From 22 to 25 August, the Integration Foundation in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture is organising summer courses on the public sector for students whose first language is not Estonian. The aim of the summer school is to introduce young people to career opportunities in the public sector and to encourage them to tie their futures with the public sector.

Students whose first language is not Estonian and who are finishing at least their second year at an Estonian higher education institution are welcome to participate. A total of 40 students from all over Estonia will be able to attend the summer school free of charge.

The registration is open until 15 August. Further information and registration: praktikaprogramm.integratsioon.ee/suvekool. The summer school will be held at the Estonian language house of Integration Foundation in Tallinn and the course will also include visits to other institutions.

Participants in the summer school will acquire useful skills for planning their careers. They will learn from experts what the public sector expects from young people in the future, find out about traineeships and job opportunities in the public sector, learn how to write a CV and a motivation letter, etc. There will be inspiring meetings as well.

The summer school is part of the traineeship programme of the Integration Foundation and the Ministry of Culture. In the framework of the programme, public sector institutions offer traineeships to students whose first language is not Estonian. The aim of the programme is to introduce young people to the job opportunities in public institutions and to encourage them to apply for public sector jobs in the future. Further information and registration: praktikaprogramm.integratsioon.ee.

The registration of all Ukrainian war refugees who have received temporary protection into the mandatory and free adaptation program started on July 6th. The Police and Border Guard Board sends a referral letter to all adults who have received temporary protection. The first 2,500 recipients of temporary protection have been invited to study Estonian.

"Knowledge of the Estonian language, at least at a basic level, is essential in order to manage independently in our country and to adapt to the society here. Therefore, the adaptation program with language training is mandatory and free of charge for Ukrainian war refugees who have received temporary protection. We are extremely flexible in offering trainings – in addition to the fact that the training can be completed online, there are plans to hold trainings in all regions of Estonia where recipients of temporary protection live. On our part, we will do everything to ensure that everyone can find a suitable way and time to complete a useful training," said Piret Hartman, Undersecretary for Cultural Diversity of the Ministry of Culture.

The recipient of temporary protection must independently register for both the adaptation program and Estonian language learning in the online environment www.settleinestonia.ee. 

• Adaptation programme module for temporary protection holders: https://www.settleinestonia.ee/programme/temporary-protection-module
• A1 level estonian language course for temporary protection holders: https://www.settleinestonia.ee/programme/temporary-protection-lang-modu…

A total of 5 language schools offer language training: Sola Integra OÜ in the PPA region of Northern Estonia, Multilingua Keelekeskus OÜ in Tallinn, OÜ PR Reiting in the PPA region of South Estonia, Algus OÜ in the PPA region of Eastern Estonia and Folkuniversitetet Estonia MTÜ in Tartu. In the PPA region of Western and Central Estonia, the provider is not yet known. In addition, an extraordinary state procurement will be announced in the summer for the language training of an additional 900 recipients of temporary protection. The language courses take place in the amount of 100 academic hours and take place either as online learning or as contact learning in classrooms.

From the additional budget of 2022, the learning of the Estonian language of the adaptation program for recipients of temporary protection will be supported with 4.5 million euros. There are a total of 9,000 vacancies.

From the additional budget of 2022, the one-day training of the adaptation program for temporary protection recipients will be supported with 4.6 million euros. Trainings for the first 10,000 recipients of temporary protection have started. In July, a tender will be announced to find providers of an additional 10,000 adaptation program study vacancies. In addition, recipients of temporary protection will be given the opportunity to complete the adaptation program training as an independent video course. For this purpose, a tender is being prepared to find a producer of educational videos.

Additional information on the website of the Ministry of Culture. 

The Integration Foundation is welcoming participants to the free courses on the constitution and the Citizenship Act. The courses will start in July. You can register for the courses, which will take place in different regions of Estonia, at www.kodanik.net.

‘The courses are intended for adult permanent residents or newly arrived immigrants whose first language is not Estonian and who wish to apply for Estonian citizenship and prepare for the exam on the constitution and the Citizenship Act,’ said Jana Tondi, the Head of Language Learning Activities of the Integration Foundation.

The courses focus on Estonian state institutions and their functioning, the obligations, opportunities, and freedoms arising from the constitution, and the content and nature of the Citizenship Act. At the end of the course, participants will prepare for the exam.

The courses will take place from July to 15 December. During this period, at least a total of 204 people can take part in the course free of charge.

The courses consist of 18 academic hours of learning. The courses take place in at least four Estonian counties and online.

The course plan is available on the website of the Integration Foundation at https://www.integratsioon.ee/en/estonian-constitution-and-citizenship-t…. The course plan is updated and supplemented with new courses on a monthly basis.

In order to apply for the citizenship of the Republic of Estonia, in addition to passing an exam on the constitution and the Citizenship Act, an Estonian language proficiency test must also be taken. The Integration Foundation also offers free Estonian language training to everyone who wishes to attain the B1 language level required for an application for Estonian citizenship. The courses take place all over Estonia and can be attended by everyone who has fulfilled the other preconditions for acquiring citizenship. Additional information on participating in language training is available on the website of the Integration Foundation at www.integratsioon.ee/en/language-training-apply-estonian-citizenship.

The courses on the constitution of Estonia and the Citizenship Act are financed by the Ministry of the Interior.

In cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, the Integration Foundation is launching a work-experience programme in the course of which a variety of state agencies will be offering work placements to students with mother tongues other than Estonian. The aim of the programme is to showcase employment opportunities in state agencies to the students and to encourage them to apply for positions in the public sector in the future.

‘The aim of the field of integration is to contribute to a cohesive society where everyone has the opportunity for maximum self-realisation. However, the proportion of people with a mother tongue other than Estonian working in the public sector is less than 3%, while in the society, those people make up more than 30%,’ said Piret Hartman, Undersecretary for Cultural Diversity of the Ministry of Culture. ‘The aim of the work-experience programme is to create faith in young people of other nationalities who could work in the public sector in the future and who are currently preparing for it. By creating diversity in the public sector, we can shape more broad-based policies and build a more sustainable state,’ Piret Hartman added.

Work-experience places will be offered to young people with mother tongues other than Estonian by the Government Office, the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Culture, the Data Protection Inspectorate, the Land Board, the Health Board, the Health Insurance Fund, the Police and Border Guard Board, and the Integration Foundation. The work-experience tasks are related to, for example, the topics of data protection, management of state assets, environmental health, the employer’s branding, and other areas.

The places available and the terms for applying can be found online at praktikaprogramm.integratsioon.ee.

Applications are open to students from a variety of fields of study whose mother tongue is a language other than Estonian. Applicants must speak very good Estonian, have an interest in the field in question, be proactive in dealing with others and be prepared to take on exciting challenges.

The work experience will involve both independent and team tasks, with the participants being included in as much of the day-to-day work of the institutions as possible. Flexitime and remote working options will be available upon agreement. In addition to the experience the work placements provide, those taking part will also get the chance to attend training courses that will help them more effectively prepare for their future careers.

‘This work-experience programme, which is aimed at students with a mother tongue other than Estonian, is a springboard for those who are interested in familiarising themselves with working in the public sector but have doubts about whether their knowledge and skills are sufficient. We encourage young people to take part in our work-experience programme and meet with inspiring people,’ said Kätlin Kõverik, Head of the Counselling Service of the Integration Foundation. ‘State authorities, in return, receive information on how young people with a mother tongue other than Estonian perceive their field,’ Kätlin Kõverik added.

The work-experience programme will take place for the third time. A total of 21 young people speaking Russian, Estonian Russian, German, Azerbaijani, and Turkish as mother tongues have completed the work-experience programme in various ministries and state authorities.

The Supervisory Board of the Integration Foundation elected Dmitri Moskovtsev as the new director of the foundation this week as a result of a public competition. The new director will take office on 1 July. The current director Irene Käosaar will become the headmaster of the new Narva Estonian State High School.

‘The Integration Foundation plays an important role in making Estonia more cohesive. The team of the foundation is motivated and the range of its activities and services is wide. Thanks to the leadership of Irene Käosaar, the foundation is significantly more present in Ida-Viru County, but also in other regions of Estonia. The teaching of the Estonian language has also developed strongly. The role of the new director is to maintain the achieved results and expand the impact of the organisation, especially in the current situation where the refugee crisis in Ukraine poses additional challenges to society,’ said Piret Hartman, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Integration Foundation and Undersecretary for Cultural Diversity of the Ministry of Culture.

Dmitri Moskovtsev has been working in the Ministry of Finance since 2017 as a project manager in the field of public administration. In 2014–2017, Dmitri Moskovtsev worked in the Tallinn City Centre Government as the Chief Specialist of the City Property Department. He has actively contributed to social activities, being the founder and organiser of the TEDxLasnamäe conference in 2014–2018.

Dmitri Moskovtsev holds a bachelor’s degree in politics and governance and a master’s degree in political science from Tallinn University. In addition, he has completed a number of refresher training courses in management and policy-making.

‘Creating and maintaining a cohesive society is a common challenge for all of us. In order to achieve a greater impact, we must look for solutions and ways to involve more compatriots in the activities, especially people who speak Estonian as their mother tongue. A good example is the Language Friend programme organised by the foundation, within the framework of which hundreds of volunteer mentors help Estonian language learners to practice the language,’ said Dmitri Moskovtsev. ‘The Integration Foundation has an important role to play in the adaptation of refugees and in supporting their language learning, and local governments and communities across Estonia also need support in the field of integration in connection with the refugee crisis,’ Dmitri Moskovtsev added.

Irene Käosaar has been the director of the Integration Foundation since 1 September 2017 and will continue to contribute to the field of integration as the headmaster of the Narva Estonian State High School, which will be established in 2023.

The Integration Foundation is a state foundation established in 1998, which operates in the area of government of the Ministry of Culture and carries out various activities that promote integration and adaptation. The Integration Foundation has Estonian language houses in Tallinn and Narva, which offer free Estonian language and culture education to permanent Estonian residents and newly arrived immigrants. The foundation employs 49 people.

Today, on December 3rd, the Ministry of Culture and the Integration Foundation recognised the most outstanding promoters in the field of integration during 2020-2021. Awards in the field of integration were presented to the following: the non-profit Estonian Institute; Tiina Pärtel, the founder of the Found in Estonia podcast; the Estonian épée team; and the non-profit Sofiit-Klubi.

The purpose of these awards is to recognise those who have worked to establish contacts and develop cooperation between people with different mother tongues, and to find a common language among the various communities.

“The integration of Estonian society has been a consistent and positive process. However, concerns still exist that need to be addressed. The greatest challenge is how to create and support a common space where people of different nationalities can establish greater contacts among themselves, as well as stronger ties with Estonia. The people and organisations that have received the awards today have made an invaluable contribution to creating this common space,” said Minister of Culture Tiit Terik.

Award winners were announced in three categories. In each category, the winner, who were recognised as having made the greatest contribution in the field of integration, were awarded a prize of €1,000. This year, two prizes were awarded in the Spark of the Year category.

The prize in the Bridgebuilder of the Year category was awarded to the non-profit Estonian Institute, which implemented the Cultural Step programme, in order to bring people of different nationalities closer together and help those with a mother tongue other than Estonian to better understand Estonian society. A total of 341 training sessions were held in Russian and 91 in English. More than 1,500 people completed the full Cultural Step programme, during which they visited various museums and attended training sessions, became acquainted with the different regions and the natural resources of Estonia and communicated closely with Estonians. Watch the video. 

In the Messenger of the Year category, the integration award was won by Tiina Pärtel, who established the Found in Estonia podcast in order to introduce the foreigners that live here to Estonians through personal and humorous stories about their experiences. The jury’s assessment was that Found in Estonia is an excellent example of how to use state-of-the-art solutions to promote the theme of integration in an inspiring and effective way. The podcast started by Tiina Pärtel has been listened more than 15,000 times. Watch the video. 

This year, two winners were announced in the Spark of the Year category.

The first integration prize in the Spark of the Year category was awarded to the Estonian épée team members Julia Beljajeva, Erika Kirpu, Katrina Lehis and Irina Embrich. Winning the gold medal at the Olympics showed how sport can unite people and how successful a diverse team can be, when everyone's contribution is valued and everyone counts, regardless of any differences. The jury believes that this achievement provides an inspiring example for many and reminds us that we are only strong when we work together. Watch the video. 

The second winner in the Spark of the Year category is the non-profit Sofiit-Klubi, that produced Eduard Tee's bilingual play Slow Breathing. This show is about destinies, worries and joys that make one think about life and values. The intertwined lives of two women – one Estonian and the other Russian – reflect the historical context while, at the same time, caring and friendship help to better understand each other and overcome any conflicts. The performance is made especially lively by the decision not to translate the dialogue: the actors often speak in one language, respond in another – just like in in real life. Watch the video. 

A total of 18 applications were received for the integration projects competition for 2020-2021.

Photos of today’s integration awards ceremony are available HERE (photos by: Egert Kamenik).

The Integration Foundation has been awarding prizes for development projects in the field of integration since 1999 and for media projects since 2009. The competition for prizes in the field of integration for 2020-2021 are financed by the Ministry of Culture.