County navigators help
Living in a new, foreign country means more than learning a new language. Culture, social interaction, official procedures – everything is different. Integration is a challenge and needs support. That’s why the district of bad kissingen now has district navigators for education, employment and participation. Eleven people with a refugee or migration background have qualified for the program. They pass on their knowledge to people with a refugee or migration background who speak the same language and help them to find a fub.
To become county navigators, the women and men have completed a training course. These were organized by the district and caritas in cooperation. The concept was developed in cooperation with integration coordinator jessica muller and andrea herzer, education coordinator for new immigrants in the district of herzogenaurach. They were supported in their training by specialists from the employment agency, the caritas educational counseling center, a former school board member, a health insurance company and the health department.
Now, district administrator thomas bold and the managing director of the caritasverband fur den landkreis bad kissingen, anne hilpert, presented the certificates to the district navigators. Bold thanked the district navigators for their voluntary work: "their commitment deserves recognition. It’s great that you are helping other new immigrants to integrate in this way!" Anne hilpert also congratulated the participants on the successful completion of the training series. "Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge and for your commitment to your new home." Integration into a society works first and foremost through communication and education. Learning the german language and imparting basic knowledge about the education and participation system are necessary in order to find one’s way in a new society and culture.
The multipliers are contact persons and can act as role models. They come from syria, afghanistan, somalia, kenya and kyrgyzstan; one participant is german. Some of them have also agreed to act as interpreters for the district.
