As part of the adaptation programme, we will continue organising Estonian language courses for regular migrants. This year, we offer the opportunity to enroll in courses at levels A1, A2, and B1 to about 2,000 persons. You can register for the courses from January 16, 2024. 

This year, we are tripling the capacity of Estonian language courses for regular migrants compared to last year, when approximately 600 individuals were able to enrol – we will organise courses for about 2,000 people in 2024. Depending on the mapped interest, we will focus on the possibility of starting Estonian language studies: we plan to organise a total of 36 courses at level A1, 25 courses at level A2, and ten courses at level B1. 

As part of the adaptation programme, we will organise Estonian language courses for regular migrants in cooperation with language schools selected through a public procurement – Folkuniversitetet Estonia MTÜ in Tallinn, Kersti Võlu Koolituskeskus OÜ and Algus OÜ in other cities across Estonia. Those schools offer training both online and in classrooms. The courses are free for all participants. 

Our new compatriots can register to Estonian language courses at levels A1, A2, and B1 from January 16. At first, we will open 17 courses for registration, which will take place online and in the cities of Tallinn, Tartu, Narva, and Jõhvi from January and February this year. We will increase the number of courses over time. 

You can register for the Estonian language courses on the website of the adaptation programme: registration link. If you are interested in the offer, you can choose the appropriate course according to the level, study format, date, and location. Registration is open until the study groups are full. More information is available by email: info@settleinestonia.ee. 

Please consider when registering for the Estonian language courses: 

• Many people may be interested in the courses, so the website may be temporarily unavailable. Should this happen, please be patient and return to the website an hour or two later. 

• Levels of Estonian language learning: 

  • A1 (100 academic hours) is intended for those who wish to start at the beginner level and take the first steps in learning a new language. The course will focus on the basic rules of Estonian and the most essential communication skills, such as using everyday expressions and asking and answering simple questions. 

  • A2 (150 academic hours) further develops your language skills, enabling you to understand simpler texts, communicate in everyday situations, and expand your vocabulary. 

  • B1 (250 academic hours) is intended for those who have acquired the A level proficiency in Estonian. By the end of the course, you will be able to understand everything important about topics familiar to you, such as work, school, and leisure time. You will be able to handle communication with state institutions and use services in Estonian as well as write simple texts on familiar subjects or topics that pique your interest, describe your experiences, events, dreams, and goals and briefly justify and explain your views and plans. 

• Independent learning is an integral part of the course at every study level. The teachers recommend and use the Keeleklikk online environment to increase the effectiveness of learning. 

• Important notes, additional information, and a registration link are available on the website of the adaptation programme. 

 What else you should consider as a regular migrant: 

• Regular migrants are people from other countries who have lived in Estonia for less than five years and have acquired a temporary residence permit or right of residence due to their work, studies, moving in with a family member, starting a business, etc. 

• The Settle in Estonia adaptation programme is a free study programme whereby the Estonian state helps recently arrived foreigners to adapt to local life faster and integrate into Estonian society. The programme also enables you to complete other courses supporting adaptation free of charge. Detailed information can be found on the website of the Integration Foundation: https://www.integratsioon.ee/en/kohanemine. 

• In addition to Estonian language courses, we offer opportunities for regular migrants to participate in activities that support the learning of Estonian. Detailed information on these opportunities can be found on the website of the Integration Foundation: https://integratsioon.ee/en/estonian-language-studies. 

Information for recipients of international or temporary protection: 

• Recipients of temporary protection are welcome to register for language courses at level A1: additional information and registration. 

• We plan to open language courses for recipients of international protection this spring. More information is available on the website of the Integration Foundation and on the Facebook page of the adaptation programme. 

Last Saturday, a new theme year – the Cultural Diversity Year – got underway across Estonia. The theme year, dedicated to the diversity of the cultures of Estonian communities and people, opened with joint events being held in every county and in the capital.

’The Cultural Diversity Year opens the door to the world of different cultures living in our common land. I thank everyone who has already contributed, and will continue to contribute, to the organisation of this theme year. Your dedication brings us one step closer to understanding our cultural diversity and thus one step closer to each other,’ said Minister of Culture Heidy Purga at the opening of the Cultural Diversity Year at the Tallinn College of Music and Ballet.

The aim of the Cultural Diversity Year is to encourage every Estonian to better notice, appreciate and cherish our diversity of cultures – to see Estonia as the common home of many cultures and to cooperate more actively with each other. With this goal in mind, the Integration Foundation, which organises the theme year, involved different communities and people from all over Estonia in the opening of the Cultural Diversity Year.  

Communities and people came together in every county to begin the theme year. The first event was held on January 6 at the Haapsalu fair by craftspeople, singers and dancers from different parts of Estonia. On January 12, representatives of different cultures in Põlva County and Hiiu County took up the baton. On January 13, wonderful opening events were staged by the communities and people of Võru County, Viljandi County, Valga County, Tartu County, Saare County, Rapla County, Pärnu County, Lääne-Viru County, Järva County, Jõgeva County, Ida-Viru County and Harju County.

The events that took place in each county culminated in the opening of the theme year in the capital. At the festive gathering held at the Tallinn College of Music and Ballet, Minister of Culture Heidy Purga declared the new theme year open, and the team of the Be Active Year handed over the corresponding title to the leaders of the Cultural Diversity Year. After that, all participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with different cultures through communication, songs, dances, dishes and crafts.

The opening events of the Cultural Diversity Year were organised by the Competence Center for Physical Activity, which led the Be Active Year, the Estonian Folk Culture Centre, which unites Estonian cultural societies, and the Estonian Union of National Minorities, which historically brings together national minority groups. Support was provided by the Ministry of Culture, the Cultural Endowment and local authorities.

The Cultural Diversity Year will continue with events led by the Integration Foundation as well as the communities and people of Estonia. To give the broadest possible overview of them, the foundation has opened a calendar on the theme year website — www.kultuuririkkus.ee — where it is possible to add thematic events free of charge. On the same website, you can find recommendations from experts on how everyone can notice, value and preserve cultural wealth in everyday life.

Photos:

• January 13, 2024 Opening of the Cultural Diversity Year at the Tallinn College of Music and Ballet (Kristi Sits, Egert Kamenik): https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZsJ26VaVjzgyrXSV9  
• January 6, 2024 First event of The Cultural Diversity Year in Haapsalu (Vendo Jugapuu): https://photos.app.goo.gl/ucEkTeaCRAy1nCRQA 

2024 is the Cultural Diversity Year. The new theme year, initiated by the Ministry of Culture and led by the Integration Foundation, will begin with events in all counties, culminating in the announcement of the year on January 13, 2024 in Tallinn. Everyone is welcome to attend the events.

Minister of Culture Heidy Purga invites people to reflect this year on what it is that makes up the richness and diversity of our Estonian culture.

’In the coming year, I invite people to reflect on the essence of Estonia's cultural diversity. Living at the crossroads of cultures throughout history, we have encountered a wealth of influences in customs and traditions, language and culture, and have created from it our own recognizable, albeit difficult-to-articulate, space of values. To move forward successfully together, it is important to realise what makes our world richer and more diverse and to strive to understand what keeps us together,’ said Minister of Culture Heidy Purga.

The Cultural Diversity Year will begin with events that bring communities and nations together in every county this week. The events will culminate on January 13, 2024 with a festive collaboration at the Tallinn College of Music and Ballet, where the Minister of Culture will announce a new theme year and the team of the Be Active Year will hand over the corresponding title to the leaders of the Cultural Diversity Year.

According to Dmitry Moskovtsev, the head of the Integration Foundation, which is leading the theme year, this provides a daily opportunity to find common ground.

‘Cultural diversity is everything that unites us: from experiences and food to creativity and the future. Above all, if we look around us at everyday life, for example, we can find commonalities in national dishes, notice the abundance of cultures in our music and study the story of our family. Cooperation is equally welcome, for example, we can meet more often, share our common joys and sorrows more openly and do more together,’ said Dmitry Moskovtsev.

The opening events of the Cultural Diversity Year are being organised in cooperation with the Competence Center for Physical Activity, which led the Be Active Year, the Estonian Folk Culture Centre, which unites Estonian cultural societies, and the Estonian Union of National Minorities, which historically brings together national minority groups. Support is provided by the Ministry of Culture, the Cultural Endowment and local authorities.

Detailed information about the Cultural Diversity Year and participation in its opening events can be found on the theme year website www.kultuuririkkus.ee and Facebook page www.facebook.com/kultuuririkkuseaasta.

First event of The Cultural Diversity Year in Haapsalu (Vendo Jugapuu).