Edition 11 students visit local migration initiatives during annual Oldenburg Day

Once a year, incoming EMMIRians visit different places around the city related to migration and refugees, including governmental and non-governmental organizations. This year's Oldenburg Day took place on 15 September, and EMMIR Edition 11 (#EMMIRE11) visited:

• IBIS – Interkulturelle Arbeitsstelle für Forschung, Dokumentation, Bildung und Beratung e.V., which is one of the largest providers of German courses in Oldenburg, and their organization offers advice and help with city registration formalities.

• Amt für Zuwanderung und Integration, Stadt Oldenburg (The Office for Immigration and Integration), which deals with the responsibilities for immigration and integration in the city of Oldenburg.

• Handwerkskammer Oldenburg, which supports and represents around 13,000 craft businesses in our chamber district. One of their projects is the integration project for craft training for refugees and asylum seekers (IHAFA).

• BSB Deutschland GmbH, which runs the Fair Integration Counselling Center, is a nationwide advisory service on social and labor law issues for migrants who do not come from the EU.

“To appreciate is to be exposed. During the Oldenburg trip, the cohort had seen various initiatives of the local public and private institutions contributing to the nexus of migration governance not only in the city of Oldenburg but throughout Germany," said Benrashdie Ngo, E11 student.

"As a migration student, and future practitioner, the lessons we have gained from this experience will be very helpful in navigating through this field with a more informed heart and mind.”

"We have seen the active participation of IBIS in alleviating the struggles of migrants thru the asylum procedure, and have visited the Office for Migration and Integration of Oldenburg and understand further the region’s role in accepting migrants from the Middle East and South America," Ben continued. "As a migration student, and future practitioner, the lessons we have gained from this experience will be very helpful in navigating through this field with a more informed heart and mind.”