on various channels in several languages. We at the Tübingen district office make this possible – for good reason.
Ten years ago, the main focus was on taking people in and finding accommodation for them. Although this immigration still exists, the numbers are currently much lower. Today, the focus for many former refugees is on further integrating them into our society and supporting them in standing on their own two feet. It is important to us that refugees become independent of state benefits as quickly as possible. Language acquisition and integration into the labour market play a central role here. People who work not only learn the language faster, but also integrate more easily. This can be confirmed by authors of tuenews INTERNATIONAL, who were not only able to improve their language skills through the project made possible by the district of Tübingen, but also found their way into regular working life.
However, what is more important to us at the district of Tübingen is that tuenews INTERNATIONAL indirectly and directly serves the district’s integration efforts through its publications. To my knowledge, there is hardly any other medium in Germany that is so precisely tailored to the needs of people in the integration process. This starts with the articles, which focus on questions and topics that authors from the Arab world, Iran, Afghanistan, Nigeria or Ukraine set based on their own experiences or what they hear from friends and acquaintances.
These include, for example, the recognition of professional qualifications, job offers or what happens if a student forgets their travel card. Colleagues from our integration management team often contribute topics from their counselling sessions. For example, new immigrants always need a passport photo for the authorities, but now they have to submit it digitally in a specific format. Some come from Ukraine and do not yet understand German. Everyone in the integration team at the district office would now have to inform their clients. The information is now available on tuenews INTERNATIONAL, where and how they can have the required photo taken. This allows the integration managers to concentrate on more important matters. They show the article in Ukrainian – there is even a video clip in Ukrainian – or send it out.
tuenews INTERNATIONAL has spruced itself up for its anniversary year. Its five language channels in Ukrainian, Arabic, Persian, English and German are now much more accessible, and the 8,759 published articles can be easily searched by category, such as housing, transport, education or health, or using search functions. For example, the search term ‘waste’ not only leads to a text about ‘correct behaviour in the countryside’, but also directly to information that organic waste bins are now subject to stricter controls.
An Instagram channel for each language caters to the information habits of the target group. And now, migrants can install the newly activated tuenews app on their smartphones. This means that articles in their languages on everyday issues are now even more readily available to them, making it easier for them to participate in integration in terms of language, work and society. I am convinced that our entire society benefits when people with a refugee or migrant background acquire so much knowledge that they and we take their presence here for granted.
My thanks go to everyone who has accompanied, shaped and made tuenews possible from the very beginning.
First and foremost, I would like to thank Prof. Wolfgang Sannwald, the ‘father’, editor and managing director of the project. Many thanks to the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Social Affairs, which has made the tuenews app possible with funds from the ‘Integration vor Ort – Stärkung kommunaler Strukturen’ (Integration on the ground – strengthening municipal structures) funding pot. Last but not least, I would like to thank all the authors, journalist coaches and the organising team for their great commitment and important work.
Congratulations on your tenth anniversary!
Yours sincerely
Dr Hendrik Bednarz
District Administrator
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