Today, on May 10th, the Ministry of Culture presented the results of “Estonian Integration Monitoring 2020”. The full version of the report and materials related to the monitoring can be found at: www.kul.ee/EIM2020.

“Based on the monitoring carried out during the last 20 years, we can say that the integration of Estonian society has been a consistent and positive process. However, there are still concerns that need to be addressed, such as how to create and support a common space where people of different nationalities could have greater contact with each other, and establish stronger ties with Estonia.” said Anneli Ott, Minister of Culture. 

The results of the monitoring show:

• There are many people in Estonia with strong state identities;
• Estonian language proficiency has increased and the Estonian language is seen as being important;
• Returnees and new-immigrants adapt well in Estonia; 
• The trust in Estonian Russian-language media has increased;  
• Awareness among people living in Estonia about what is happening locally and in Estonia generally has grown steadily over the last 12 years;
• There is a difference between Estonians and people of other nationalities in labour market participation as well as socio-economic status. The aforementioned gaps widen during economic recessions.

The press conference can be viewed in Estonian here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5k9CHBA9E0 

Over the past 20 years, eight monitoring studies have been carried out to analyse the field of integration. Independent in-depth studies in the field of integration have been conducted every two or three years, and the results help to comprehend the developments in Estonian society and to plan assimilation, integration and other sectoral policies. 

The research assignment was based on the sectoral development plan called “Integrating Estonia 2020”. The study was commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, and it was conducted by Praxis and the Baltic Research Institute, Tallinn University, University of Tartu and Turu-uuringute AS.  

April saw the end of a work placement programmed offered by the Integration Foundation whose aim was to showcase employment opportunities in state agencies to students with mother tongues other than Estonian and to encourage them to apply for positions in the public sector in the future. As part of the programme, a total of 13 students discovered what it is like to work in the Government Office, the Office of the Chancellor of Justice and a variety of ministries.

“It’s important to us that everyone who lives in Estonia has the chance to make something of themselves,” remarked Piret Hartman, the Deputy Secretary-General for Cultural Diversity at the Ministry of Culture. “The more varied the backgrounds of everyone who works in the public sector, the more broad-ranging our policies will be, and the more they’ll be in line with society’s needs. There are people of lots of different ethnicities in Estonia, but they only account for 2% of the staff in our ministries. We’re planning to continue with the programme to encourage young people who have all the skills they need to come in and see for themselves what working for the state is like, and to apply for positions.”

In cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Finance, the Integration Foundation launched a programme in the course of which a variety of state agencies offered work placements to students with mother tongues other than Estonian who were in their final year of Bachelor’s studies or undertaking Master’s studies. Opening their doors to the students were the Government Office, the Office of the Chancellor of Justice and seven ministries: the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Social Affairs.

“I’m sure the programme has given the students a real boost and broadened their outlook in terms of what they can make of themselves,” said Integration Foundation director Irene Käosaar. “In planning their futures they can now add the public sector to the career opportunities that are open to them. The organisations that took them on have no doubt gained an outsider’s view into what they do, which can be very beneficial, as well as new ideas and a broader understanding of what different target groups expect of the work they do.”

Diana Drobat, who completed her work placement at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and who speaks Russian as her first language, says that she never even considered the possibility of working in the public sector. “It just didn’t seem feasible at all, given my lack of qualifications, but as things turned out it was quite the reverse,” she said. “During my placement we tackled issues affecting Ida-Viru County, so my first-hand experience proved really useful to the ministry. It meant my supervisor looked at me as something of an expert, and we worked really well together. My time at the ministry underscored the fact that speaking Russian can really work in your favour in Estonia, since in our unique little cultural and linguistic sphere, if you also speak good Estonian, it opens up all sorts of opportunities to you.”

Turkish-speaking Berk Erdem, who completed his work placement at the Ministry of Finance, says that since so much of what is taught at university is theoretical in nature, he was feeling the lack of practical experience. “The programme gave me the chance to see what things are like and how things are done in real life,” he said. “Working in the public sector makes you feel good, too, since you’re doing something for the country.”

The programme was offered in cooperation with Tallinn University, TalTech, the Estonian Academy of Arts and the University of Tartu. A total of 36 students with seven different mother tongues applied to take part, among whom the 13 available placements were filled by 10 Russian-speaking students, one Estonian-Russian bilingual student, one German-speaking student and one Turkish-speaking student.

The programme began in June 2020 with the mapping of work placement opportunities. Ahead of the placements, the students had the chance to take part in self-development courses preparing them for their future careers, while the state agencies offering the placements had the chance to attend workshops on designing the work placement journey, one aspect of which was team diversity. The supervised placements took place from January to April this year. Due to coronavirus restrictions, the programme was run online and the work placements themselves were largely completed remotely.

Watch the video about the internship program here:

Today marks the opening of registration for the international conference on integration entitled ‘Communication in a Diverse Society: Listening to One Another Despite Our Differences’ that will be taking place in Tallinn on 12 & 13 November. It will bring together internationally recognised experts from Finland, Sweden, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Spain, the United Kingdom and of course Estonia. Should restrictions be in place at the time of the conference due to the health risks posed by coronavirus, the event will take place online.

The two-day conference will feature discussion panels and workshops in which experts, researchers, policy-shapers and participants will debate a range of topics, including cross-cultural communication, media use and shared information space.

To view the programme and register for the conference, go to the event’s website. Attendance is free of charge but requires advance registration.

The guest speakers at the event will include:

• Autonomous University of Barcelona Department of Translation, Interpreting and East Asian Studies ‘Serra Hunter’ programme lecturer Gema Rubio Carbonero, who will be focussing in her presentation on the promotion of integration and the shaping of attitudes touching on diversity through public debate;
• Uppsala University Department of Business Studies PhD candidate and University of Gothenburg School of Business, Economics and Law ‘Organising Integration’ research programme associated researcher Sarah Glännefors, whose presentation will examine communication and integration in the workplace, focussing on the role of language and discourse in recruiting talent for organisations;
• Tampere University Professor of Media and Communication Research Kaarina Nikunen, who will be discussing ways in which the media can promote social solidarity in the context of immigration;
• Charles University Faculty of Arts Assistant Director of International Programmes Sasha Hlozek, who will be showcasing experiences of organising communication with different groups in international higher education;
• Charles University Faculty of Arts Operations Manager Martina Provázková, who will be talking about the management of information exchange at her university during the coronavirus crisis in spring;
• University of Oxford political scientist Dr William Allen, who will be discussing information exchange in the West during the coronavirus crisis and examining initial studies from the perspective of the United Kingdom; and
• University of Copenhagen Saxo Department ethnology postdoc and Advanced Migration Studies research centre member Nina Grønlykke Mollerup, who will be looking at the changing meaning and overall issue of national borders through the eyes of travellers who are residing in a country without a legal basis to do so.
   

In addition to the foreign speakers, representatives of the University of Tartu, Tallinn University and the Government Office of Estonia will also be making presentations at the conference. More information about all of the speakers can be found on the conference website.

Some of the presentations are planned to be given virtually. Should the health risks associated with coronavirus lead to restrictions on gatherings being imposed that affect the conference, the event in its entirety will take place online. Information in this regard will be sent to registered attendees at least one week in advance.

This year’s event is scheduled to take place on 12 & 13 November at the conference centre at Tallinn’s Song Festival Grounds. It is the seventh conference in the series.

The working language of the conference will be Estonian, with simultaneous interpreting into English and Russian.

The event is being run by the Integration Foundation in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture.

On December 13th the Ministry of Culture and the Integration Foundation recognized the most outstanding developers in the field of integration for 2018-2019. Integration prizes went to Ida-Virumaa Society of Tatar Culture, Tartu International House, author and editor of Raadio 4 broadcast “Keelekõdi” - Andrei Hussainov, and Logistika Pluss OÜ.

The purpose of awarding integration prizes is to recognize those who, over the past year, have contributed to introducing different cultures represented in Estonia, establishing contacts and developing cooperation between people with different native languages.

The prizes were awarded in four categories and the best project initiator of each category received a prize of € 1,000.

In the category “Introducing the cultures of national minorities living in Estonia to the Estonian public”, the award was given to Ida-Virumaa Society of Tatar Culture for conducting the international European Tatar folklore festival "Sabantuy" on 16th June 2018 in Tallinn. The number of visitors to the event was estimated at 10,000.

The prize in the category “Implementing co-operation projects between native Estonian and non-Estonian residents” was awarded to the Tartu International House for developing co-operation between new immigrants and the local community, covering, among other things, the creation of a network of Estonian and refugee youth, and the lead of joint training programs, meetings and workshops for them.

Andrei Hussainov, the author and editor of the show “Keelekõdi” of Estonian National Broadcasting’s Russian language radio program Raadio 4, received the prize in the category "Developing attitudes in support of integration through media projects". The weekly radio program provided listeners with an opportunity to improve their Estonian language skills in an understandable and exciting way. “Keelekõdi” turned out to be very popular with radio listeners, with an average of 20,000 people listening to each broadcast.

This year, for the first time, a prize was awarded in the category "Implementing initiatives in support of integration in the private sector". The award was given to Logistika Pluss OÜ, which organized free Estonian language courses for its employees during working hours. The courses resulted in a significant improvement in the Estonian language skills of their employees, and the company plans to organize similar courses in the future as well.

A total of 33 applications were received this year for the 2018-2019 Integration Projects Competition.

The Integration Foundation has been awarding prizes for integration development projects since 1999 and for media projects since 2009. The 2018-2019 competition for media and development awards in the field of integration was funded by the Ministry of Culture.

An international conference entitled ‘Shared Language: Integration through Multilingualism’ is being held in Tallinn on 14 & 15 November. The conference will bring together renowned experts from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Latvia, Denmark, Norway, Germany and Estonia. The presentations and discussions at the conference will focus on identity, education and labour market issues in the light of multiculturalism.

A live broadcast of the conference, whose working language will be English, can be followed online at integrationconference.ee.

PROGRAMME:

14.11.2019

9.00–10.00 Registration, morning coffee

10.00–10.15 Opening of the conference, opening remarks

10.15–11.00 Keynote speaker Robert Phillipson (Copenhagen Business School, Denmark) “English, panacea or pandemic”

11.00–12.30 Plenary session “Prevalence of English as a challenge to multilingualism”. Moderator – Geda Paulsen (Institute of the Estonian Language, Estonia)

- Antonella Sorace (University of Edinburg, UK) “The Challenge of maintaining multilingualism in a globalized world”
- Sanita Lazdiņa (Rezekne Academy of Technologies, Latvia) “Language as a Value: from Languaging to Translanguaging in a Multilingual Society”
- Mirjam Laurisaar (Pipedrive, Estonia) “Multilingualism in international company, case of Pipedrive”

12.30–13.30 Lunch

13.30–15.00 Plenary session “Multilingualism, identity and integration”. Moderator – Marianna Makarova (Government Office, Estonia)

- Nayr Correia Ibrahim (Nord University, Norway) “Multilingual-identity turn: developing a multilingual set within a language rights perspective”
- Sari Pöyhönen (University of Jyväskylä, Finland) “Official bilingualism, monolingual integration training and multilingual lives – challenges for integration policies”
- Elin Thordardottir (McGill Univeristy, Canada) “Multilingual adolescents in two distinct language environments: Effects of exposure, utility, language policy, identity and attitudes”

15.00–15.30 Coffee-break

15.30–17.00 Plenary session “Multilingualism in education – policy, threats and opportunities”. Moderator – Birute Klaas-Lang (University of Tartu, Estonia)

- Theo Marinis (University of Konstanz, Germany) “Language development in multilingual children and challenges as well as opportunities for educational systems”
- Kerttu Rozenvalde (Latvian Language Agency, Latvia) “Multilingual language use and ideology of One Language at a Time: Insights into language issues in higher education”

15.11.2019

8.30–9.00 Vice-minister of education of Czech Republic Václav Velčovský “The Czech Republic – Towards New Challenges in Language Education”

9.00–10.30 Plenary session “Integration through multilingual education”. Moderator – Didzis Melbiksis (UNHCR)

- Erika Hoff (Florida Atlantic University, USA) “The nature of dual language skills children at the time of school among children from minority language homes”
- Monika S. Schmid (Essex University, UK) “Language attrition and professional re-immersion”
- Claudia Maria Riehl (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany) “Why multilingual education makes a difference: Educational programs and their contribution to integration”

10.30–11.00 Coffee-break

11.00–12.30 Workshops

- Monika S. Schmid “First language attrition and professional re-immersion” (in English)
- Ministry of the Interior “What is on Your mind, Family migration?” (in English)
- “Transvaal” Kristina Norman’s video and discussion (in Estonian/Russian)
- Ministry of Culture “Integrating Estonia 2030” (in Estonian, simultaneous translation to English)

12.30–14.00 Lunch

14.00–15.00 Political debate between Estonian political parties. Moderator – Jüri Nikolajev (ERR)

The full programme can be found on the conference website. 

The working language of the conference will be English, with simultaneous interpreting into Estonian and Russian.

The event is being run by the Integration Foundation in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture. Also supporting the organisation of the conference are the embassies of the United States, Finland, Germany, Canada and the Czech Republic in Estonia, the British Council and other partners.

Tomorrow, 14 November, is the first day of the two-day international conference ‘Shared Language: Integration in Society through Multilingualism’ being held in Tallinn. It will bring together renowned experts from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Latvia, Denmark, Norway, Germany and Estonia. The presentations and discussions at the conference will focus on identity, education and labour market issues in the light of multiculturalism. The event will culminate in a debate between representatives of Estonian political parties on the topic ‘Multilingual society: A bright future or the greatest threat to a nation-state?’.

A live broadcast of the conference, whose working language will be English, can be followed online at integrationconference.ee. The event will also be covered in Estonian, Russian and English on the ERR news portals err.ee, rus.err.ee and news err.ee.

The two days of the conference will include discussion panels and workshops in which experts, researchers, policy-shapers and participants will talk about such issues as migration, adaptation, integration, language studies, multilingual education and the loss of people’s first language.
 

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The conference will be opened by Minister of Culture Tõnis Lukas. “Estonians have always considered it important to know other languages,” said Minister Lukas. “It’s helped people get by in Estonia, where throughout history the impact of a wide range of languages and cultures have been felt. It also means we’re able to cope nowadays when we go abroad to work or study. That’s why we’re not afraid of other languages, but open as a society. At the same time, our national language is Estonian and our aim is to ensure the preservation of our people, culture and language – which is why Estonian dominates here and why it’s important that people can get by using it everywhere in the country. The state makes it possible for people who live here who come from other national backgrounds to learn the language so that there’s no cultural segregation and everyone has the chance to play an active role in society.”

The keynote speaker at the conference, Copenhagen Business School emeritus professor Robert Phillipson, will be focussing in his presentation on problems related to the spread of English as the universal language of communication. In his view the importance of English is growing throughout Continental Europe as well as in the functions and activities of many European Union institutions, reinforcing the supremacy of the language and pushing others aside in the process, including minority languages. He considers it important to ensure that every Member State has an officially established and implemented language policy that is capable of maintaining a sustainable balance between national and foreign languages at all levels of education.

Pipedrive’s Head of Recruitment Mirjam Laurisaar will be discussing the progress the company has made, as well as the difficulties it has faced, in striking a balance between accepting the diversity of its team and preserving the Estonian identity of the company.

Head of the Department of Language and Linguistics of the University of Essex Monika S. Schmid will be outlining the results of her research into the loss of a person’s first language due to their living and working in a foreign-language environment. Her presentation will focus on how deterioration in first-language skills can affect ties with the person’s home country, relationships with their family members and future professional activities.

University of Edinburgh Professor of Developmental Linguistics Antonella Sorace will be looking at issues of language-learning and preserving skills in different languages in her presentation. In her view it is important that people are able to communicate in a number of languages; what those languages are is not as significant as the ability itself. She says studies have shown that bilingualism, regardless of the status, prestige or global distribution of a language, can give both adults and children in all languages linguistic, cognitive and social advantages, such as improved metalinguistic skills and writing ability, a good understanding of other people’s points of view and intellectual flexibility in complex situations.

Florida Atlantic University professor Erika Hoff will be speaking in her presentation about the fact that many children who are only just starting school have already come into contact at home with a language that is not the majority language of the country they live in. The skills of such children in the majority language often differ from those of children from homes where only one language, the majority language, is spoken. In her view, elementary education policy must take evidence into account regarding factors that affect the early development of language skills in children from minority-language homes. Schools’ practices and principles should take into consideration the existence of these children’s skills in two languages upon starting school. Hoff will also be presenting the results of her research into the different patterns of skills in two languages among five-year-old children from minority-language homes.

The conference will end with a debate between representatives of Estonian political parties on the topic ‘Multilingual society: A bright future or the greatest threat to a nation-state?’. The debate will be chaired by Estonian Public Broadcasting journalist Jüri Nikolajev.

The full programme can be found on the conference website.

The working language of the conference will be English, with simultaneous interpreting into Estonian and Russian.

The event is being run by the Integration Foundation in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture. Also supporting the organisation of the conference are the embassies of the United States, Finland, Germany, Canada and the Czech Republic in Estonia, the British Council and other partners.

Citizens Days is marked on 26 November, and each year the Integration Foundation organises an exciting online quiz about Estonia’s recent past in honour of the occasion.

Answer the questions and you’ll find out all sorts of things that make Estonia special. The quiz also shines the spotlight on civic initiatives and interesting developments in society.

The compilers of this year’s questions have gone to a lot of trouble to put together an engaging quiz. Everyone will find something they never knew before among the 50 questions.

Last year 10,000 people took the quiz. Were you one of them? Want to give it another go?

The quiz can be taken at any time between 9:00 on 19 November 2018 and 23:59 on 29 November 2018.

It can be found on the Integration Foundation website.

The quiz poses 50 questions, all in Estonian, and you have 60 minutes to complete it.

This year, anyone wishing to take quiz needs to enter their ID code in order to access it. Everyone is welcome to take the quiz, but it can only be taken once.

Should they wish to, everyone who takes the quiz will be able to view the results via a link e-mailed to them on 30 November 2018.

The Integration Foundation is arranging the quiz for the 16th time this year.

If you have any questions, get in touch with us at viktoriin@integratsioon.ee.

Organisation of the Citizens Day online quiz is supported by the Ministry of Culture.