Transition to e-invoicing
Estonian language and cultural immersion clubs provide useful language practice
Our partnership with Estonian theatres and museums
Mentorship programme for less successfully integrated residents
Estonia and the foundation from a Dutch perspective

Announcement

Transition to e-invoicing

The Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA) made the transition to the OÜ Omniva invoice management interface on 1 July 2016 for the processing of purchase invoices. As such, MISA is now capable of accepting e-invoices.

The Estonian government has approved an action plan to make machine-readable e-invoices mandatory. The aim is for invoicing between the public and private sectors to be operating on the basis of e-invoices by the end of 2016. In connection therewith, MISA has also adopted the e-invoice management interface, as a result of which e-invoices can now be submitted. Through these, all invoice data will be transferred directly to the MISA accounting system.

E-invoices can now be submitted to MISA by sending them via the e-invoice operator of your choice (OÜ Omniva, AS Fitek, AS Telema et al.). PDF invoices should in future be e-mailed to misa@e-arvetekeskus.eu. From July, hard-copy invoices to be submitted to MISA should be addressed to Pallasti 28, 10001 Tallinn. Please mark ‘Arved 19200’ on the envelope.

More information about the transition to e-invoices can be found on the website of the Ministry of Finance at http://www.fin.ee/e-arved.

More information about e-invoices to be submitted to MISA is available by calling +372 659 9021 or e-mailing info@meis.ee. 

Information about Estonian language and culture club activities

Estonian language and cultural immersion clubs provide useful language practice

The Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA) organised procurements this spring to find organisers for language and culture clubs for those who do not speak Estonian as their mother tongue.

Jana Tondi, the head of language and cultural immersion at MISA, says that for practising Estonian, overcoming language barriers and getting past communication problems it is important to offer such opportunities to those who already speak some Estonian but who lack the courage and need recognition and praise in order to speak the language spontaneously and freely. “One effective way of doing that is through language and culture clubs that give people the chance to speak Estonian, enjoy themselves and learn new things,” she said. “Compared to traditional language classes, the club meetings are enriched with communication situations and elements of non-formal learning such as excursions and meet-and-greets with guests. The atmosphere’s a lot more relaxed, and taking part is entirely voluntary.”

The clubs are being run by four organisations: Mitteldorf OÜ, Keelepisik OÜ, Implement Consulting Group OÜ and ImmiSchool - Uusimmigrantide Koolituskeskus OÜ.

The first two clubs opened their doors in Tallinn in July. A further 10 or so clubs will be starting up in August and September. Club members will not only be getting together in Tallinn, but also in Tartu, Sillamäe, Jõhvi, Kohtla-Järve, Ahtme, Narva and Pärnu. Up to 60 Estonian language clubs will be opened around the country in the next two years (2016-2017).

Among those on the waiting list to join the clubs, top priority is being given to people currently taking part in the Estonian language courses at the B2 level being organised by MISA, then to others who registered for the B2 courses on the foundation’s website in summer 2015. MISA forwards the lists of potential club members to the organisers, who then get in touch with them and invite them to attend an information day to find out more about the club and its activities.

Invited along to meetings of the language and culture clubs are people who speak Estonian as their mother tongue, who provide the club members with language practice and encourage them to communicate in the language. The attendees get to talk to the guests on a range of everyday topics, thus being exposed to phrases and expressions frequently used in ordinary situations. Club members and leaders get together at least once a week over a six-month period, for up to four academic hours at a time. Once a month they also go on an excursion or attend a cultural event. Furthermore, each club keeps a blog of its activities, with the aim of getting its members working together and sharing their thoughts and experiences.

Keelepisik OÜ club leader Helge Kušner says that what makes the club different from ordinary language learning is that grammar rules are not the focus of attention. “Occasionally words come up that need to be translated or written on the board, particularly if we’re talking about a more specific topic,” she explained. “Our members are really motivated. We have a great time at our meetings. The atmosphere’s always really relaxed and friendly.” Fellow Keelepisik club leader Katrin Kark says that it has only taken a couple of meetings for members to forget the language barrier and communicate more freely and directly. “That’s really gratifying to see,” she said. “We take a creative approach to our get-togethers, and we try to come up with discussions that will be of use to the group, but also allow them to enjoy themselves.”

Each language and culture club is led by two native speakers of Estonian who are teachers of Estonian (or another foreign language) to adults and who have undergone special group leadership training. They have also been given advice from experienced practitioners and are supported by the teaching materials prepared for the language clubs.

Information days for those running the clubs, as well as the first information events for future club members, will be held in summer 2016.

MISA is financing the Estonian language and culture clubs from the resources of the ‘Activities supporting integration in Estonian society’ project of the European Social Fund.

For further information please contact: Jana Tondi | Head of Language and Cultural Immersion, MISA | E-mail: jana.tondi@mail.ee | Telephone: +372 659 9069

Partnerships with Estonian cultural institutions

Our partnership with Estonian theatres and museums

A range of supporting activities contributes to the integration of Estonian society, and an important part is played in this by being familiar with and consuming Estonian culture. In order for those who live in Estonia but do not speak Estonian as their mother tongue to be part of and understand the cultural events and activities that take place in the country, the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA) works with 11 cultural institutions around the country.

“Our aim in doing so is to give theatres and museums that are willing and able to offer cultural events and programmes in other languages for less successfully integrated residents of the country and new immigrants the chance to obtain the technical equipment they need,” explained Riina Ring from the MISA Implementation Centre.

In order to make the upgrades required for providing cultural programmes in other languages and to acquire and modernise technical equipment, MISA has entered into partnership agreements with the following institutions: Theatre NO99, Rakvere Theatre, the Vanemuine Theatre, the Russian Theatre, Vaba Lava, the Estonian Open Air Museum, the University of Tartu Museum, the Palamuse Oskar Luts Parish Museum, Pärnu Museum, Valga Museum and the Estonian Theatre and Music Museum.

“I’m happy to say that with the first few theatre and museum procurements we’ve already reached the point of signing contracts,” Ring explained. “This means they’ll soon be able to put on exhibitions and performances for people living in Estonia who speak other languages as well.”

The activities being coordinated by MISA to enhance the availability of information in other languages are being financed from the resources of the ‘Activities supporting integration in Estonian society’ project of the European Social Fund.

For further information please contact: Riina Ring | Coordinator, MISA Implementation Centre | E-mail: riina.ring@misa.ee | Telephone: +372 659 9030

INTERREG Central Baltic Sea programme cooperation project

Mentorship programme for less successfully integrated residents

Since spring 2016, the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA) has been working with Luckan Integration, a branch of its Finnish partner Föreningen Luckan r.f, to implement a project entitled ‘Cross-border cooperation on mentoring and peer support for immigrants’.

The overall aim of the project is to support less successfully integrated residents of Estonia who are unemployed and Estonians living in Finland, as well as organisations that are prepared to hire people from different national backgrounds.

As part of the project, MISA is conducting a survey to map the needs of Estonians living in Finland (primarily in and around Helsinki) that they feel would help them better integrate into Finnish society. Based on the results of the survey, support groups will be established for Estonians living in Finland, who will be offered a mentorship service.

In the course of the project a mentorship programme promoting the integration and employment of less successfully integrated residents will be developed for Estonia on the basis of the Finnish programme FIKA. The programme will involve 20 pairs of mentors whose cooperation will last for around six months.

Activities will also be carried out in Estonia and Finland for organisations that are prepared to hire people from different national backgrounds. With the help of information campaigns, the organisers aim to raise awareness of multicultural working environments, thereby leading to an increase in the willingness of organisations to recruit people of different nationalities.

The project will last until the end of 2018. It is being financed by the INTERREG Central Baltic Sea programme of the European Regional Development fund. Information about project partner Luckan Integration can be found here.

For further information please contact: Natalia Reppo | Head of Cooperation, MISA | E-mail: natalia.reppo@meis.ee | Telephone: +372 659 9840

Estonia through other people’s eyes

Between March and June this year MISA played host to an enthusiastic Dutch work experience trainee with a very sunny disposition – Mieke van Vemden. Everyone at the foundation is very pleased that Mieke chose our organisation for her work placement and that we got the chance to get to know her a little. Mieke’s thoughts on her three months in Estonia (including her time at MISA) can be read below.

Dutch intern’s thoughts about Estonia and MISA

I’m Mieke van Vemden. I’m 24 years old and I’m from Utrecht in the Netherlands. For the past three months I’ve been an intern at MISA and getting to know the country. I came to Estonia to do research for my Master’s degree. I’m studying Human Geography at the Radboud University in Nijmegen where I am specialising in Europe: borders, identity and governance. It’s because of my specialisation in border studies that I ended up in Estonia.

Border studies focus on national and European borders, but also borders within societies, which I researched in Estonia. The issues surrounding the integration of minorities – in particular the Russian minority and its position in society – have been the subject of my research. I’ve been conducting interviews with Russian speakers and Estonian speakers to obtain information and to find out more about their lives, views and way of thinking.

My internship at MISA has helped me gain an insight into and better understand Estonia and the Russian and other minorities living here. I’ve been working in the Development Centre of MISA, which has been a great help to me. As such, I’m very happy and truly grateful that I was welcomed here. I think MISA is an example of how integration can be a very positive thing, where the strengths of every person in terms of language or origins are used and where people work together. MISA is involved in a great variety of activities and contributes to creating a more unified society – something I feel is always a challenge. Living together with who you consider to be different-minded people is difficult, especially when understanding or communication is lacking. For me, integration therefore doesn’t mean assimilation, as I believe that a varied society is a more enriched society. I do however see integration as a process where people engage and get to know a country, its culture, its traditions, its values and its language so that it becomes home to them. For me it is also a two-way process, where (in this case) Estonians can also put in an effort to get to know their new foreign neighbours or colleagues. When it comes to integration, communication and understanding are the most important things – as well as the most difficult. However, understanding on both sides is vital.

Someone once told me that Estonians are like coconuts: a little bit hard on the outside, but very friendly inside. I’d say I agree with that. I do however have to say that in first few weeks here, when you’ve not yet realised this fact, the outside of the coconut can sometimes seem very hard indeed.

Estonians, I have discovered, also love cakes and pastries. Everywhere in restaurants and cafés there are so many of them, and they’re so tasty! I also really like the fact that there are so many flowers.

In these three months I’ve fallen in love with Tallinn. It has a beautiful Old Town and is a very varied city in terms of its houses, parks and old buildings, like Patarei and Linnahall, but also with places like Telliskivi. I’ve also noticed some differences with the Netherlands – of course the weather when I arrived was a bit colder, but also taking off your shoes, the long opening hours of shops, the huge number of shopping malls, free public transport for residents of Tallinn, the lack of special bike lanes everywhere, and the lack of pre-chopped vegetables in supermarkets!

At home I describe Estonia as a beautiful country and Tallinn as a beautiful city which is full of history. You can experience the Middle Ages here, but more recent history is present as well. If people want to visit Estonia I would definitely recommend that they hire a car and go visit the countryside. I’ve visited Saaremaa and Muhu, Lahemaa National Park, Lake Peipus, Haapsalu, the old Rummu prison and Tartu. I like to think that I’ve seen a lot of the country.

What Tallinn and Estonia can maybe improve on and learn from the Dutch is bike lanes! We’re both very flat countries, so biking is easy. In winter as well as in summer there’s little rain here as well, which is perfect for biking. So the only thing that could make it better would be bike lanes. It makes things much easier, quicker and safer riding a bike. And with more bikes there are fewer cars and less pollution, you get more exercise – and there are more happy Dutch people!

All in all I have to say I’ve really enjoyed my stay in Estonia and have experienced for myself what a beautiful and interesting city Tallinn is. MISA has been a great and very welcoming organisation, which has helped me a great deal with my research. I’m very curious as to what the future will bring for Estonia and I’ll be sure to visit again. Estonia has been a very good home to me for the past three months.

MISA to discuss untapped potential of Estonian society at Opinion Festival
Everyone involved in the learning process contributes to guaranteeing academic success
The challenges of Estonian language studies for residents of Sillamäe
16th national culture festival to be held in Pärnu in August
Pärnu to host international festival of Slavic culture in August 

Opinion Festival 2016 – ‘State potential’ area

MISA to discuss untapped potential of Estonian society at Opinion Festival

During the Opinion Festival being held in Paide on 12 & 13 August, the Integration and Migration Foundation 'Our People' will be working with five of its partners to organise discussions in the ‘State potential area. On Friday 12 August, Paul Eerik Rummo, Mari-Liis Lill, Olesja Lagašina, Henri Laupmaa and Vladimir Svet will discuss the issue of so-called alien passport holders in a discussion entitled ‘People with undetermined citizenship – headache or untapped potential?' 

There are more than 80,000 people currently residing in Estonia – representing 6% of the population – whose citizenship is undetermined. They were born here or have lived here for decades, have started their families, acquired an education, have found jobs or become employers for themselves or others. But they are not Estonian citizens; nor have they chosen to become citizens of any other country. As such, they miss out on the opportunities that being an Estonian citizen provides. They have fewer opportunities to participate in political and civic life: they do not have the right to work in civil service or to take part in Riigikogu or European Parliament elections. Moreover, with their citizenship remaining undetermined, they are forced to ask themselves where they belong; which country they see as their own. According to the Estonian Human Development Report, the level of social exclusion among people with undefined citizenship is as high as 50% – 2.5 times higher on average than Estonian-speaking citizens of the country. This rate is also significantly higher than that of Russian-speaking Estonian citizens.

At the Opinion Festival we will be discussing what does such large number of people with undetermined citizenship say about Estonian society. Is the “alien” status and the challenges that accompany it, such asthe limited dialogue with the state, social exclusion and other,– solely the problem of the people who face it, or is it indicative of much broader untapped potential that concerns Estonia as a whole?

“We’re raising this issue at the festival because there’s currently little public discussion of how to reduce the number of people with undetermined citizenship, and what discussion there is –largely one-sided,” explained MISA director Dmitri Burnašev. “It’s been a problem for decades, and most of the solutions proposed have focussed on how to get people to apply for citizenship. But that’s only one way of resolving the issue. Over the years, MISA has implemented a range of activities that support people in applying for citizenship, such as providing free Estonian language courses and supporting preparations for the Estonian citizenship exam, as well as initiating discussions among young people about what it means to be an Estonian citizen and what values that status embodies. But at the same time we can see that if all this is going to bear fruit, Estonian society as a whole needs to get involved. According to feedback, many people with undefined citizenship feel they have no functional dialogue with the state, which makes them question whether the state is even interested in them as citizens. If the situation is to change, we need to deal with the issues in much more broad-ranging way than just educating and supporting people with undetermined citizenship –support involving Estonian society as a whole is required.”

The discussion organised by MISA will seek answers to a variety of questions. What changes are needed to ensure that everyone who lives in Estonia is more involved and feels like a truly valued member of Estonian society, in order to reduce the level of social exclusion and increase trust in Estonian society? What needs to be done in order for Estonian citizenship to become a value in itself that people are willing to strive towards? With the answers to these and many other questions, the panellists will seek to find ways of how to make non-citizens think of strenghtening their bond to Estonia and also make them feel that they are important to the state.

Apart from the discussion organised by MISA, during the two-day festival the visitors to the ‘State potential area will get to participate in discussions  on the future of the e-state and e-services, the administrative reforms being implemented in Estonia at present, as well as the prosperity of the state and the prospects of the Estonian nation.

‘State potential’ area discussions are being organised by the the e-Governance Academy, the Integration and Migration Foundation ‘Our People', the Estonian Cooperation Assembly, Statistics Estonia, the Estonian Youth Work Centre and the Estonian National Youth Council.

Posts from the ‘State potential’ area can be followed on the Facebook event page at  https://www.facebook.com/events/1762865637260935/. The programme for the Opinion Festival 2016 is available online at http://www.arvamusfestival.ee/kava/.

For further information please contact: Ann Asser | Head of Communications, MISA | E-mail: ann.asser@meis.ee | Telephone: +372 659 9039

Overview of international project SLT4AA

Everyone involved in the learning process contributes to guaranteeing academic success

July saw the final conference of the Erasmus+ KA2 strategic partnership project SLT4AA (School Leadership Toolkit for Accelerating Achievement) held in Hungary. One of the partner countries in the two-year project led by the University of Tartu was Estonia. Alongside staff from many Estonian schools, MISA’s head of language and cultural immersion Jana Tondi took part in the project, which focussed on school management and boosting academic success. 

The main aim of SLT4AA was to enhance academic success by streamlining school management processes. It took as its example the reorganisation of British schools into academies and the management of these schools. Estonia’s role was to provide a critical overview of the development experiences of schools from the five countries taking part in the project, among other things comparing them with the situation in Estonia and contributing to resolving their problems. Involvement in the project gave the participants the opportunity to look at similar processes in different countries and weigh them against one another.

70 people attended the final conference, including teachers, interest group leaders, practitioners, academic advisers, school directors and lecturers from Estonia, Bulgaria, Portugal, the United Kingdom and Hungary.

One of the points made at the conference was that Estonian education is in a very good position compared to a number of other European countries and that students are looking to come here to study. “At the same time, considering the issues we face, there are ideas we can cherry-pick from other countries’ practice and use in the Estonian context, albeit in a slightly different situation and perhaps a little differently, to make our education system and school management even better,” said Hasso Kukemelk, SLT4AA’s project manager and a lecturer on the organisation of education at the University of Tartu.

Fellow project contributor Jana Tondi is involved in the organisation of non-formal education and language studies in her everyday work, implementing them in cooperation with a variety of schools and project partners. “I also promote non-formal education opportunities to Russian- and Estonian-language schools,” she explained. “During the project I learnt about the non-formal education opportunities offered in other countries, as well as how they go about managing their schools, and I’ll be able to use examples of both in implementing activities related to Estonian language and culture studies in future.”

Tondi says that the quality and results of studies are not only dependent on the material being taught, the people teaching it and those learning it, but on a wide range of nuances that were discussed during seminars and at the final event of the project. “In a school, or any other educational institution, responsibility for the success of the learning process is shared among everyone who works there, not just the (language) learner or the teacher,” she said. “If you want to ensure quality, you need systematic analysis of the entire process – whether that’s a satisfaction survey or a simple discussion – as well as agreements you stick to and regular reviews of results. It’s also important what you analyse: grades, attendance, the number of groups or classes, exam results or fulfilment of the curriculum. You also have to take into account each other’s wishes and goals. You have to ask whether students are even aware of what teachers expect of them, and whether teachers know what students hope to get from lessons. Expectations aren’t always entirely clear, so you have to talk about them.”

The project also highlighted the fact that it is necessary to support students’ own initiative and to encourage them to organise and do things themselves. “Any day at school or excursion or the like that breaks kids out of their normal routine helps resolve issues that the students bring to the lessons,” Tondi explained. She added that it is no less important for students and teachers to have the same understanding of values and a sense of fairness. 

Also attending the final conference were Suure-Jaani Upper Secondary School director Evald Sepp, Alatskivi Juhan Liivi High School Estonian language teacher Helen Paju and Suure-Jaani School interest group leader Siivi Tõnuri, who remarked that the event left them very encouraged by the knowledge that the Estonian education system is given as a good example to others. “A number of issues that other schools are still struggling with, such as the fulfilment of school attendance requirements and the involvement of pedagogues in the entire learning process, have long since been resolved in our education system” Tõnuri said.

Sepp felt that participating in the project had been very useful in forging new contacts, sharing new ideas and developing new solutions. “When I talked to people from schools in Bulgaria, Hungary and Portugal I realised that you can start from the same idea when implementing development activities in different countries,” he said. “What you need is the impetus to make changes. The main thing you want to achieve in introducing these changes is to get people thinking differently, and not just within a small group of school workers either – your entire community should be aware of the need for change.” He added that the theoretical basis of development work is suited in general to every school, but the starting position is very different. “Whereas our schools are dealing with things like the dynamics of the updated approach to studies and the most effective amount of technology to use in the learning process, for other schools in Europe these are issues they’ll only face further down the track,” he said. “Giving teachers more freedom in terms of lesson planning could prove successful for some schools. But it’s difficult to introduce technological changes in classrooms where the only way of visualising something is with chalk on a blackboard.”

More information about the project can be found online at http://slt4aa.eu/.

For further information please contact: Jana Tondi | Head of Language and Cultural Immersion, MISA | Telephone: +372 659 9069 | E-mail: jana.tondi@meis.ee

Master’s degree on studies of Estonian

The challenges of Estonian language studies for residents of Sillamäe

In May 2016, University of Tartu Narva College student Anna-Olga Luga defended her Master’s thesis, entitled ‘The Estonian Language Studies of the Residents of Sillamäe’. Her goal was to identify the main challenges in the town related to language studies and to present a new language-learning paradigm incorporating a variety of support systems and enabling learners to develop their language skills independently.

In the thesis, Luga provides an overview of key legislation concerning language studies and language use. She also outlines the language-learning opportunities that are available in Sillamäe and the support structures that exist in the town in terms of language studies. As imperial input for the thesis, more than 50 residents of Sillamäe who had undertaken language courses at different times between 1990 and 2015 were interviewed. Extracts from the interviews provide examples of their language-learning experiences, enabling changes in the organisation and methodology of language studies to be traced on the basis of feedback. Interviews conducted with Estonian language teachers in Sillamäe also provide an overview of the organisational challenges of language studies. The thesis further presents the teachers’ views on the low level of motivation among learners, which is explained by the ‘learned helplessness’ phenomenon.

In her research and analysis, Luga focuses on Sillamäe – a town which was once ‘closed’ and of strategic importance, and which is today predominantly Russian-speaking.

Luga describes her main findings by saying: “It can be seen from the reports, monitoring and other documents related to Estonian language and integration presented that language policy and organisation must become more substantive and focus on creating diverse and affordable options for Estonian language studies.” The thesis highlights the fact that regional organisers of language studies need a more effective support system in order to coordinate the work of language-learning service providers and to enable courses to be conducted for learners at different levels of proficiency. Flexibility of language studies also needs to be preserved, taking into account those who work in shifts, and it should be ensured that the language level of study groups is more homogenous.

The thesis underscores the importance of checking the quality of language studies and the implementation of more effective methods, since there is a strong link between the quality of studies and the experience of students and between the individual nature of teachers and the quality of contact between them. The work demonstrates that there is interest in language-learning methods that are more clearly differentiated on the basis of the students themselves and that enable teachers to respond adaptably to the actual language skills of students in a group.

According to the residents of Sillamäe, the main obstacle to taking part in language studies is the cost, which makes it impossible for families subsisting on the minimum wage to participate in courses. An important challenge in the specific case of Sillamäe itself is the fact that most language studies are offered in other towns – since the closure of the town’s language school, the nearest courses are to be found in Jõhvi. As such, studying Estonian involves constant travel and additional costs, making participation complicated and often leading to people dropping out. Learners also highlight the limited availability and uneven quality of free, web-based language studies opportunities – although online courses would make for an effective language-learning tool thanks to their accessibility, regardless of where people live.

In its summary, the thesis provides an interesting overview of the quirks of Estonian language policy and Estonian language learning opportunities in Sillamäe based on feedback from the town’s residents and the teachers working there about the organisation of Estonian language studies over the last two decades. Feedback also forms the basis for recommendations regarding the organisation of future language courses.

The thesis makes a significant contribution to discussions on the organisation of Estonian language studies in Estonia. It is important that such issues continue to be raised in academic circles as well as in Estonian society more broadly.

For further information please contact: Marianna Makarova | Head of Research, MISA | E-mail: marianna.makarova@meis.ee | Telephone: +372 659 9853

National culture society events

16th national culture festival to be held in Pärnu in August

The national culture festival ‘Multicultural Pärnu’ is to be held in the summer capital on 13 & 14 August 2016. The festival is being organised by the NPO Vähemusrahvuste Liit Raduga (the umbrella organisation for national minority cultural associations) for the 16th time.

The event will begin with an opening concert which all residents of and visitors to Pärnu are invited to attend. Performing at the concert will be creative collectives of children and adults from the NGO as well as guest artists from Estonia and abroad.

The two-day festival will showcase the songs and dances of Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Polish, Chuvash, Buryat and Caucasian peoples.

There will also be handicraft exhibitions and workshops dedicated to various national cultures, and visitors will be able to try a range of national dishes.

The festival will be opened at 12:00 on 13 August on Rüütli Square in Pärnu. Performances will take place throughout the city.

For further information please contact: Galina Ivanova | Director, NGO Vähemusrahvuste Liit Raduga | Mobile: +372 5800 8847 | E-mail: raduga_parnu@mail.ru  

Pärnu to host international festival of Slavic culture in August 

‘Svetotš’, an international festival of Slavic culture, is to be held in Pärnu for the 4th time from 25-28 August 2016. It will feature 35 folklore collectives from Estonia and neighbouring countries.

Taking place over four days, the festival will include performances by Slavic vocal and dance ensembles from Estonia, Russia, Belarus and Latvia.

There will be spiritual music concerts at Jekateriina Orthodox Church at 9:30 and 15:00 on 26 August, while an exhibition of decorative art and handicrafts will open at Pärnu Concert Hall at 14:00 on 28 August.

During the festival, concerts will be held at Pärnu Concert Hall, in Pärnu Children’s Park and in the Pärnu Kuursaal and bandstand.

More information about the festival and its programme can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/FestivalSvetoch/photos/pb.153081604884531.-2207520000.1464591362./517771711748850/?type=3&theater. Tickets to the events being held at Pärnu Concert Hall can be purchased from Piletilevi or at the venue.

For further information please contact: Natalia Rafikova | Director, NGO ‘Järeleaitaja’ Õppe- ja arenduskeskus | Mobile: +372 5597 8839 | E-mail: nar2311@mail.ru 

National cultural association activities are supported by MISA through the national minority cultural association project competition, which is financed from the state budget via the Ministry of Culture.

For further information please contact: Kristina Pirgop | Head of Partnership Relations, MISA | Telephone: +372 659 9024 | E-mail: kristina.pirgop@meis.ee

Overview of procurements and competitions

National minority Sunday schools await new students

Looking back at the B2 Estonian course in Pärnu

„I’m a migrant“ – elulised ja huvitavad lood Eestis elavatest inimestest
Day of Nations events
Tarkovsky festival invites admirers of the art of film-making to the cinema

Overview of procurements and competitions

Second round of applications open for base financing of national minority Sunday schools

MISA has launched an additional round of applications for the base financing of national minority Sunday schools. The second round is open to any national minority Sunday school operating in Estonia that did not receive funding in the first round of applications.

The aim of the base financing of Sunday schools is to support the mother tongue and cultural studies in national minority Sunday schools of children whose mother tongue is a language other than Estonian. In accordance with the Hobby School Act, the Sunday schools that apply for financing must be registered in the Estonian Education Information System.

The funding is open to schools whose teaching activities involve at least 10 students during the academic year. 80% of Sunday school students or at least one of the parents of each student must be representatives of the national minority whose language and culture form the basis of the work of the Sunday school in question. The schools must teach at least 100 academic hours of language, culture and history per school year.

Sunday school places are open to children and young people between the ages of 3 and 18.

The total budget for the second round of applications is 14,450.57 euros. The deadline for the submission of applications is 23:59 on 19 September 2016. Information and materials for the application round can be found on the MISA website.

27 Sunday schools were awarded financing in the first round of applications. They operate in Tallinn, Tartu, Valga, Jõhvi, Sillamäe, Pärnu, Maardu, Viljandi, Toila and Kose.

The activities of national minority Sunday schools are financed by the Ministry of Education and Research via the national budget.

For further information please contact: Kristina Pirgop | Head of Partnership Relations, MISA | Telephone: +372 659 9024 | E-mail: kristina.pirgop@meis.ee

Additional language and culture studies to be offered at camps and with families

This year MISA launched an additional competition to support the organisation of Estonian language and culture studies in project camps and as part of homestays for young people aged 7-19 living in Estonia whose mother tongue is a language other than Estonian.

“Since there’s so much interest in the camps and homestays, we’ve corralled more resources for the organisation of both this year,” explained Jana Tondi, the head of language and cultural immersion with MISA. “The competition’s open to organisations that are interested in putting on a project camp during the autumn school holidays for at least 20 kids whose mother tongue is a language other than Estonian so as to showcase Estonia’s linguistic and cultural space for them and to give them the chance to speak to people their own age in Estonian. And the organisers of the homestays will have to provide at least 34 kids with the opportunity to spend the autumn holidays with an Estonian-speaking family.”

The overall aim of the project competition is to promote Estonia’s cultural space – historical and interesting sights and traditions – among young people aged 7-19 living in the country, as well as the national language, and to offer them an opportunity for contact with Estonian-speaking kids their own age. The activities of the camp and homestays must include age-appropriate, educational joint activities and excursions and participation in events.

“As part of the competition activities we’ll be supporting the kids’ non-formal Estonian language studies, in which they’ll be helped by Estonian-speaking youngsters the same age as them or by the kids their age in the families,” Tondi explained. “Family-based studies mean the kids have a constant and spontaneous need to use Estonian in everyday situations with other members of the family, where they have to focus on communication – there’s no time to think about what they’ve learned or any mistakes they might make. This gives them a better grasp of how to use the language and the chance to practise expressing themselves in a second language.”

Studies of Estonian language and culture at a camp or while staying with a family are designed for young people aged 7-19 who live in Estonia but whose mother tongue is a language other than Estonian, as well as for Estonians of the same age who speak the language as their mother tongue to provide support to the other camp-goers. This year MISA is supporting the participation of 1408 youngsters in the Estonian language and culture programmes of ongoing camps. 100 young people will also get to take part in an Estonian language project camp, while a further 34 will be practising their Estonian as part of homestays. The language and culture camp projects will be taking place from June to October.

The total budget for the competition is 21,545 euros. The organisation of studies within families and at camps is financed by the Ministry of Culture via the national budget. Information about the competition and the materials required for participation are available from the MISA website. The deadline for the submission of applications is 26 September 2016.

For further information please contact: Jana Tondi | Head of Language and Cultural Immersion, MISA | Telephone: +372 659 9069 | E-mail: jana.tondi@meis.ee

National minority Sunday school news

National minority Sunday schools await new students

National minority Sunday schools are places where children and youngsters between the ages of 3 and 18 can explore the culture and learn the language of their forefathers. The studies also provide different age groups of children with a variety of options in regard to hobby activities.

In addition to studies of language and culture, Sunday schools offer lessons in other subjects related to national culture. For example, students can learn how to make national dishes, perform folk dances and songs or master handicraft techniques. Also, educational excursions are often organised for their students that are linked to the school’s curriculum.

Sunday school doors are open first and foremost to children whose parents, grandparents or more distant forefathers or who themselves are representatives of a national minority. Other youngsters are also accepted as students, regardless of their national background. Russian Sunday schools are primarily open to children from a Russian background who study at Estonian-language schools.

The network of Sunday schools is dense. The largest number of schools operates in Tallinn, but they can also be found in Tartu, Valga, Pärnu, Viljandi, Jõhvi, Narva, Sillamäe, Toila, Kose and Maardu.

Sunday school lessons generally take place once a week, and as the name suggests, on weekends – whether on Saturday or the Sunday itself. Studies tend to begin in September or early October and continue through to late May or early June. Lessons at many Sunday schools are free of charge for those taking part.

Sunday schools are a place where youngsters get to dig up their roots – their skills in their mother tongue are developed, their creativity is fostered and their knowledge of cultural history and traditions is broadened. As poet Juhan Liiv once said, “He who does not remember the past lives without a future.”

Information about Sunday school activities and the schools’ contact details can be found on the MISA website.

The activities of national minority Sunday schools are financed by the Ministry of Education and Research via the national budget.

For further information please contact: Kristina Pirgop | Head of Partnership Relations, MISA | Telephone: +372 659 9024 | E-mail: kristina.pirgop@meis.ee

Estonian language studies

Looking back at the B2 Estonian course in Pärnu

A 100-hour course for permanent residents of Estonia with a low level of integration and new immigrants which started in Pärnu in spring came to an end on 12 August. The language lessons, which were organised by the Integration and Migration Foundation 'Our People' (known by its Estonian acronym MISA) and run by the NPO Atlasnet, took place three times a week on working days. Those who registered for the course did so with the aim of acquiring the B2 level in spoken and written Estonian.

A total of 41 people registered for language courses in Pärnu, 25 of whom wished to study Estonian at the B2 level. Putting the group together was complicated by the different starting times that the potential students preferred, leading to the organisers taking longer to finalise the list of participants. However, the B2 course was at last launched on 1 April, with the first lesson taking place in a room at Tammsaare School in Pärnu and involving 16 students.

The Pärnu course was led by Merle Taggu, an experienced instructor of Estonian as a second language who has taught Estonian to Russian-speaking students in general education schools in Pärnu and to adults on courses organised by both the Police and Border Guard Board and the Pärnu office of the Unemployment Insurance Fund. She is also a member of the management board of the Association of Teachers of Estonian as a Second Language.

Since there were not enough people with the same language skills to open a course in Pärnu, Merle accepted the challenge of working simultaneously with students at different language levels. As an experienced teacher she implemented a slightly different approach which helped to satisfy the needs and wishes of the stronger and weaker students alike. We asked her how the course went and how satisfied both she and the students were with the results.

“I realised straight away during the first lesson that the students weren’t all at the same level,” Merle recalls. “Some were A2; others were B2. But since the point of the course was to get them up to a level that would allow them to take the B2 exam, there was no way we could lower that threshold. This meant that a couple of the participants who were at the lower end of the scale and who’d overestimated their abilities pulled out.”

During the first few lessons there were further changes to the list of participants, with those who dropped out being replaced by those next in line. Merle says there were brave students at the A2 level who carried on with the stronger participants and who, by the end of the course, were glad that they had done so – since the extra vocabulary they learned encouraged them to speak more, and the relaxed Estonian-language environment they got used to during the course emboldened them to talk to Estonians outside of the classroom.

The people on the course quickly formed into a good working group, says their teacher. “Nobody was worried about their language skills, or lack of them,” Merle says. “They never shied away from taking part in role play situations. Most of them made up for their shortcomings using humour in any case!”

The stronger students developed and polished all of their existing skills, but considered it most important to improve their writing skills. Merle says that the participants were positively surprised by the end of the course at how freely they were able to make jokes, find the right wording and use the slang they had learned in conversation.

A lot of memorable things occurred during the course. For example, some new words seemed so strange to the Russian-speakers that they later ran them by their Estonian acquaintances to make sure they used the words when talking to one another. Merle says the students were taken aback when they found out that they really did. “And that’s what they joined the course for,” she says: “to find out those sorts of things about the language.” 

At the start of the course the students were also asked why they were taking the lessons and what they expected from them. They said that they wanted to learn to speak to Estonians more freely and without any shame. “None of them were stressed about taking the exam or were doing the course because their employer expected them to,” Merle explains. “The 100 hours we spent together were about direct communication, analysing grammar, reviewing the kinds of writing that people need in their day-to-day lives, making jokes, watching bits of well-known films, listening to some great songs and talking about topical issues. The students always left in a good mood, and always thinking positively, regardless of the fact that most of them came to the lessons after a long day at work and then put in another three academic hours on top of that.”

Merle says she was pleased to hear her students say that the more grammar they learned, the harder it became for them to speak, since they were always trying to remember the rules and correct themselves in their heads. She says this showed that the students had knowingly gone into the language. For stress-free and spontaneous communication they simply need everyday language use at the B2 level, not conversation on mundane topics.

“It’s good to see that more and more Russian-speaking people want to learn Estonian for their own benefit, not because they have to,” Merle says. “That’s why you’ve got to motivate and encourage people to use the language more boldly and more actively. And that’s exactly what we did on our course.”

MISA is organising free Estonian courses at the A2, B1 and B2 levels until 2020 as part of the ‘Activities supporting integration in Estonian society’ project of the European Social Fund.

For further information please contact: Jana Tondi | Head of Language and Cultural Immersion, MISA | Telephone: +372 659 9069 | E-mail: jana.tondi@meis.ee

“I am a migrant” – Fascinating real-life stories of people who live in Estonia

In the next MISA newsletter we’ll be looking at the stories collected by the Estonian office of the International Organization for Migration about people who live in Estonia. All of these people have something in common; similar experience and knowledge – “I am a migrant”.

The first story is about Dan, an Estonian activist, volunteer and world-traveller with an interest in Middle Eastern culture, who shares his experience of life in Palestine.

Cultural immersion helps you learn a language – Dan’s story
 

Dan has a love for Middle Eastern cultures. As a teenager Dan was convinced he wanted to visit Palestine to understand its culture, faith and prevalent conflict.  After finishing his studies he began looking for volunteers with previous experience in Palestine. “One village was recommended to me. I contacted the elder of the village, who did not speak English, but referred me to another volunteer.”

“At first I went with a tourist visa. It was difficult to constantly renew my visa, because it required a lot of traveling. All together I was in Palestine little over 3 years. In the spring of 2015 I returned to Estonia, but as a married man.

She was doing an internship at a kindergarten next to the school where I was teaching. I taught English to adults and asked if someone from the group could teach me Arabic, she did. At first everyone in the village did not think our relationship was possible. She told her father about me, so I met with her parents, siblings and other relatives. It was challenging as the village was rather conservative, but her family vouched for me. So in the end it all went well.

My wife teaches while I’m active in several local NGOs. I’m a support person to refugees through an NGO called ‘Johannes Mihkelsoni Keskus’. Having a direct contact with refugees inevitably destroys the stereotypes media portrays. Media has such a strong influence on how we understand things. In my work I find success stories most uplifting. It brings me so much joy when one of my clients starts speaking Estonian to me. I don’t know how or where he has learnt it, but the fact that he can say some basics shows self-motivation and initiation from his side. This type of positive cases are uplifting.

I also work with ‘Youth for Understanding’ student exchange programme. My experience shows that full cultural immersion helps with learning a language – students, who don’t know any Estonian when they first come here, speak it at a basic level few months later.

I also coordinate Arabic language courses at an NGO called ‘Ethical Links’. Our team has a substantial knowledge and experience of Arabic language and cultures. Among many activities we try to offer an alternative to mainstream media. You can read the news all you want, but real encounters are needed to overcome fears and misunderstandings. Last year we imitated an Arabic living room at a local event. We decorated our tent with cushions, carpets, offered Arabic food, taught name writing in Arabic and did henna decorations. We invited people to sit with us and discuss the questions they have. The problem with stereotypes is, they only show one side and amplify it. Fear of the other can be overcome through personal encounter.

My hope is Estonia will be a successful state and that common sense will win.”

Day of Nations events

The Day of Nations is celebrated in Estonia on 24 September, marking the anniversary of the first meeting of the Estonian National Minorities Forum. It has been part of the cultural calendar since 2005 and is dedicated to all of the nationalities living in Estonia.

National minority cultural associations are organising a range of events throughout September as part of the Day of Nations.

1 September saw the opening of an exhibition entitled ‘Ornaments in culture – culture in ornaments’ on the premises of Lüüra (the International Union of Associations of National Minorities) at Kaera 21A in Tallinn. The exhibition showcases 12 posters and original works that have been crocheted or made from felt or timber. The display provides an overview of the ornaments of five nationalities: Estonians, Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians and Tatar people. The exhibition has been organised by the NPO Stiil, which is supported via the Kodurahu programme. It is open from 11:00-15:00 Monday to Friday. Admission is free of charge.

From 15:30-17:00 on 15 September ‘Russian Cultural Folk University’ Education Society management board member Tatjana Tšervova will be leading an excursion and conversation about the Dome Church, or the Cathedral of St Mary the Virgin in Tallinn (Toom-Kooli 6). Those interested are invited to gather outside the church beforehand. The event is being organised by the Union of Russian Educational and Charity Associations in Estonia.

From 12:00-13:30 on 20 September the conference room at the Russian Cultural Centre in Tallinn (Mere pst 5) will play host to a lecture by artist Sergei Minin entitled ‘My introduction to Kalevala: Artistic illustration as a text element’. The event is being organised by the Union of Russian Educational and Charity Associations in Estonia. Admission is free of charge.

From 11:00-13:00 on 22 September the conference room at the Russian Cultural Centre in Tallinn (Mere pst 5) will play host to a lecture by artist Valeri Laur entitled ‘Estonian art from 1970-1980: The work of Peeter Mudiste, Andres Tolts, Ando Kesküla, Olev Subbi, Enn Põldroos and Ludmilla Siim’. The event is being organised by the Union of Russian Educational and Charity Associations in Estonia. Admission is free of charge.

At 18:00 on 23 September the main hall at the Russian Cultural Centre in Tallinn (Mere pst 5) will be the venue for a folk collective concert entitled ‘Under the same sky’. It will feature performances by collectives of the Union of Russian Educational and Charity Associations in Estonia and members of Lüüra (the International Union of Associations of National Minorities). Admission is free of charge. Admission is free of charge.

At 17:00 on 24 September the ‘Raduga’ Union of National Minorities will be hosting a fun event dedicated to the Day of Nations at Nooruse Maja in Pärnu (Roheline 1B). Visitors will be able to watch and take part in a pageant of national costumes. Songs and poems of different nationalities will be performed and recited. Visitors will also have the chance to find out about folk customs and traditions and try well-known national dishes. Admission is free of charge.

At 14:00 on 24 September the main hall at the Russian Cultural Centre in Tallinn (Mere pst 5) will be the venue for a concert entitled ‘Russian song in my soul’. Folk music choirs and folklore ensembles from Narva, Kohtla-Järve and Tallinn will be performing. The event is being organised by the Union of Russian Educational and Charity Associations in Estonia. Admission is free of charge.

From 12:00-13:00 on 25 September Lüüra (the International Union of Associations of National Minorities) will be holding its open day. There will also be a concert, a showcase of national games and customs, an introduction to national cuisine and creative handicraft and art workshops. From 13:00-15:00 you can visit the ‘Golden autumn’ national cultural association fair in the courtyard of its premises in Tallinn (Kaera 21A). Admission is free of charge. For further information please contact: Larissa Ivaništševa, Lüüra member | E-mail: larissaiv@gmail.com |Mobile: +372 5805 3258.

At 18:00 on 25 September the small hall at the Russian Cultural Centre in Tallinn (Mere pst 5) will be the venue for a concert of Russian Philharmonic Association soloists entitled ‘We live here’. The programme features classical vocal and instrumental works of Russian, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Armenian and Estonian composers. The event is being organised by the Union of Russian Educational and Charity Associations in Estonia. Admission is free of charge.

National cultural association activities are supported by MISA through the national minority cultural association project competition, which is financed by the Ministry of Culture via the national budget.

For further information please contact: Kristina Pirgop | Head of Partnership Relations, MISA | Telephone: +372 659 9024 | E-mail: kristina.pirgop@meis.ee

Events supported by MISA

Tarkovsky festival invites admirers of the art of film-making to the cinema

The 5th ‘Encounters with Tarkovsky’ festival is set to open at the Artis cinema in Tallinn at 17:00 on 14 September. This year’s festival is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Andrei Tarkovsky’s film Andrei Rublev and to the 30th anniversary of the director’s final film, The Sacrifice.

In his lifetime Tarkovsky became a classic of world cinema, but in his own country his fate was rather dramatic. After his successful debut with Ivan’s Childhood (1962), he made the historical drama Andrei Rublev (1966), which became the main drawcard at the XXII Cannes Film Festival in 1969. This year marks half a century since the film was completed. Also being screened at this year’s festival will be the director’s final film – The Sacrifice, produced in Sweden in 1986, which became a creative testament to Tarkovsky.

Visitors to the festival will also have the chance to see an exhibition entitled ‘Andrei Tarkovsky: His Final Film’ curated by Leila Alexander-Garrett, who served as an interpreter and the director’s assistant on The Sacrifice. The exhibition is illustrated by the photo story of two greats of Swedish cinema: two-time Oscar-winning cinematographer Sven Nykvist and actor Erland Josephson. 

Festival events will be taking place throughout the month in Tallinn, Tartu, Sillamäe, Pärnu and Maardu. The programme includes films and documentaries, creative meetings and discussions. 

More information about the festival can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/304315399931318/.

The festival is being supported by MISA as part of the ‘Promotion of a unified field of information through cultural and sporting activities’ project competition, which is financed by the Ministry of Culture via the national budget.

Estonian language cafés to open doors in Tallinn in October
MISA to organise awareness-raising events in Russian-language schools about young people’s future
Estonian language and culture camps and homestays to continue in October
Youngsters from Ida-Viru County to take part in youth programme fostering social cohesion
Ukrainian Sunday school to open its doors to visitors
Festival showcasing Ukrainian culture to be held in November
‘I am a migrant’ – fascinating real-life stories of people who live in Estonia

Activities of the MISA Counselling Centre

Estonian language cafés to open doors in Tallinn in October

Starting from 11 October, Lindakivi Cultural Centre and Lasnamäe Children’s Centre in Tallinn will be hosting twice-weekly get-togethers of the free Estonian language cafés run by the Counselling Centre of the Integration and Migration Foundation 'Our People' (MISA). The cafés are designed for those who want and are motivated to learn Estonian and to practise speaking in the language.

The language café groups are divided into three: those with elementary skills; those with primary skills; and those who are more advanced at the initial level. The cafés will be held at Lindakivi Cultural Centre (Jaan Koorti 22) and Lasnamäe Children’s Centre (Ümera 46) in Tallinn twice a week at 10:00 and 18:00. Each get-together will last for around 90 minutes and be free of charge for those taking part. Up to 20 people can participate in any one event. The language café groups are being put together by the MISA Counselling Centre.

The get-togethers will be led by experienced teachers of Estonian, who will offer the participants support in their independent learning and practising of the national language. The role of the language cafés is also to motivate people to make bolder use of Estonian in everyday situations. Situations and topics that come up in day-to-day life will be focussed on during the get-togethers – issues like job-seeking, training, communicating with colleagues, travel, hobbies, celebrating special occasions and dealing with situations like making doctor’s appointments and buying things in shops.

Where the language café is concerned it is not important how well you speak Estonian. However, in order to find the group that is best suited to you, the groups are divided in three: those with elementary skills; those with primary skills; and those who are more advanced at the initial level. The only prerequisites for taking part are the desire and motivation to learn Estonian and to practise speaking the language.

Information on the times and venues of the language cafés can be found on the MISA website.

The language café activities are being financed as part of the ‘Activities supporting integration in Estonian society’ project of the European Social Fund.

For more details about the language cafés and information event, call the Counselling Centre free of charge on 800 9999 or e-mail info@integratiooniinfo.ee.

MISA to organise awareness-raising events in Russian-language schools about young people’s future

The MISA Counselling Centre will be carrying out a series of information events around Estonia in October and November under the umbrella title ‘The opportunities available to young people in Estonia’. At the events, information will be provided to young people and their families who live in Estonia but speak Russian as their mother tongue about how to make something of themselves in the country.

The MISA Counselling Centre is organising 10 regional events in the series in Tallinn, Narva, Maardu, Pärnu, Kohtla-Järve, Sillamäe, Valga and Tartu in association with local specialists from the Police and Border Guard Board, the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund and the ‘Rajaleidja’ careers advice portal. In addition to the young people themselves, their family members and friends are also welcome to attend the events, as are those youngsters who have dropped out of school for some reason and their families, and anyone interested in the topics to be discussed at the events.

The opportunities of career and training advisory services through which Russian-speaking youngsters can get support to continue and complete their studies will be outlined to the attendees. Circumstances related to finding work in Estonia and abroad will also be covered, and practical recommendations will be shared in regard to making future career choices. The amendments made to legislation affecting non-Estonians and in regard to citizenship that entered force on 1 January 2016 will also be explained, as they are of importance to permanent residents of the country. Furthermore, an overview will be provided of integration activities designed for young people, applying for Estonian citizenship will be discussed, opportunities for Estonian language learning and practice will be explored and information will be given about the counselling service offered by MISA.

The information events will adopt a discussion format. Regional specialists will be sharing information with the young attendees, explaining issues in terms of the needs of young people and from their point of view, and answering any questions they may have. In addition to specialists, people known in local schools and communities will also be invited to take part in the discussions wherever possible. The events will start in the schools at 18:00 and last for around 90 minutes. The language of the events will be Russian.

For more details about information events, call the Counselling Centre free of charge on 800 9999 or e-mail info@integratsiooniinfo.ee. Information on the times and venues of information events can be found on the MISA website.

Information events are held as part of the ‘Integrating Estonia 2020’ regional development plan and are financed from the resources of the ‘Activities supporting integration in Estonian society’ project of the European Social Fund. 

Results of project competitions

Estonian language and culture camps and homestays to continue in October

An additional project competition entitled ‘Promoting Estonian language and culture at camps and Estonian language and culture studies in families’ was held in September. Support was granted for the implementation of projects to the NPO Veeda Vaheaeg Võrumaal (organising homestays) and Narva School no. 6 (organising a project camp), who will showcase Estonian language and cultural heritage to youngsters on visits to various places in southern Estonia.

Veeda Vaheaeg Võrumaal’s project “Let’s Speak Estonian!” will enable 34 youngsters from Narva to take part in family-based studies and classes at Võru City Centre Basic School this autumn. 8-10 families will be hosting the kids. There will be a total of five 10-day homestays, during which young people whose mother tongue is Russian will get the chance to live in an Estonian-language environment and attend an Estonian-language school, explore the sights of southern Estonia and take part in group events and handicrafts workshops.

“These kids are motivated to learn,” explained Jana Tondi, MISA’s Head of Language and Cultural Immersion. “A number of students from Narva Language High School who’ve taken part in the homestays before have been positively surprised how much of a boost a week spent in an Estonian-language environment gives them in terms of their language skills.”

Homestay project manager Pille Kulberg says that their organisation has been helping to organise family-based studies for many years. “We have a lot of experience working with Narva Language High School,” she said. “At the same time, we can only do what we do thanks to those families in Võru County with children of their own who take these kids in for a week at a time. Over the years we’ve seen how the kids who live in the county who’ve had more to do with the Russian-speaking kids have become more tolerant and are always friendly towards those arriving for the homestays. The project works both ways, with mutual benefits, and is a great experience for everyone involved.”

The ‘School Holidays on Cultural Trails’ project of Narva School no. 6 was also awarded support. 32 students aged 12-16 from the school and from Narva Estonian Upper Secondary School will take part in the project. The project camp taking place in Saverna in Põlva County will be attended by 22 Russian-speaking youngsters and 10 of their Estonian-speaking peers. The kids will visit the university town of Tartu and take part in a special lesson entitled ‘Language, Culture and the Environment’ at the Estonian National Museum. They will also find out about the history of Võru and its surroundings and visit the home museum of Estonian author F. R. Kreutzwald. They will also pay a quick visit to Kambja and its basic school.

“There’ll be language lessons each day for the kids, to give them the chance to practise their Estonian, at which the teachers will use elements of non-formal language learning as well as active learning methods,” explained Irena Kedus, the project manager with Narva School no. 6. “The Estonian-speaking support students will play an important role, as they’ll serve as mentors to the Russian-speaking youngsters. Every day we’ll be doing our best to provide the kids with sports and creative activities as well which will help them get to know one another and get along better.”

Estonian language and culture studies at camps and in families are supported by MISA from the state budget via the Ministry of Culture.

For further information please contact: Jana Tondi | Head of Language and Cultural Immersion, MISA | Telephone: 659 9069 | E-mail: jana.tondi@meis.ee

Youth programme 2016 activities

Youngsters from Ida-Viru County to take part in youth programme fostering social cohesion

This autumn MISA is organising study trips and training days for 35 youngsters from Ida-Viru County with the aims of boosting the participants’ knowledge of ways in which they can make something of themselves in Estonia and of promoting contact between the young people. The youth programme is designed for students from general and vocational schools in Ida-Viru County who are from Narva, Kohtla-Järve and Jõhvi and aged 15-18.

“There’ll be one training day and three study trips for the participants as part of the programme activities,” explained Natalia Reppo, MISA’s Head of Cooperation. “The first training day was held on 24 September at Narva Youth Centre. The youngsters who attended learnt about successful and well-functioning team work, taking part in civic initiatives, taking the initiative themselves in starting things up and how to draft, manage and implement projects, all through practical examples.”

Reppo added that the aim of the youth programme is to introduce to Russian-speaking youngsters different ways of making something of themselves in Estonia. “That can be in relation to education, job-seeking and social activities, as well as contributing to civic initiatives,” she said.

Three study trips are planned for the young participants as part of the programme. On 13 October they will be travelling to southern Estonia, where they will visit the Võru County Vocational Education Centre and sights in the surrounding area. On 9 November there will be a study trip to Tartu during which the plan is to visit the Estonian Aviation Academy, the Computer Science Institute of the University of Tartu and Tartu Observatory. The final study trip will take place on 20 December, bringing the students to Tallinn. Kohtla-Järve Youth Centre and Narva Youth Centre were of assistance in finding youngsters to participate in the programme.

MISA implements integration-related cooperation activities as part of the ‘Integration cooperation activities’ sub-programme of the ‘Activities supporting integration in Estonian society’ programme of the European Social Fund.

For further information please contact: Natalia Reppo | Head of Cooperation, MISA | Telephone:  659 9840 | E-mail: natalia.reppo@meis.ee

Sunday school open days

Ukrainian Sunday school to open its doors to visitors

From 11:00-14:00 on 15 October, the ‘Nadija’ Ukrainian Sunday school will be holding an open day. Anyone interested is welcome to visit the rooms of the Association of Ukrainian Organisations in Estonia at Nafta 6-2 in Tallinn.

The theme of the open day is ‘Pokrova – the Cossack and Ukrainian Feast Day’. During a singing lesson, attendees will learn Ukrainian-language songs about the Cossacks. A history lesson about Ukraine will be given by two Cossacks, who will also speak about the history of their own people up to the present day. There will also be a Ukrainian language lesson and a handicrafts room. Visitors will get to try kulish – the traditional pottage of the Cossacks – as well as sweets.

Anyone interested in attending the open day is asked to register by calling 5810 4307.

For further information please contact: Alla Inno-Yakymenko | ‘Nadija’ Ukrainian Sunday school handicrafts teacher | Mobile: 5810 4307

Activities of national minority Sunday schools are supported by MISA from the state budget via the Ministry of Education and Research.

For further information please contact: Kristina Pirgop | Head of Partnership Relations, MISA | Telephone: 659 9024 | E-mail: kristina.pirgop@meis.ee

National culture society events

Festival showcasing Ukrainian culture to be held in November

Starting at 15:00 on 6 November 2016, Salme Cultural Centre (Salme tn 12, Tallinn) will play host to a festival of Ukrainian culture entitled ‘Star of the North’. This is a traditional festival which has been organised by the Association of Ukrainian Organisations in Estonia every two years since 2000.

Taking part in the festival will be Ukrainian song and dance troupes that are active in Estonia as well as the ensemble ‘Kolor’, the ‘Ukraina’ academic mixed choir, the ensemble ‘Susidki’, the ‘Mrija’ choir and others. An exhibition of the artworks of students from the Ukrainian Sunday school will also be held at Salme Cultural Centre during the festival.

Anyone interested in Ukrainian culture is welcome to attend the event. Admission is free of charge.

For further information please contact: Association of Ukrainian Organisations in Estonia | Telephone: 600 6768 | E-mail: UkrainaOAE@gmail.com  

The ‘Star of the North’ festival is supported by MISA through the national minority cultural association project competition, which is financed from the state budget via the Ministry of Culture.

For further information please contact: Kristina Pirgop | Head of Partnership Relations, MISA | Telephone: 659 9024 | E-mail: kristina.pirgop@meis.ee 

‘I am a migrant’ – fascinating real-life stories of people who live in Estonia

Immigrants are like teachers who teach the local people openness and tolerance - Heba's story

Heba is an Egyptian who first heard about Estonia from a friend. “When searching for post graduate studies, I was intrigued by the studies in international relations and diplomacy at the Estonian School of Diplomacy.

My previous experience in Egypt was with media monitoring, elections, and human rights. At the Egyptian cabinet I worked with media monitoring projects. I was responsible for media monitoring and election projects at the Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti Violence Studies. I led a team who monitored media during the elections to see whether media were biased, we put recommendations to media outlets to improve their performance and gave advice on how to be more neutral.”

Working with the civil society sector was an eye-opening experience as I was working with human rights, tolerance issues and Syrian refugees. I realized that some people really don’t have any future and they need to look for better opportunities, it’s not something we can use against them. Many Estonians also go abroad searching for better chances. For me the question is why is it good for people from Europe to move within Europe, but bad when people from Middle East or Asia look for jobs in Europe?

I’ve seen that immigrants enrich their new societies. They are like teachers, because through interaction with immigrants locals learn open-mindedness and tolerance toward cultural differences. Also, if immigrants are employed they benefit the economic cycle. Migration consists of normal people, some are good and some are bad. When someone does something it is because they are bad, not because they are from a specific place. We need to judge people’s acts according to the law.

Through my work and volunteering experiences I have learned to look beyond stereotypes. My thinking began to change when I saw that different ideas, thoughts and people will not cause me any harm. If I had a very limited mentality, I don’t think I would be very successful in bringing change through my work.

In the future I hope to work with human rights and torture issues. I hope to make a difference in people’s lives and help them understand that human rights are not a luxury, but vital to being human. In Egypt it’s not easy to convince people that human rights are part of your essential rights. I hope to make this shift in thinking. It is hard to change what the whole society thinks, but at least I can start with myself and know what I believe.”

Take part in the upcoming international conference ‘Integration Challenges in a Radicalizing World’
‘Active Youth Forum 2016’ invites young people to join in on discussions
Citizens Day quiz launching on 21 November
Organiser sought for awareness-raising campaign to get young people with mother tongues other than Estonian working in the public sector
The National Association of Armenians in Estonia is organizing Armenian Cultural Days in Haapsalu
Azeri Sunday School opens its doors to visitors

MISA events in November

Take part in the upcoming international conference ‘Integration Challenges in a Radicalizing World’

This international conference is organised by the Integration and Migration Foundation 'Our People' (MISA) and is titled ‘Integration Challenges in a Radicalising World’. It will take place on the 29th and 30th of November in Tallinn. The conference will focus on integration challenges in contemporary societies characterised by increasing cultural diversity and migration, as well as escalating global conflicts, affecting relations at the local level between people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

“The world is rapidly changing and we need to review the preconceptions we have of what is important for social integration, as well as continue to raise issues that have been topical for decades,” explained MISA’s Director, Dmitri Burnashev. “Our goal with the conference is to bring together professionals in the field of integration from Estonia and elsewhere in Europe to share their experience and best practices, which could also be implemented in Estonia.”

Internationally recognised experts from Canada, the United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Estonia will be speaking at the event. Among guest speakers are Queen’s University (Canada) emeritus professor and the founder of the principles of contemporary acculturation psychology, Prof. John Berry; Bradford University (UK) Diversity Professor Prof. Uduak Archibong MBE; German Integration and Migration Foundations Expert Council Deputy Chairman, Prof. Dr Haci-Halil Uslucan; and other leading visionaries from Estonia and abroad. You can find additional information on the conference programme and list of speakers online at www.misakonverents.ee.

The conference will take place on 29 & 30 November in Tallinn. Experts from the field of integration are invited to attend the event, as is anyone who is interested and involved in diversity and integration issues, as well as representatives of companies and organisations with diverse staff.

A reception for speakers and conference participants will take place on 29 November starting at 19:00 in the main hall of the Estonian Academy of Sciences (Kohtu 6, Tallinn).

Registration is open until 22 November or until the maximum number of attendees is reached. You can register here.

Participation is free of charge. The language of the conference will be English, with simultaneous interpreting into Estonian.

The conference is organised by MISA with support from the Ministry of Culture and partner organisations including the British Council, the Royal Norwegian Embassy, the Royal Danish Embassy Tallinn University and other partners.

For further information please contact: Marianna Makarova | Head of Research Development, MISA | E-mail: marianna.makarova@meis.ee | Telephone: +372 659 985

‘Active Youth Forum 2016’ invites young people to join in on discussions

The Mektory Innovation and Enterprise Centre in Tallinn will play host to the ‘Active Youth Forum 2016’ on 22 & 23 November.  The two-day event is open for up to 250 active youngsters and people in charge of them from all over Estonia.

“The first day of the forum will focus on young people between the ages of 17 and 26,” explained MISA Head of Cooperation, Natalia Reppo. “On the second day, we hope to see not only youngsters there but also members of organisations who deal with them. The issues we’ll be looking at in the workshops are the same on both days – the impact of voluntary work on the people who do it and on society as a whole, and the effect of civic activity and young people in making the world a better place. We’ll also be looking at the media space from the point of view of young adults – what they should be reading and watching, whether they should be reading it and watching it at all, how much they read and watch and how they read and watch it. Last but not least, there’ll be a focus on the impact of and need for youth organisations as well.”

Workshops will be held throughout the two days on five different topics. Participants can choose two topics that most interests them on each day of the forum. The first day’s results will be discussed during the workshops on the second day with the aim of analysing the participant’s thoughts and to share information with youth organisations. Two moderators will lead each workshop simultaneously – one focussing on the Estonian-speaking participants and the other on the Russian-speaking participants.

Information about the workshops and registering for the event can be found on the youth forum website. Registration is open until 18 November or until the maximum number of attendees is reached. You can also join the forum’s event page on Facebook.

The aim of organising the forum is to get young people living in Estonia involved in shaping social processes and thereby increasing their interest in implementing ideas. It is also designed to provide support in shaping a shared field of information for young people and a more cohesive Estonia.

During the workshops, experts from the field will be giving practical advice on and describing measures for becoming involved in voluntary work, youth organisations and civic initiatives, as well as for getting the media involved in promoting activities.  

A number of youth organisations have assisted in developing the concept of the forum and in its organisation, including the NPOs Noorteklubi Active, Shokkin Group and Serve the City.

The youth forum is being organised by MISA in association with the Harju County Entrepreneurship and Development Consultancy. The event is being supported from the resources of the ‘Activities supporting integration in Estonian society’ project of the European Social Fund.

For further information please contact: Natalia Reppo | Head of Cooperation, MISA | E-mail: natalia.reppo@meis.ee | Telephone: +372 659 9840

Citizen’s Day quiz 2016

Citizens Day quiz launching on 21 November

Students from general and vocational education schools can take part in the annual Citizens Day Quiz, being held for the 14th time from 21 November to 2 December. Everyone in Estonia will get the opportunity to take the quiz on Citizens Day, 26 November.

The quiz, comprised of 50 unique questions (some taking into account events from the preceding 12 months), is put together each year for students in grades 7-12 from general and vocational education schools. It covers topics ranging from nature studies to history, as well as general knowledge of sports and sports stars, cultural events and cultural figures. Picture, sound and video questions are included.

A 30-question quiz for students from Grades 5 - 6 in general education schools with Estonian and Russian as the language of instruction is compiled by students from higher grades. The younger participants can choose which language they take the quiz in. For older students, the quiz is always in Estonian.

Everyone is given 60 minutes to complete the quiz. Participants find out their score as soon as they complete the quiz. The correct answers can be checked on the quiz page starting 5 December. Also available on this page are statistics from previous quizzes and the names and results of the best-performing participants.

The links to the quizzes will be made public at 9:00 on 21 November at http://www.meis.ee/citizens-day-quiz.

A total of 61,000 participants have successfully completed the quizzes over the years, with the total number of those taking part being even higher.

The highest-scoring participants will be invited to a reception on 20 December, which this year will be held in the Riigikogu.

The conducting of the quiz is being organised by MISA in association with the Ministry of Education and Research.

For further information please contact: Toivo Sikk | Head of Civic Education, MISA | E-mail: toivo.sikk@meis.ee | Telephone: +372 659 9850

New procurement launched

Organiser sought for awareness-raising campaign to get young people with mother tongues, other than Estonian, working in the public sector

MISA has launched a public procurement entitled ‘Valuing public-sector organisations with linguistically diverse staff and informing people with mother tongues, other than Estonian, of career opportunities in the public sector’. This initiative is being launched in order to help young people, whose mother tongue is a language other than Estonian, to apply for jobs in the public sector.

The objective of the procurement is to plan and implement an awareness-raising campaign in the first half of 2017, which will inspire young people ages 18-30, whose mother tongue is a language other than Estonian, to take up work in the public sector and bind their future to Estonia. The campaign should also help make it clear to senior staff and personnel workers in the public sector why it is a good idea to also recruit people whose mother tongue is a language other than Estonian and how to reach them.

With the help of this campaign, the hope is to foster direct contact in a different form between young people and senior staff and personnel workers in the public sector (e.g. public-sector employees visiting and giving talks at schools and the organisation of workshops). Those submitting tenders will be expected to prepare videos for distribution in online channels and social media, which for example, showcase the success stories of public officials who speak Estonian as a language other than their mother tongue.

The use of innovative approaches and cross-media solutions that enable campaign messages to reach the target group are awaited.

The documentation for the procurement can be viewed online in the e-state procurement registry at https://riigihanked.riik.ee/register/hange/178561.

Tenders should be submitted to MISA via the e-state procurement registry by 16:00 on 12 December 2016.

The procurement is being organised as part of the ‘Activities supporting integration in Estonian society’ project of the European Social Fund.

National minority Sunday school news

National Association of Armenians in Estonia to organise Armenian Cultural Days in Haapsalu

For the fifth time, the National Association of Armenians in Estonia is organising the Armenian Cultural Days in Haapsalu in order to showcase Armenian traditions and celebrate their connection with the city.

Haapsalu is an important place for Armenians, since it was home to Hedvig Büll, a missionary who helped Armenian refugees during World War II. As such, the Armenian community has strong ties to the city.

The event will be taking place at Haapsalu Cultural Centre (Posti 3, Haapsalu) starting at 13:00 on 19 November. Transport from Tallinn to Haapsalu has been arranged.

The programme includes an exhibition of Armenian artists, a concert and performance of Armenian musicians, an introduction to Armenian cinema and a showcase of sights worth seeing in Armenia. Visitors will also have the chance to try some traditional Armenian dishes. The 25th anniversary of the country’s independence will also be celebrated as part of the event.

Everyone interested is invited to attend the Cultural Days, which are free of charge.

Those thinking of attending are asked to register in advance by e-mailing r.ivanjan@gmail.com or calling +372 51 88 966.

For further information please contact: Razmik Ivanjan | Chairman, National Association of Armenians in Estonia | Mobile: +372 51 88 966 | E-mail: r.ivanjan@gmail.com

The event is being supported by MISA via the national minority cultural association project competition, which is financed from the state budget via the Ministry of Culture.

For further information please contact: Kristina Pirgop | Head of Partnership Relations, MISA | E-mail: kristina.pirgop@meis.ee | Telephone: +372 659 9024

Azeri Sunday School opens its doors to visitors

Ragsana Khalilova, the new director of and a teacher at the Azeri Sunday School, is inviting everyone interested to the school’s open day starting at 14:00 on 20 November. At this event, Ms. Khalilova will explain what goes on at the school and present a showcase of Azeri culture.

“Our students will be talking about pictures of Baku, which is the capital of Azerbaijan, and which is also known as the City of Winds,” she said. “It was the first Muslim city in which opera and ballet were introduced, in fact. A lot of people will recognise views of the city from the cult Russian film ‘The Diamond Arm’.”

The students will also be demonstrating what they have learned at Sunday school – they will perform folk dances and recite poems in Azerbaijani.

During the open day, younger visitors will get the chance to draw pictures or make their own plasticine versions of the sights of Baku with students from the school.

“Everyone who comes along will have the chance to try my baklava as well,” Khalilova added. “The honey and nuts I use are brought in from Baku!”

The Azeri Sunday School open day will take place in the school’s rooms at Vilisuu 7 in Tallinn.

Those interested in taking part are asked to register in advance by e-mailing raksana8787@mail.ru or calling +372 5558 1119.

The Azeri Sunday School has been operating since 1989. It was registered in the Estonian Education Information System in 2008. Sunday school activities are led in Estonia by the ‘Ajdan’ Azeri Cultural Centre. The school teaches the language and literature of the country as well as its history and folk dances.

For further information please contact: Ragsana Khalilova | Director, Azeri Sunday School | Mobile: +372 5558 1119 | E-mail: raksana8787@mail.ru

The activities of national minority Sunday schools are financed by the Ministry of Education and Research from the national budget.

For further information please contact: Kristina Pirgop | Head of Partnership Relations, MISA | E-mail: kristina.pirgop@meis.ee | Telephone: +372 659 9024

A new face has joined our Narva Counselling Centre team
Youth seminar and discussion events reach Pärnu and Haapsalu
Julia Polujanenkova: People had been waiting for Estonian language and culture clubs for years
Azeri students to showcase their cultural heritage in schools this December
‘Flight of the Bluebird’ festival and competition to take place in early January
Said’s story: "To feel integrated one needs to speak the language of the host country, get to know the culture and the law, and respect them"

MISA activities

A new face has joined our Narva Counselling Centre team

Joining our team in October was Anna Kuznetsova, who took up a post as a counsellor for local residents at our Narva office.

“What I’m doing in MISA is offering residents of Narva and Ida-Viru County advice and support on issues related to integration and everyday life,” Anna explained. “I’m also involved in the organisation of the Estonian language cafés and other counselling events.

Since I was born in Narva myself and have lived and worked here for years, I appreciate the concerns that the people here have. Helping local people is important to me - it’s something that’s very close to my heart.”

Anna graduated from the University of Tartu with a degree in Slavic philology. Thereafter she worked for a number of companies in Ida-Viru County, including for the last three years for a tourism firm in which she gained experience of both customer service and teamwork.

You can contact the counsellors at MISA’s Counselling Centre by e-mailing info@integratsiooniinfo.ee or calling the free hotline 800 9999.

National series of seminars and discussions for young people

Youth seminar and discussion events reach Pärnu and Haapsalu

The series of seminars and discussions designed for young people is set to continue with events being held in Pärnu and Haapsalu at which the focus will be the regional identity of youth. The events are being organised by the ‘Open Republic’ Youth Association in cooperation with MISA.

“Seminars and discussions were held in Narva, Tartu and Tallinn in November, with the topics all being different, although with the focus always being on issues of importance to the region in question,” explained Vladislav Veližanin from the ‘Open Republic’ Youth Association. “It was great to see the young people who attended taking such an active role and that the topics they were discussing really mattered to them.”

Two events are scheduled to take place in December. The first is a discussion that will be held at Pärnu Co-Ed Upper Secondary School on 8 December, while the final event of the year will take place at Lääne County Co-Ed Upper Secondary School in Haapsalu on 19 December. Both events will examine the issue of local identity. They will debate the future of the two cities - whether and why young people should go (back) to live in Pärnu and Lääne counties.

The events are free for all participants. Information on registering for the seminars and discussions can be found online at www.or.ee. Event details can also be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/avatudvabariik.

The focus of the seminars and debates is the relationships of young people and their ability to communicate in a variety of social environments. Organisation of the events is designed to support contact between young people aged 17-26 and to help break down barriers between cultures:

Events forming part of the series are scheduled to continue until May 2017. A total of 700 young people from all over Estonia are expected to participate in the events.

Organisation of the events is being supported by MISA from the resources of the ‘Activities supporting integration in Estonian society’ project of the European Social Fund.

For further information please contact:  Vladislav Veližanin | Civic education programme manager, ‘Open Republic’ Youth Association | E-mail: vladislav@or.ee | Mobile: +372 5563 1777

Natalia Reppo | Head of Cooperation, MISA | E-mail: natalia.reppo@meis.ee | Telephone: +372 659 9840

Feedback from participants in Estonian language and culture club

Julia Polujanenkova: People had been waiting for Estonian language and culture clubs for years

Julia Polujanenkova works at Tartu Art Museum. She is a young, active, well-meaning, well-educated woman who decided to polish her Estonian skills despite already having a very good grasp of the language. Here she describes her experiences.

“I joined the Estonian language and culture club here in Tartu three months ago. I’m so glad I got the chance. I’m a 25-year-old specialist from Jõhvi - I grew up and did all my learning in a non-Estonian language environment. My first encounter with a language club was when I was studying at St Petersburg University, where foreign language clubs were really popular. I always wondered why the same sort of format wasn’t being used in Estonia to help people improve their speaking skills. Later I found out that there were language clubs in Estonia, but many people - me and my family among them - simply didn’t know about them. Now that I’m a member of one of these clubs I happily tell other people about them and what they involve, to try and encourage them to take part as well.

A lot of people who’ve been studying Estonian for a long time have a problem simply with how to start talking. For example, Russian-speaking people who live in Ida-Viru County and work in Russian-speaking teams often only have the chance to use their Estonian when they’re at the shops. It’s pretty hard to make Estonian-speaking friends. It’s no easier reading Estonian-language newspapers or watching Estonian-language TV shows, because the language they use is too complicated. So where do we get language practice? If you don’t practise a language you soon forget it, and it’s impossible to make any progress without it. But that’s where the language clubs are so useful.

At the moment I’m working with an Estonian-speaking team where none of my colleagues correct my grammar mistakes, and sometimes I feel like the language backgrounds we’re from are too different from each other. At our language and culture club meetings though we do the kinds of things I’ve always wanted to - we all get the chance to talk, with the instructors picking up on repeated mistakes, and we get to ask for help and advice when it comes to complicated grammar rules. I’m now much better at finding my way around Estonian culture, too, and the whole time we’re together at the club the atmosphere’s really friendly.

Apart from language practice, we also take part in different cultural events and pay visits to cultural institutions and the like. As a group, we and our families have been to the recently opened Estonian National Museum together, we’ve made Estonian food, we’ve been to the theatre, we’ve listened to the Grammy-winning Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, we’ve played board games and lots of other things as well. All of this has helped me fill in that gap in my language-learning where I needed the simple, everyday sort of vocab I hadn’t used since I left school. I’ve also - finally! - started following grammar rules, which have always been my bugbear.

A couple of days ago one of my colleagues sent an e-mail to everyone in the company with the subject line ‘Riia, mu arm’ /Riga, My Beloved/, and it’s only thanks to the language club that I know it’s the name of a legendary Estonian punk song. It’s a really good feeling to know that I can now understand the extra meanings that words have.”

The Estonian language and culture club is a place where people can practise their Estonian and overcome their communication issues. It is designed primarily for those who already speak some Estonian but need encouragement and recognition in order to communicate in the language spontaneously and fluently. A total of 60 Estonian language and culture clubs are being opened in Tallinn, Tartu, Sillamäe, Jõhvi, Kohtla-Järve, Ahtme, Narva and Pärnu in 2016 and 2017. Club meetings and activities are being organised until the end of 2017 by Mitteldorf OÜ, Keelepisik OÜ, ImmiSchool - Uusimmigrantide Koolituskeskus OÜ and Change Partners OÜ.

Estonian language and culture club activities are supported by MISA from the resources of the ‘Activities supporting integration in Estonian society’ project of the European Social Fund.

For further information please contact: Jana Tondi | Head of Language and Cultural Immersion, MISA | E-mail: jana.tondi@mail.ee | Telephone: +372 659 9069

National culture association events

Azeri students to showcase their cultural heritage in schools this December

The ‘Ajdan’ Azerbaijani Cultural Centre of Estonia will be visiting schools and universities around the country in December to showcase Azeri culture, traditions and customs for students. The events forming part of the cultural days are being organised by the centre for the 12th time.

“Putting on these events for school and uni students is really important to the local Azeri community,” explained Nijazi Gadžijev, the chairman of Ajdan. “We hope the events give the students a better understanding of the Azeri kids attending their schools and make them more tolerant. We want our kids to be proud of their families’ heritage.” Gadžijev added that any schools and universities interested in Azeri cultural events and in inviting the centre to visit them should feel free to get in touch.

Azeri Cultural Days will be taking place this December at Tallinn University, Pae Upper Secondary School in Tallinn, Tallinn German Upper Secondary School, Hugo Treffner Upper Secondary School in Tartu and Nõo Upper Secondary School of Science.

As part of the festival, participants can get involved in a quiz that will test their knowledge of and enlighten them on the history, culture and traditions of Azerbaijan. Azeri souvenirs will be awarded to the winners. There will also be an exhibition showcasing Azeri nature, urban culture, folk costumes and more. Folk dancers will be attending this exhibition.

For further information please contact: Nijazi Gadžijev | NPO ‘Ajdan’ Azerbaijani Cultural Centre of Estonia | E-mail: info@azeri.ee | Mobile: +372 50 19 694

This event is supported by MISA via the national minority cultural association project competition, which is financed from the state budget of the Ministry of Culture.

For further information please contact: Kristina Pirgop | Head of Partnership Relations, MISA | E-mail: kristina.pirgop@meis.ee | Telephone: +372 659 9024

‘Flight of the Bluebird’ festival and competition to take place in early January

Lüüra (the International Union of Associations of National Minorities) is organising the ‘Flight of the Bluebird’ music and dance festival and competition for children and young people for the 24th  time.  The event will take place in the first week of January.

“The aim of organising the competition is to support the preservation of national cultures and to encourage and support young people who are involved in folk music and dancing,” explained Ilona Uzlova, the director or Lüüra. “Organising it is also a great opportunity to shine the spotlight on talented youngsters and give them the recognition they deserve.”

The competition is open to young people between the ages of 5 and 25. Competitors can take part in three categories: singing; dancing; and playing musical instruments.

The competition will open at Lindakivi Cultural Centre (J. Koorti 22, Tallinn) at 11:00 on 5 January 2017.

The gala concert of the event will take place at the cultural centre at 14:30 on 6 January 2017.

Both the competition event and the concert are open to the public, free of charge.

For further information please contact: Ilona Uzlova | Director of Lüüra | Mobile: +372 5808 1044 | E-mail: info@lyra.ee

The activities of national minority umbrella organisations are supported by MISA from the state budget via the Ministry of Culture.

For further information please contact: Kristina Pirgop | Head of Partnership Relations, MISA | E-mail: kristina.pirgop@meis.ee | Telephone: +372 659 9024

“I am a migrant“ – Fascinating real-life stories about people living in Estonia

Said’s story: "To feel integrated one needs to speak the language of the host country, get to know the culture and the law, and respect them" 

“I’m originally from Morocco, but I have a Spanish citizenship. Throughout the course of my life I can speak of three significant stages – when in the Canary Islands, Barcelona and Estonia.  In Morocco I studied archaeology and heritage. I’m interested in conserving and rehabilitating archaeological and historic monuments.

Life on the Canary Islands was the hardest, I went there to continue my studies. The scholarship I had did not cover my basic living costs, so I was obliged to find a supporting job. As a student I needed to wait six months for a work permit, so I began working illegally at a night club on the weekends. It was a cultural shock for me to see all that I saw, but I had no other option. Later on I worked night shifts as a parking lot security guard. I worked six nights of the week and went to university during the day. Even though I was very lonely, stressed and exhausted, I managed during my first year. In the second year I could not even read one page, I had to stop studying and focus on surviving. I realised change was needed, as I initially had come to study and not to get any job I could, but I also couldn’t go back to Morocco.

I had friends in Barcelona so I decided to move there, they helped me find a job at a postal office. I was in contact with a spiritual Sufi community where I met a woman who later became my wife. Doing meditation at the centre helped me feel like part of the community. My situation changed completely. I now had a family and support to better understand the society. I finally got to finish my master studies.

My wife was a member of a dialogue group held by the UNESCO centre. People from different regions and beliefs met to discuss spiritual and social issues, how to live in peace, respect of the differences and growth for the common interest. I became very involved. I realised people are afraid of what they do not know. We organised events so that locals and different communities could meet.

When crisis came and UNESCO centre needed to stop their activities, I began looking for jobs elsewhere. We had previously come to Estonia many times. My wife’s son lives here and is married to an Estonian girl. We came to visit her grandchildren often. On our visits to Estonia we felt happy and peaceful. It was a hard decision but we thought we didn’t have a job in Spain and we have family here, so why not come to Estonia. We moved in the spring of 2014 and I found a job after three months as a baker. At first it was difficult for my wife to find a job, but we had savings and the help of our family.

Besides working as a baker I’m doing other things like teaching refugees about Estonian culture, obligations, benefits, ultimately how to get integrated here. I can say that three things are needed to feel integrated in this society; first is to speak the language of the host country, get to know the culture and law of the country, and respect the culture and law of the host country.

The role of the mediator is critical, as they need to be patient, understanding both the migrants and the local population. The mediator needs to find solutions. This role is something I did in Barcelona and I aspire to continue doing so here in Estonia.” 

In January, free preparatory courses for the citizenship examination will continue
Training programme aimed at young people in Ida-Viru County focussed on introducing future choices
National culture society events
“I Am a Migrant” – fascinating real-life stories of people who live in Estonia

Preparatory courses for citizenship examination

In January, free preparatory courses for the citizenship examination will continue

In 2017, the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA) in cooperation with NGO Kodanikukoolitus (Civil Training Centre) will also continue to conduct two-day free preparatory courses for the citizenship examination. The courses will be carried out in Tallinn, Ida-Viru County and, if there are enough participants, elsewhere in Estonia as well.

“The preparatory course for the citizenship examination is meant in the first place for those who are preparing for the citizenship examination. The course is also appropriate for those who do not plan to take the examination yet, but who would like to know how the Estonian legal system and legislation work,” Anu Viltrop, the Project Manager of NGO Kodanikukoolitus introduced the courses.

The two-day course helps get to know the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia, which defines our fundamental rights and duties. “It is very often thought that laws are so complicated that they are meant only for lawyers. The course provides participants with courage and inspiration for examining laws independently in more complicated situations in the future as well as for searching for answers from them,” Viltrop added.

The course will last in total for 18 hours, including 14 hours of interactive lectures and discussions, during which the technical organisation of the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia and the citizenship examination itself will also be explained. In order to reinforce the knowledge gained, a four-hour study visit will be paid to some state authority of Estonia. As a group, the participants will additionally work through a trial exam ahead of the actual examination.

Courses for raising awareness of the Constitution and Citizenship Act of the Republic of Estonia will be held mostly at weekends. The first course in the New Year will already be held in Kohtla-Järve from 11 to 12 January. Anyone wishing to take part in the courses is asked to contact the organiser NGO Kodanikukoolitus by calling +372 506 9028 or sending an e-mail to koolitus@kodanikukoolitus.eu. Information about the training courses and the organiser of the courses can be found on the http://www.kodanikukoolitus.eu homepage.

Examinations on the knowledge of the Constitution and Citizenship Act of the Republic of Estonia are organised by the Innove Foundation. It is possible to enrol for the examinations through the eesti.ee State Portal.

Training to raise awareness of the Constitution and Citizenship Act of the Republic of Estonia for less successfully integrated residents of the country and new immigrants from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds is financed from the resources of the ‘Activities supporting integration in Estonian society’ project of the European Social Fund.

For further information please contact: Anu Viltrop | Project Manager, NGO Kodanikukoolitus | Telephone: +372 5665 9118 | E-mail: anu.viltrop@gmail.com

Enrolment for courses by telephone +372 506 9028 or e-mail koolitus@kodanikukoolitus.eu

For further information please contact: Toivo Sikk | Head of Civic Education, MISA | Telephone: 659 9850 | E-mail: toivo.sikk@meis.ee

Summary of 2016 youth programme

Training programme aimed at young people in Ida-Viru County focussed on introducing future choices

For four months young people from Ida-Viru County participated in the activities of a training programme where they managed to visit various organisations and educational institutions as well as to get acquainted with inspiring places and people. The final event of the project was held in Tallinn on 20 December.

The most interesting thing in participating in the project for Darja Poljakova, a student of Form 9 of Narva School No. 6, was getting acquainted with young people from the Kohtla-Järve Youth Centre as well as with the activities of the Youth Centre. “Of the places visited in the course of the project, the one that surprised me the most was the Tartu Observatory in Tõravere, to be more exact, the fact that the ‘Tõravere’ asteroid had obtained its name from this place. I believe that I gained the greatest benefit for the future from the introductory short course on programming carried out by students and a lecturer from the Institute of Computer Science of the University of Tartu. We were introduced to the subject of liquidating problems of Windows 10,” Poljakova explained.

In the opinion of Karina Ivantsova, a student of Form 10 of Narva Kesklinna Upper Secondary School, she obtained much useful information under the programme about various educational establishments. “I liked that in Tartu we could work with computers, which was complicated, but exciting,” Ivantsova admitted.

The activities of the programme of the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA) supporting social cohesion and aimed at young people were carried out from September to December 2016. The programme had more than 30 young participants from Narva and Kohtla-Järve who took part in four study trips and courses.

In September, a study day took place in the form of a seminar in the Narva Youth Centre. In order to attract the attention of young people, a seminar was held in the form of a conversation and discussion in order to inspire the participants to think along. A discussion was held with young people on the development opportunities of the region of Ida-Viru County – how and which way young people can themselves affect and develop a living environment suitable for them. Various opportunities (participation in amateur arts activities and in projects) were also introduced for the realisation of one’s own wishes and ideas.

In October, the young people travelled to Võru County. They visited the Võru County Vocational Training Centre and the Observation Tower of Suur Munamägi. An excursion took place in the Võru County Vocational Training Centre where the specialities taught in the Centre were introduced and the students of the educational institution also talked to visitors about their learning experience in the Vocational Training Centre.

In November, a study trip was made to Tartu County during which a visit was paid to the Estonian Aviation Academy, the Institute of Computer Science of the University of Tartu and the Tartu Observatory in Tõravere. The Estonian Aviation Academy introduced the specialities taught in the educational institution and the young people could also test the flight simulator – to sit in the cockpit in the position of a captain and pilot the airplane themselves. The Institute of Computer Science of the University of Tartu organised workshops in the laboratories of the Internet of Things (IoT) and computer graphics / virtual reality. In addition, the young people could also visit the Visitor Centre of the Tartu Observatory in Tõravere.

The last study trip took place in December when the participants visited the Estonian Maritime Academy of the Tallinn University of Technology where the young people got acquainted with the Academy and could test the simulator. In addition, they could talk to students of various specialities of the Maritime Academy and also try to tie a sailor’s knot. The participants also visited the premises of LIFT99 that are a new co-working and event space for startups. The young people also could talk to Vladimir Funtikov who is the founder of Creative Mobile http://creative-mobile.com/.

MISA implements integration-related cooperation activities as part of the ‘Integration cooperation activities’ sub-programme of the ‘Activities supporting integration in Estonian society’ programme of the European Social Fund.

For further information please contact: Natalia Reppo | Head of Cooperation, MISA | Telephone: 659 9840 | E-mail: natalia.reppo@meis.ee

National culture society events

“Textile Marina” international textile exhibition

From 6 January to 3 February 2017, the “Textile Marina” international textile exhibition dedicated to the sea is open in Narva.

The exhibition is open every day in the exhibition room of the Narva College of the University of Tartu (Raekoja plats 2). Admission is free of charge. The exhibition displays the work of master craftsmen from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Estonia is represented by Club Patchwork Plus.

In July, the exhibition was opened in Jūrmala, Latvia. From November to December, the work could be seen in Stockholm, Sweden. In January, the exhibition is in Narva and, in February, in Sillamäe. In Sillamäe, the exhibition will be open in Sillamäe’s Ulei Hobby and Youth Centre from 6 to 21 February.

For further information please contact: Natalja Kapajeva | Member of Management Board, Club Patchwork Plus | E-mail: nkapajeva@mail.ru | Telephone: 5399 3703

Eventful January in Kunda

The Läte Slavic Society, which was established 15 years ago in Kunda, will organise two interesting events in January.

At 13:00 on 7 January, children, young people and adults are all welcome to a Christmas event. The programme includes a theatre performance and an exhibition of children’s handicraft and drawings. Children are given presents free of charge and the event ends with drinking tea together.

At 15:00 on 28 January, a poetic evening dedicated to Tatiana Day is held. Local poets read their writing and poems of their favourite poets aloud. The Zarjanka choir sings old romances. All those who write poems or love poetry are welcome to the event. The topic of the evening is lyrics. Tatiana Day, which is on 25 January, is also remembered. The event is taking place for the first time.

Both of the events take place on the premises of the Läte Slavic Society at Mäe 11, Kunda. No prior registration is required.

For further information please contact: Tatjana Kotšetkova | Head of Läte Slavic Society | E-mail: istoki@hot.ee | Telephone: 5157 655

Workshops on traditional Russian guardian dolls in Haapsalu

In the old days, after the cold weather had come and autumn work had finished, Russian people engaged in various handicrafts. In winter, they wove bast shoes, crocheted patterns for shirts and sarafans, made horseshoes and mended agricultural inventory. Young ladies made large and small patchwork dolls – both for guarding and playing purposes.

Guardian dolls such as Koljada, Koza and Spiridon-Solntsevorot are made from 25 December. The guardian doll Koljada brings home satisfaction and joy while the guardian doll Koza helps not to despair in difficult moments of life, teaches to be glad and brings home cheerful and pleasant laughter. The guardian doll Spiridon-Solntsevorot helps life move along in a correct direction.

People did not make traditional patchwork dolls only for themselves in order to generate homely warmth and protect their home, but also as a present for close people, relatives, friends and acquaintances.

The workshops on making guardian dolls take place at Kastani 7, Haapsalu, in January.

• A workshop on the Russian traditional patchwork doll Spiridon-Solntsevorot was held on 2 January 2017.
• A workshop on the Russian traditional patchwork doll Koljada is held at 14:00 on 8 January 2017.
• A workshop on the Russian traditional patchwork doll Koza is held at 12:00 on 9 January 2017.

For further information please contact: Natalja Jampolskaja | Head of Russian Folk Culture Centre Bereginja | E-mail: natalja.jampolskaja@mail.ru | Telephone: 515 0415

Celebration of Seto and Russian Christmas time and reception of Christmas beggars in Haapsalu

The Seto and Russian Christmas time starts from Orthodox Christmas holidays and lasts for almost two weeks until 18 January. During this period, public celebrations are organised in Russia. In the old days, Christmas beggars paid a visit with a goat or a bear and had fun, begged for presents and sang songs as well as wished much health, happiness, and a rich harvest for the whole household. People believed that those whom the Christmas beggars visited would be successful and wealthy in the New Year.

Christmas carols sung by the beggars are short poems and pieces of songs. People treated Christmas beggars to pies, buns and sweets and also gave them money.

At 12:00 on 13 January 2017, a theatrical celebration of the Seto and Russian Christmas time takes place in the Haapsalu Social House at Kastani 7 where everybody can join in. The event is carried out by the Bõliina Folklore Ensemble, Russian Bereginja Folk Culture Centre and students of the DREVO Russian Sunday School.

For further information please contact: Natalja Jampolskaja, Head of the Bõliina Folklore Ensemble, Russian Bereginja Folk Culture Centre and DREVO Russian Sunday School | E-mail: natalja.jampolskaja@mail.ru | Telephone: 5520 094

Pritšudje Cultural Society holding an open Christmas meeting

Russian Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on 7 January, which is the start of the Seto and Russian Christmas time, lasting until 18 January. This is the most waited for and jolliest time of the year both for children and adults. It is also the time of celebrations and weddings. It is common to make pancakes and predictions, and Christmas beggars go from house to house. During Christmas time people wish much health and happiness to their close people and acquaintances.

The Pritšudje Cultural Society organises traditional Christmas meetings in which all interested people are welcome to take part. An interesting programme with songs, dances and performances full of humour has been prepared for the Christmas meetings. Santa Claus from the Lake Peipus region is also expected to pay a visit. Santa Claus gives presents and people sitting at each table prepare a performance – they will sing, dance or read poems.

This year the Christmas meeting of the Pritšudje Cultural Society is held in the Old Town of Tallinn at 13:00 on 15 January 2017. Since the number of seats is limited, prior registration is requested. Participants are notified of the exact venue of the event upon registration.

For further information and registration please contact: Zinaida Palk | Member of Management Board, Pritšudje Cultural Society | E-mail: palkpaul@hot.ee | Telephone: 5395 3696

Russian Choir Society in Estonia giving a concert

The 9th International Festival of Russian Academic Choirs – Crystal Key 2017 – takes place in the Grand Hall of the Russian Cultural Centre (Mere pst 5, Tallinn) at 14:00 on 28 January 2017.

Groups from Tallinn, Viljandi, Kiviõli, Narva, Kohtla-Järve and St Petersburg will perform at the concert. Admission to the concert is free of charge.

For further information please contact: Tatjana Semenjuk, Russian Choir Society in Estonia | E-mail: semjana7@gmail.com

The activities of cultural societies of national minorities are financed by the Ministry of Culture from the state budget.

For further information please contact: Kristina Pirgop | Head of Partnership Relations, MISA | E-mail: kristina.pirgop@meis.ee | Telephone: 659 9024

“I Am a Migrant” – fascinating real-life stories of people who live in Estonia

This year we will also recount the stories in our newsletter collected by the Estonian Office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) about various people who live in Estonia. These stories bear the uniform subtitle of “I Am a Migrant”.

You have to work hard yourself, if you invest yourself and you will receive additional support from others too – Anatoli’s story

Anatoli is from Ukraine, he came to Estonia in 1978. “Estonia was a place for internal migration within Soviet Union. There were many migrants like me in that time. Estonia is a very beautiful country. Even if the person could not run further to the West from Soviet Union, it was still much calmer and safer to stay in Estonia, especially for Musicians, Artists, and Writers. Also religious people didn’t have any problems here.

Migration was also economical of course. There was stability in Estonia, people could feel well here. There were no such big and vulgar bribes as it was common in Ukraine for many centuries. Estonian people managed to save the goodwill. Of course it was a Soviet Union, but it was another Soviet Union. People who came to visit me saw a bit of a different life.

We are people with our own culture, in my case the Ukrainian culture. When the Soviet Union collapsed, a lot of people had to decide whether to go back or to stay in Estonia. Many had families and work here and didn’t want to return. I went to the head of Ukrainian church and said that I also would like to stay here and there is possibility to build a Ukrainian church in Estonia. If it happened that I stayed in Estonia, it was natural that I should create a sphere of Ukrainian culture for my children. So after the church was established the cultural centre was created nearby.

My wife is a very good person, a person of local culture, more Estonian culture. Her friends told her that while all normal people build houses, your husband is building a church and that is not normal, but she supported me a lot – it was a sacrifice. You have to work hard yourself, if you invest yourself, other people see that it is fair and normal, and you will receive additional support from them too; some will come and help. The church was open in 1991.

We are all different. It would be bad if I wanted to be Estonian. I always knew that I am a person with Ukrainian culture. My Estonian education helps me to show culture and art in a way that Estonian people would understand it, so it is also unfair to call me a purely Ukrainian Artist.

It is very important to learn the language of the country where you live. Estonians are very careful in protecting their culture. I speak Estonian, I cannot say I have learned it fully, I just speak. Our home languages are Russian, Ukrainian and Estonian.”

Information about Estonian language courses and language and culture clubs
Language cafés provide tips for independent language learning
Makeover planned for 15th Citizen’s Day Quiz
Ongoing competitions
National minority culture association events
“I Am a Migrant” – fascinating real-life stories of people who live in Estonia

Information about Estonian language courses and language and culture clubs

Free Estonian language courses organised by MISA to continue in 2017

The Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA) is set to continue offering free Estonian language courses at the A2, B1 and B2 levels in 2017 in association with five organisations providing language-learning services: OÜ Multilingua Keelekeskus, MTÜ Folkuniversitetet Estonia, OÜ Keelepisik, OÜ Mitteldorf  and MTÜ Atlasnet. The courses will be held in various towns and cities around Estonia: Tallinn, Narva, Jõhvi, Kohtla-Järve, Sillamäe, Ahtme, Tartu and Pärnu.

Assisted by its partners, MISA will be providing all of those who informed the foundation in summer 2015 of their wish to study Estonian with the chance to take part in language classes in 2017. “Little by little, with the help of our partners, we’ve contacted everyone in regard to level testing and participation in the courses,” said Jana Tondi, the Head of Language and Cultural Immersion with MISA. “We’ll be offering free courses by this summer at the latest to those who registered for the studies in 2015 but who need training at the A1 level.” The state has allocated 66,000 euros for language studies at the A1 level for a total of 190 people.

By the end of 2016 more than 2500 people had taken part in the free language courses organised by MISA. Studies are ongoing for 900 people and a further 1620 will be given the chance to commence studies in the course of 2017.

Each course is preceded by level testing to ascertain the participants’ skills, after which study groups can be formed according to the levels determined. Invitations to attend the level testing are issued by the companies providing the language courses, contacting the participants by e-mail or telephone based on the list of names forwarded to them by MISA. Should any of those registered decline to take part in the courses or pull out at a later date, their place can only be offered to the next person or people on the list.

“In order to give everyone on our waiting list the chance to take part in courses by this summer, we’re unfortunately unable to extend invitations to anyone who’s not already on the list,” Tondi explained. “Although those who aren’t can rest assured that our free courses will continue. Registration for future courses will be public, and we’ll be informing people about it via our website, our newsletter and the media.”

The Estonian language courses offered by MISA last for 120 academic hours, with a maximum of 15 people in each group. The courses generally last for five months. MISA is organising Estonian language courses at the A2, B1 and B2 levels until 2020 via the resources of the ‘Activities supporting integration in Estonian society’ project of the European Social Fund. Further information about the Estonian language courses offered by the foundation can be found on the MISA website.

Estonian language and culture clubs to continue in 2017

The free clubs that offer participants the chance to brush up on their Estonian language and culture are set to continue this year. Helping MISA organise the club meetings are Mitteldorf OÜ, Keelepisik OÜ, ImmiSchool - Uusimmigrantide Koolituskeskus OÜ and Change Partners OÜ.

“The language and culture clubs are somewhere people can come to practise their Estonian in speaking and listening terms through a range of interesting activities related to culture and our everyday lives,” explained Jana Tondi, the Head of Language and Cultural Immersion with MISA. “They’re also a great way of gaining the encouragement you need to keep practising the language and the information you need to study independently. The clubs don’t offer lessons or courses as such - they simply allow people to come together in a group to practise everyday communication and find themselves a support network. Their activities also include cultural events, which the participants attend together to give some context to what they’ve learnt.”

30 clubs had been opened around Estonia by the end of 2016, with a total of 480 members. The clubs will continue to operate with the same numbers in 2017, and each year thereafter until 2020.

The members of the clubs, including the people running them, get together for a maximum of four academic hours at a time at least once a week over a period of six consecutive months. Meetings must be held at least four times a month, and at least once a month the group attends a cultural event together or visits a site that is linked to Estonian culture. A total of at least 24 get-togethers (96 academic hours) and six excursions take place. Each club has two group leaders and 16 members from different private and professional backgrounds. Estonian native speakers, or guest speakers whose Estonian skills are at least at the C1 level, are invited to attend meetings by the group leaders. Every member of the club has the right to invite up to two guests to attend a meeting with them.

The linguistic and cultural immersion clubs are designed for anyone whose mother tongue is a language other than Estonian and who want to learn more about what makes Estonian culture unique or who need support and encouragement to continue learning Estonian. People who speak Estonian as their mother tongue and who wish to assist the language learners are included in the work of the clubs. Members are invited to and selected for the clubs from the list of those registered for Estonian studies at the B2 level as part of the ‘Integration training’ activity of the ‘Activities supporting integration in Estonian society’ project of the European Social Fund or from among those who have completed a B2 course commissioned by MISA.

For further information please contact: Jana Tondi | Head of Language and Cultural Immersion, MISA | Telephone: +372 659 9069 | E-mail: jana.tondi@meis.ee

Independent language learning with the help of language cafés

Language cafés provide tips for independent language learning

Last autumn MISA launched a pilot programme for counselling on independent studies of Estonian in order to make counselling on Estonian language studies generally more effective.

“We offer counseling meant for people’s independent studies of Estonian mainly at language cafés, which are designed to encourage people to communicate in the language.  The format of the cafés means that those who aren’t able to take part in language courses are also able to pick up the language. The cafés provide an Estonian-language environment that encourages people to practise their Estonian. We also introduce the attendees to ways of independently studying the language, while building up their belief in their abilities and encouraging them to overcome the barriers that come with studying ,” explained Olga Žukova, a counsellor with MISA.

Žukova added that MISA will be organising information days in 2017 focussing on Estonian language-learning options, as well as training days for anyone interested in the methodology of counselling on independent Estonian studies so as to broaden options for the implementation of the methodology.

“The information and training days will be held all over Estonia, with anyone wishing to attend them needing to register in advance,” she said. Information on the events and registration will be provided in the MISA newsletter and also appear on the foundation’s website. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.

MISA organises the language café get-togethers as part of the ‘Activities supporting integration in Estonian society’ project of the European Social Fund.

Information about the language cafés is available by calling the free information line 800 9999 or e-mailing info@integratsiooniinfo.ee.

Citizen’s Day Quiz

Makeover planned for 15th Citizen’s Day Quiz

The Citizen’s Day Quiz, which is being organised for the 15th time this year by the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA), will take place in November. In order to assess feedback from previous quizzes regarding the quality of the questions, the level of interest among students and the involvement of civic studies teachers, a seminar and discussion has been planned about the quiz. A total of 50 students and teachers from all over Estonia are expected to attend the event.

“The quiz has a remarkable history, and those who’ve organised and taken part in it have plenty of experience to share,” said Toivo Sikk, the Head of Civic Education with MISA. “In order for us to make the quiz an interesting, topical and interactive tool in civic education we’ve invited 50 students and teachers from general and vocational schools to give us their feedback and opinions on how to make the quiz even better.”

The seminar and discussion will be held at the Park Inn by Radisson Meriton Conference & Spa Hotel in Tallinn on 16 February 2017. Presentations will be given by one student and one teacher from general and vocational education schools, while the creation of the content of the quiz will be outlined by the main compiler of its questions, Tõnisson Institute Civic Education Centre director and Loksa Upper Secondary School social studies teacher Sulev Valdmaa.

The presentations will be followed by an exchange of ideas and discussions in eight groups looking at new areas for questions for the quiz and at providing visual materials for the questions. The participants will also be discussing their attitudes to Googling and how to get new schools (and students who have not taken an active role to date) involved in the quiz.

The ideas generated in the course of the discussions will be taken into consideration in compiling this year’s quiz. The 2017 Citizen’s Day Quiz – the 15th in the series – will be held from 20-29 November.

Over the years, the quiz has been successfully completed by more than 66,000 students. Previous quizzes and results can be found on the MISA website. The organisation of the Citizen’s Day Quiz is financed from the state budget via the Ministry of Education and Research.

For further information please contact: Toivo Sikk | Head of Civic Education | Telephone: +372 659 9850 | E-mail: toivo.sikk@meis.ee

Ongoing competitions

Project application competition for family-based language and culture studies now open

The aim of this competition is to make young people living in Estonia who are aged 7-19 and whose mother tongue is a language other than Estonian more familiar with Estonian cultural space – the country itself, its history, its culture and its language – and to offer the youngsters the opportunity to form contacts with people of the same age who speak Estonian as their mother tongue. Via the competition MISA hopes to find partners to organise family-based Estonian language and culture studies for the young people during the period from 1 March-30 November 2017.

The total budget for the project competition is 45,000 euros. The deadline for the submission of applications is 20 February 2017.

The documents and application forms for the competition are available on the MISA website.

The organisation of Estonian-language studies in families is financed from the state budget by the Ministry of Culture.

For further information please contact: Jana Tondi | Head of Language and Cultural Immersion, MISA | Telephone: +372 659 9069 | E-mail: jana.tondi@meis.ee

National minority culture association events

Russian poetry festival to be held for fifth time in February

The Russian poetry festival ‘Under the Baltic Sun’ is to be held for fifth time in February, organised by the Russian national culture organisation and literature club Harmoonia. The festival will take place in the small hall of the Russian Cultural Centre in Tallinn from 14:00-17:00 on 11 February. Admission is free of charge.

The Harmoonia literature club is represented by Tatjana Treufeldt, Igor Krainii and Sergei Udod, who will be presenting their poetry at the festival. Guest speakers and performers from 14 countries (including Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Norway and the United States) have been invited to attend the event.

Also taking part will be the winners of the ‘Under the Baltic Sun’ competition, while other poets will have the chance to recite their poems during an open mike session.

For further information please contact: Zhanna Zaikina | Member of the Management Board, Russian national culture organisation and literature club Harmoonia | Mobile: +372 55 36 577

‘Nupukesed’ song studio concert “Let’s sing for mum!” to be held in early March

Mothers and grandmothers everywhere are invited to the small hall of the Russian Cultural Centre in Tallinn at 16:00 on 5 March 2017 for a concert of the ‘Nupukesed’ children’s song studio entitled “Let’s sing for mum!”.

The studio is attended by 70 children between the ages of 3 and 16 who not only learn how to sing, but are also taught dance and other performance skills.

The concert has been structured as a performance in which all of the children from the studio will sing and dance at the same time.

Admission is free of charge for children and school students. Adults can purchase tickets at the box office of the Russian Cultural Centre starting from one hour before the concert. Tickets cost €2 for adults and €1 for university students and pensioners.

You can find out more about the activities of the ‘Nupukesed’ studio online at www.knopochki.ee.

For further information please contact: Marina Krants | Director, ‘Nupukesed’ children’s song studio | E-mail: martinsonmarina@mail.ru | Mobile: +372 5698 8787

‘My theatre – my caprice’ amateur theatre festival to be held in Maardu

The international amateur theatre festival ‘My theatre – my caprice’ is set to be held for the 9th time in Maardu from 10-12 March 2017.

Children’s performances will take place from 09:00 on 10 March at the Vaba Aja Keskus recreational centre (Keemikute 12B).

Theatre-goers of all ages are invited to attend the performances starting at 11:00 on 11 and 12 March at Maardu Cultural and Information Centre (Karjääri 4). Admission is free of charge.

The festival is designed to give young directors and producers the chance to demonstrate their passion for theatre. It is important that the performers adhere to the definition of ‘open theatre’, which aims to actively involve the audience. After each performance there will be a discussion between the actors, directors, producers and audience, where in the friendly festival atmosphere there will be an exchange of opinions and impressions on what they have seen and experienced.

Since the festival has proven a success, the organisers have decided to continue the tradition. The festival is organised by MTÜ Art Arena, MTÜ Teater-stuudio Veer & Špaga and Teater WIN.

For further information please contact: Eseniya Antropova | Director, MTÜ Teater-stuudio Veer & Špaga | Mobile: +372 5812 2942 | E-mail: esenia.antropova@mail.ru

The activities of national minority cultural associations are funded from the state budget via the Ministry of Culture.

For further information please contact: Kristina Pirgop | Head of Partnership Relations, MISA | Telephone: +372 659 9024 | E-mail: kristina.pirgop@meis.ee

“I Am a Migrant” – fascinating real-life stories of people who live in Estonia

“Language plays a very important role” – Xiangwei’s story

Xiangwei is from one of the biggest city of China with population of eight million people.  He has lived in Estonia already 22 years.

“While I was in China I didn’t know anything about Estonia, I had heard very little about it. All three Baltic States were mixed up in my mind; I knew that they are located near Russian Federation and are former Soviet Union countries.

I was a very active person as a student in China and I didn’t like when there were too much control over the society. I participated in Beijing demonstration, but unfortunately freedom never came to China and also the Soviet Union collapsed.

At university western philosophy was very popular. I came to Estonia in 1994, I was working as a Translator (I was studying Russian language at university) in a Chinese company. I came to Estonia because here there’s economic freedom and many possibilities for personal development.

Estonia is a very good country. Estonian people are peaceful. During the 22 years that I’ve lived here I never had any serious conflict. Local people talk to me in English, however language plays very important role. It wasn’t possible to understand what is going on in the society and in politics if you don’t understand Estonian language.

I was searching for different possibilities of learning, I took the language course but it wasn’t enough. I think that reading is the best way to learn a language. I visited libraries and borrowed big English-Estonian dictionaries. After a while I started to understand the grammar too, how to build the sentences, that knowledge helped me a lot. Then I started watching TV. When you don’t know the language, TV is not just entertainment, it is the way of learning.

I also took a bookkeeping course in Estonian language and I had to pass an exam, that wasn’t possible to pass without understanding of Estonian language. Then I met one person who has a Gymnasium for adults and I decided to join. The Director of the Gymnasium couldn’t believe that a person with higher education is willing to go back to school. So I studied one year and finished 12th grade in Estonian. I was looking for free language learning possibility and I found it.

My wife is Estonian, we met at Concordia University, where we were both students. I always tell our children that they are Estonians, they live here. They talk to their mother in Estonian. They know Chinese only a little, as they don’t use it and there is no motivation to learn it. As I work a lot, there is no time for me to talk to them in Chinese nor to teach them. However, we went to China together, they were exploring the culture and visiting relatives, so the connection with China still exists.”

Wondering where you can practise and study Estonian free of charge this spring?
What does summer hold in store for foreign Estonian youngsters?
About project competitions
Teachers to be trained on carrying out elective media studies course
'Baltic notes' and the start of a New Year
Exhibitions of renowned Moldovan and Ukrainian painters opened in Tallinn
What is the ethnic make-up of the Estonian labour market?
What do international experts think of integration challenges?

Wondering where you can practise and study Estonian free of charge this spring?
You’ll find out at one of our information sessions!

Led by the ‘Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA), information sessions are being held in different towns and cities around Estonia in March to let people know about opportunities for free Estonian language studies.

The sessions will start at 18:00 on the following dates:

14 March             VALGA: Valga Cultural and Hobby Centre (Kesk tn 1)

15 March             TARTU: Tartu Alexander Pushkin School (Uus 54)

21 March             PÄRNU: Pärnu Town Hall (Nikolai 3), hall

28 March             TALLINN: Lasnamäe City District Government (Pallasti 54)

PROGRAMME

18:00 Welcome from the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA)

18:05 MISA - Estonian language studies: courses, counselling, language clubs and language cafés

18:20 Unemployment Insurance Fund - Opportunities for and terms and conditions of Estonian language studies

18:35 Innove Foundation - Compensating the costs of language studies

18:50 Questions and answers

19:00 Close

Further details regarding the information sessions and registration are available by calling the free number 800 9999.

The information sessions are taking place as part of the ‘Moulding attitudes to learning for the independent Estonian language studies of less successfully integrated people’ project (no. 2014-2020.1.06.16) financed by the European Social Fund.

Come to a café to practise your Estonian!

Yes, you heard right! The Estonian language café is designed for residents of the country who speak languages other than Estonian in order for them to study and practise the national language.

The cafés have proven themselves to be an effective way of overcoming reticence to speak Estonian, boosting vocabulary and gaining language practice.

The groups discuss everyday situations and topics: talking about yourself, looking for work, training and studying, communicating with colleagues, travelling, enjoying hobbies, marking special days and occasions, attending doctor’s appointments, dealing with officials and more.

In 2017 and 2018 we are giving hundreds of people the chance to take part in language cafés all over the country so as to support their efforts to learn Estonian.

You can register for the language cafés here: http://www.meis.ee/keelekohvik.

When registering you will need to fill in a short questionnaire, in which we ask that you describe your Estonian language learning experiences to date. This information is important when it comes to putting conversation groups and study groups together. Each café group meets 25 times. Every get-together lasts for 90 minutes. Group size is max. 16 people.

MISA organises regional information sessions to promote Estonian language learning opportunities and the format of the language cafés. Take a look at the venues and schedule here: http://www.meis.ee/eesti-keele-oppe-noustamine.

Interest in Estonian chamber music aroused... at a language club!

Members of the Estonian language and culture clubs are experiencing facets of the national culture they have never encountered before.

Aita Karo and Sirje Priks, the leaders of one Tartu-based club, say that a perfect example of how this has had an effect on members is a visit to a concert given by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, which led to some members attending further concerts on their own and inviting friends and family along with them.

“Over the six months we were getting together we took the club members on a number of trips to familiarise them with Estonian music, art, handicrafts, theatre and history,” Aita and Sirje explained. “They started communicating in Estonian more and more confidently and made new friends and acquaintances. Guests looking to polish up their language skills also volunteered to join us. It made a nice addition to our ordinary programme to have people come in and talk about their work and their lives - business people and cultural figures.”

Feedback from the Tartu group showed that its members very rarely missed get-togethers, and that two of the members took the state language exam at the B2 level while part of the club. One participant remarked that only after attending the language club did they feel truly integrated.

This winter has seen 24 clubs organising activities: three in Sillamäe, seven in Kohtla-Järve, three in Ahtme, one in Jõhvi, five in Narva and five in Tallinn. A further five clubs will be opening their doors this month: two of them in Narva, two in Tallinn and one in Jõhvi.

The language clubs are designed for anyone whose mother tongue is a language other than Estonian and who wants to learn more about what makes Estonian culture unique or to overcome the language barrier, or who needs support and encouragement to use Estonian more confidently in everyday life. Members are invited to and selected for the clubs from the list of those registered for language studies at the B2 level as part of the ‘Integration training’ activity (5.2.1) of the ‘Activities supporting integration in Estonian society’ project of the European Social Fund or from among those who have completed a MISA language course.

Club meetings are organised by MISA in cooperation with OÜ Mitteldorf, OÜ Keelepisik, ImmiSchool - Uusimmigrantide Koolituskeskus OÜ and Change Partners OÜ. Take a look at the clubs’ blogs online at keeleklubiblog.wordpress.com, http://eestikeeleklubid.blogspot.com.ee/, http://keeleklubid.weebly.com/ and http://www.immischool.eu/keele-ja-kultuuriklubi.html. 

For further information please contact: Jana Tondi | Head of Language and Cultural Immersion, MISA | Telephone: +372 659 9069 | E-mail: jana.tondi@meis.ee

More than 1300 people are currently studying Estonian for free

MISA has passed on to organisations arranging language studies the details of all those who registered their interest in studying Estonian back in summer 2015.

The organisations have been getting in contact with these people to arrange a time for level testing and in regard to plans for the potential start dates of courses.

As at the beginning of March there were 1320 people taking part in Estonian studies, the majority of them (885 people) in Tallinn, followed by Ida-Viru County (390), Tartu (30) and Pärnu (15).

Estonian is being studied in 59 different groups in Tallinn: nine of them at the A2 level, 24 at the B1 level and 26 at the B2 level.

In Ida-Viru County, the 390 students are divided between 26 groups. There are two A2 groups, seven B1 groups and six B2 groups in Narva. Studies are being offered at three levels in Sillamäe: at the A2 and B1 levels, with one group each, and two groups at the B2 level.There are also two groups at this level in Kohtla-Järve, one of which is based in Ahtme. In Jõhvi the students are divided between three B2 groups and one group each at the B1 and A2 levels.

There are two groups in Tartu: one each at the B1 and B2 levels.

The solitary group in Pärnu is studying at the B2 level.

MISA is organising Estonian language courses at the A2, B1 and B2 levels until 2020 via the resources of the ‘Activities supporting integration in Estonian society’ project of the European Social Fund.

Further information about the Estonian language courses offered by the foundation can be found on the MISA website.

What does summer hold in store for foreign Estonian youngsters?

The Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA) awaits applications from youngsters with Estonian roots between the ages of 13 and 18 to take part in the language and culture camps to be held in Estonia this summer.

There will be three camps between June and August. “The camps are open to young people aged 13 to 18 who have an Estonian background but live outside of Estonia and give them the chance to study the language, get to know Estonian kids their age and learn more about Estonian culture,” explained Andero Adamson, an adviser with the Language Department of the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research. “During the camps they take part in a wide range of activities together, play sports, go on excursions and find out what sights the country has to offer.”

- The first camp will be for young people who speak no Estonian or understand only a little of the language. It will be held from 27 June-7 July.

- The second camp will be held from 18-28 July and will be for young people who speak Estonian at an upper-intermediate level.

- The third and final camp will be for young people who speak Estonian fluently. It will be held from 1-11 August.

Parents can register their children to take part in the camps on the MISA website. Registration is open until 4 April via the MISA website at HERE.

“We’ll be selecting which applicants will take part based on their Estonian skills, their motivation, how old they are, where they’re from, how long they’ve lived outside of Estonia, how many times they’ve attended camps before and the cost of getting here,” explained MISA’s director Dmitri Burnashev.

The foundation will inform the selected applicants by e-mail by 13 April.

The language and culture camps are organised for young people with Estonian roots as part of the ‘Countrymen programme 2014-2020’. They are run with the support of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education and Research.

For further information please contact: Jana Tondi | Head of Language and Cultural Immersion, MISA | Telephone: +372 659 9069 | E-mail: jana.tondi@meis.ee

About project competitions

The winners of the 'Estonian language and culture family studies' competition to be announced in March

MISA has been supporting studies of Estonian language and culture within families since 1998. Almost 20,000 youngsters from all over the country have taken part in these studies.

As part of the competition, studies of Estonian language and culture in families for the target group will be supported from 1 March-30 November 2017.

The aim of the project is to introduce Estonia’s cultural space, the country itself, its history and its language to young people aged 7-19 who live in the country but do not speak Estonian as their mother tongue. We also want to give the youngsters the opportunity to form contacts with people of the same age who speak Estonian as their first language.

The budget for this year’s project competition is 45,000 euros. The results of the competition will be published, and the contact details of the organisers of the family studies can be found, on the MISA website.

The organisation of Estonian language and culture studies in families is financed from the state budget by the Ministry of Culture.

The winners of the ‘Promoting integration through sports’ competition announced

Via this competition, MISA is supporting joint activities in the field of sport as partnership and inclusion projects that enhance social cohesion, incl. the generation of everyday contact between people from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, communication and involvement in society.

42 applications were submitted to the competition, of which six were selected by the assessment committee with a proposal to support their implementation:

- the ‘Narva Fun Run 2017’ project of the NPO Estonian Club for the Organisation of Sporting Events;

- the ‘Football Unites!’ project of the Estonian Football Association;

- the ‘Integration in the Name of Better Choices through Exciting Sports Activities’ project of the NPO Airpark Sports Club;

- the ‘International Athletics Week Competitions’ project of the Estonian Athletic Association;

- the ‘Translating the Training Textbook for Trainers into Russian’ project of the Sports Training and Information Foundation; and

- the ‘Together in Sport: Joint Events Involving Estonians and Newly Arrived Immigrants’ project of the NPO Ethical Links.

The budget for the competition is 40,000 euros. It is being funded from the state budget by the Ministry of Culture.

Teachers to be trained on carrying out elective media studies course

On 16 & 17 March 2017, teachers from upper secondary schools and vocational education centres will be introduced to the beginner-level subject syllabus of an elective course in media studies at Meriton Old Town Garden Hotel in Tallinn.

According to Maarja Lõhmus, a lecturer in journalism at the University of Tartu who will be giving the training, the event will examine the thematic focus needed for carrying out the course, as well as skills in understanding and debating complex issues in journalistic work. “We’ll be talking about how teachers can take on a media professional’s view of journalism and the media,” she explained.

The training is being organised by the ‘Our People’ Integration and Migration Foundation (MISA), which instigated the creation of the subject syllabus for the elective media studies course for students from upper secondary schools and vocational education institutions with Estonian and Russian as the languages of instruction last year. The syllabus is designed to teach young people about creating media messages and about consuming information with awareness.

The syllabus was piloted and tested as part of an eight-day seminar for young people and has received initial feedback from the Innove Foundation.

The preparation of the media studies subject syllabus and the organisation of the training are supported by the Ministry of Education and Research and the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Estonia.

The training is free of charge for all participants.

For further information and registration please contact: Liilika Raudhein |  Analyst, MISA | Telephone: +372 659 9841 |  e-mail: liilika.raudhein@meis.ee

‘Baltic Notes’ – The perfect reason to visit Lindakivi Concert Hall

Starting at 11:00 on 12 March is ‘Baltic Notes’, a festival of children’s artistic endeavours at Lindakivi Concert Hall, to which everyone is invited by Lüüra, the International Union of Associations of National Minorities.

Lüüra director Ilona Uzlova says that the festival is designed to support children’s creativity. “We want to give kindergarten and school kids the chance to express themselves vocally, through choreography and via the visual arts,” she explained. “We also want to showcase the culture and history of the countries on the Baltic Sea.”

The festival features three categories:

- vocals (maritime-themed songs);

- choreography (maritime-themed compositions); and

- an art competition (illustrations depicting Estonian nature and the Baltic Sea).

Admission is free of charge.

For further information please contact: Ilona Uzlova | Director, Lüüra | Mobile: +372 5808 1044 | E-mail: info@lyra.ee

Come and celebrate the start of a new year!

The ‘Ajdan’ Estonian Azerbaijani Cultural Centre invites everyone to help them celebrate Novruz Bayramı or the start of the New Year of the Sun.

Ajdan director Nijazi Gadžijev says Novruz Bayramı is the most important holiday in Azeri culture. “This year we’re celebrating the festival, which is marked all the way from eastern Europe across to Mongolia, more broadly than ever, and in three different places,” he explained. “We’ll be getting people from other countries and regions involved, too - Uzbeks, Bashkirs, Tatars, Cherkesh, Kabardins, Lezgins and Turks. The UN has declared 21 March to be International Day of Nowruz.”

- The special day will be celebrated at Lindakivi Cultural Centre at 17:00 on 19 March.

- There will then be further celebrations at Kodulinna Maja at 19:00 on 20 March.

- Final celebrations will take place at Kaja Cultural Centre at 19:00 on 29 March.

The events will be opened by the ambassadors of Azerbaijan and Turkey. Taking to the stage as part of a concert will be collectives from Estonia and the east, and attendees will hear all about Novruz Bayramı. “Everyone who comes along will get to try some Azeri sweets, and there’ll also be an exhibition about Azerbaijan,” Gadžijev added.

All of the events are free of charge for anyone interested.

For further information please contact: Nijazi Gadžijev | NPO ‘Ajdan’ Azerbaijani Cultural Centre of Estonia | E-mail: info@azeri.ee | Mobile: +372 50 19 694

The activities of national minority umbrella organisations are supported by MISA from the state budget via the Ministry of Culture.

For further information please contact: Kristina Pirgop | Head of Partnership Relations, MISA |  E-mail: kristina.pirgop@meis.ee | Telephone: +372 659 9024

Estonian National Library hosts exhibition of foremost Moldovan artist

From 13-19 March, visitors to the Estonian National Library will have the chance to enjoy ‘Eternal Worldspace’, an exhibition of the work of one of Moldova’s foremost contemporary artists, Tudor Zbârnea. 

A member of the Union of Moldovan and Romanian Artists, Zbârnea has been the director of the National Museum of Fine Arts in Chișinău since 2002. He has contributed to more than 200 exhibitions in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Cyprus, Lithuania, Russia, Finland, France and of course Romania and Moldova.  His works can be found in many museums around the world.

The exhibition is dedicated to the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Estonia and Moldova. It is being organised by the Embassy of Moldova in cooperation with the Estonian Ministry of Culture and the National Museum of Fine Arts of Moldova.

The exhibition’s opening times are the same as those of the library. Admission is free of charge.

For further information please contact: Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Estonia | Telephone: +372 642 0203 | E-mail: tallinn@mfa.md

Exhibition of renowned Ukrainian painters opens in Tallinn

Õpetajate Maja in Tallinn is playing host to an exhibition of Ukrainian artists Dmytro Dobrovolsky and Nina Dobrovolska until the end of March.

Dmytro Dobrovolsky, who is a member of the Union of Ukrainian Artists, held his first exhibition in Kyiv in 1994. He has arranged further exhibitions in Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, the United States and Estonia. He has been awarded a number of diplomas and certificates around the world as well as at national exhibitions and festivals. His paintings are to be found in a variety of private and museum collections, including among that of the British royal family.

Nina Dobrovolska is a painter and computer graphics designer. She has been studying computer graphics at the Estonian Academy of Arts for three years and has been painting for more than a decade. She teaches painting at Lasnamäe Upper Secondary School in Tallinn.

The exhibition is open from 9:00-17:30 Monday-Friday, as well as on Saturdays and Sundays and at other times if the venue is open for special events. For information please call +372 615 5160. Admission is free of charge.

More information about the artists can be found online at www.ddobrovolsky.com.

For further information please contact: Dmytro Dobrovolsky | E-mail: ddart@bk.ru | Mobile: +372 5606 5530

What is the ethnic make-up of the Estonian labour market?

This question has been answered by a recent analysis commissioned by MISA.

The Institute of Baltic Studies has examined the labour market surveys conducted in Estonia over the last 15 years with the aim of charting the factors influencing the linguistic and ethnic segregation of the Estonian labour market.

Take a look at the press release here: http://www.meis.ee/uudised?news_id=991.

Take a look at the meta-analysis
here: http://www.meis.ee/bw_client_files/integratsiooni_sihtasutus/public/img/File/Eesti_tooturu_rahvuslik_ja_keeleline_jaotus.pdf.

What do international experts think of integration challenges?

If you click on http://misakonverents.ee/materials/ you can watch and hear the presentations given by experts from abroad at the ‘Integration Challenges in a Radicalising World’ conference organised by MISA.

Both videos and presentation slides are available: http://misakonverents.ee/materials/

What’s new in our organisation?
Find out who’s setting this year’s Citizens Day quiz questions!
Open days at national minority Sunday schools this April
A new opportunity for people who are currently unemployed
Support to be allocated to renowned national culture festivals
Come and share your migration experience

What’s new in our organisation? 

On 15 March 2017 the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People adopted a new, shorter name: simply the Integration Foundation.

The new name more clearly expresses the current focus of the foundation’s operations: promoting integration processes in Estonian society. The proportion of migration-related activities the foundation deals with has decreased significantly.

The foundation is also changing on the inside, moving ever further towards becoming a competence centre that initiates and supports activities aimed at the integration of Estonian society.

The foundation’s operations increasingly include the organisation of real activities (such as language cafés and international conferences) and programmes based on its experience and expertise. It is getting more and more volunteers and entrepreneurs involved and making the most of international competence in integration, as well as sharing Estonia’s own experience with the rest of the world. Via surveys it regularly collects data that it uses in planning its activities, and it also fosters cooperation with research institutes. Ever greater emphasis is being given to the inclusion and involvement of the Estonian-speaking population.

Apply now to become a member of our management board!

The Integration Foundation has launched a competition to recruit a new member for our management board, since the contract with the current director expires on 30 June 2017.

Applications are open until 17:00 on 14 April. The foundation’s supervisory board plans to make its choice in the second half of May.

Take a look at the job advertisement HERE.

Meet our newest team members!

Two new coordinators joinied the Implementation Centre at the Integration Foundation on 3 April: Sigre Rõuk and Teele Raja.

Sigre Rõuk graduated from Tallinn University with a Bachelor’s degree in teaching and a Master’s degree in educational science. She spent five years working on projects and foreign relations for Tallinn Education Board, coordinating the projects of both the board itself and those involving international partners. The focus of these projects ranged from the EU Structural Funds to the funds of specific countries. She also organised seminars, study trips and the like for school and kindergarten employees and education workers from foreign countries. Her most recent place of work has been North Tallinn City District Government, where she worked as a senior specialist in the City Economy Department. There she served, among other things, as a member of assessment committees on upkeep and renovation projects, as well as arranging matters connected with entering into leasing agreements for municipal and social residential properties. During her time with the City Government, Sigre came into contact with representatives of different layers of society and permanent residents of the country who speak languages other than Estonian. She feels that this experience will be of great use to her in her new position with the Integration Foundation.

Teele Raja is a graduate of the University of Tartu, where she majored in political science with a minor in economics. Adding to her academic knowledge, she has been gaining practical skills and experience in the public sector for more than six years. Most recently she has worked in the area of public procurements, doing so in both the Ministry of Justice and the State Shared Service Centre.

On 1 February Agnes Aaslaid took up the post of Head of Communication

Agnes Aaslaid is a tertiary-educated communication specialist who has more than a decade of experience. She has served as the Communications Manager at Molycorp Silmet in Sillamäe, as the Executive Director of the British-Estonian Chamber of Commerce and as a press officer with the Ministry of the Environment. She has also contributed to a number of ambitious projects – for example, she helped to carry out “Let's Do It World” as part of the global UN sustainable development conference Rio+20 in Rio de Janeiro, and was the main organiser of a Talent Forum led by the Estonian Development Fund. 

Find out who’s setting this year’s Citizens Day quiz questions! 

The main person who compiles the Citizens Day quizzes for students from Grades 7-12 in general education schools and students from vocational education schools and who serves as the coordinator of the student-compiled Citizens Day quizzes for students from Grades 5 & 6 in general education schools has been Sulev Valdmaa, the director of the Civic Education Centre of the Jaan Tõnisson Institute.

Starting in 2017, however, the students themselves will be putting together two separate quizzes: one for students from Grades 5 & 6 in general education schools (30 questions) and the other for students from Grades 7-9 (50 questions).

The separate questions for students from Grades 7-9 constitute a new quiz that will be carried out for the first time this autumn.

Toivo Sikk, the head of civic education with the Integration Foundation, says the proposal to put together a separate quiz for students from Grades 7-9 in general education schools was made by the students themselves. “The idea of contributing to the questions came from them,” he explained. “So we now have two four-member teams of students from graduating classes who’ll start thinking up the questions for the quizzes. All of them have taken part in the quizzes themselves at least twice before.”

There will also be a separate Citizens Day quiz for students from Grades 10-12 in general education schools and students from vocational education schools.

Students will have from 20-30 November 2017 to complete this year’s Citizens Day quizzes, the results of which will be made known to everyone on the Integration Foundation website on 1 December. Participants will also be able to check their own personal results individually.

Students from Grades 7-12 in general education schools and students from vocational education schools will also be able to take part in a civic-themed essay competition from 25 September-13 October 2017. The theme of this year’s essay will be announced on 25 September on the Integration Foundation website.

For further information please contact:
Toivo Sikk, Head of Civic Education, telephone: +372 659 9850, e-mail: toivo.sikk@integratsioon.ee

Open days at national minority Sunday schools* this April

Armenian Sunday school awaits visitors on 8 April

Many Estonians heard about the Maštots Armenian Sunday school for the first time when the ensemble Dvin, which is based at the school, won the ETV talent show ‘Family Party’. For the first time in 35 years, songs in Armenian were heard on ETV. The children also sang very well in Estonian.

The Sunday school will be opening its doors to visitors at 12:30 on Saturday 8 April at Rävala pst 8 in Tallinn. The theme for the event will be spring and Mothers Day.

Come along to the open day to... 
...find out more about the Armenian language
...make handmade cards with the students
...learn elements of Armenian folk dance
...enjoy a concert given by the students
...try some Armenian sweets.

Anyone interested in attending is asked to register at mastotsh@gmail.com.

For further information please contact: Džanna Šahbazjan | Director, Maštots Armenian Sunday school | E-mail: mastotsh@gmail.com

Ukrainian Sunday school awaits visitors on 22 April

The Labora Sunday school attached to the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in the Old Town will be opening its doors to visitors at 10:30 on Saturday 22 April at Laboratooriumi 22 in Tallinn.

Those attending the event will get the chance to...
...find out more about Ukrainian culture
...hear for themselves what the Ukrainian language sounds like
...make and try Ukrainian dumplings
...take a look at the students’ classrooms and an exhibition of wooden horses.

The Labora School of Monastic Arts is a unique complex at the heart of the Old Town which is well worth visiting. Anyone interested in attending is asked to register at labora.tallinn@gmail.com.

For further information please contact: Anatoli Ljutjuk | Director, Labora School of Monastic Arts | E-mail: labora.tallinn@gmail.com

Korean Sunday school awaits visitors on 23 April

Students at the Korean Sunday school learn Korean, study the ancient history of the country and practise drawing and calligraphy techniques, since it is important that the children are able to write Korean characters correctly. Mixed in with their studies are listening to and learning songs in Korean and staging traditional fairytales from the country in their own puppet theatre. They learn dance moves, find out about costumes and ornaments and are taught about Korean cuisine. Since there is a lot in common between the ancient fortresses of Estonia and Korea, excursions are also arranged. Students from the Sunday school also attended a reception held by the Korean ambassador in Helsinki at which they performed the songs and dances they had learned. The ambassador was so impressed by them that he presented the Sunday school with a number of national costumes, a drum and a fan.

The Korean Sunday school will be opening its doors to visitors at 15:00 on Sunday 23 April at Kaera 21 in Tallinn.

Attendees will have the opportunity to...
...hear for themselves what the Korean language sounds like
...find out about Korean culture
...learn how to prepare Korean carrot salad
...try the salad as well as traditional sweets.

For further information please contact: Kristina Pirgop, Head of Partnership Relations, Integration Foundation,  e-mail: kristina.pirgop@meis.ee, telephone: +372 659 9024

Pushkin Institute’s Russian-language school awaits visitors on 30 April

The pupils at the Russian-language school of the Pushkin Institute study Russian language and literature and work on their speech. They attend performances at the Russian Theatre, go on excursions to historical sights connected to Russians (such as Kadriorg Park and the Pühtitsa Uspenski Convent in Kuremäe) and take part in workshops producing traditional Russian dolls.

Their open day will be held at 11:30 on Sunday 30 April at Maneeži 7-4 in Tallinn. Please register your attendance by 21 April by e-mailing info@pushkin.ee.

The theme for the day will be Russian fairytales and folklore. There will also be a workshop in which the participants will make a traditional toy known as the Spring Bird. Attendees will be treated to tea and pastries.

For further information please contact: Anetta Keviš, Project manager, Pushkin Institute, e-mail: info@pushkin.ee, mobile: +372 5563 1362

*Educating future generations is an important task of national minority Sunday schools. During their weekend lessons, children and teenagers are taught the languages, cultures and customs of their forefathers. Sunday schools help to preserve national traditions and handicraft skills that are being forgotten in today’s world.

The activities of national minority Sunday schools are financed from the budget of the Ministry of Education and Research.

A new opportunity for people who are currently unemployed

This February the Integration Foundation launched a pilot mentoring programme for unemployed people known by its Estonian acronym TEMP.

Anyone interested can take part in the programme as either a mentor or mentee. The aim is to support Estonian residents who are out of work and for whom limited skills in the national language, a restricted network of contacts and other factors represent obstacles on the labour market. The programme provides the participants with an opportunity to communicate with people from outside of their ordinary circle of acquaintances. This allows them to see things from a different angle and to receive the push they need to make positive changes in their lives.

Read more http://www.meis.ee/news?news_id=1002

Support to be allocated to renowned national culture festivals

This year the Integration Foundation will be providing 90,500 euros in support of the projects of national minority cultural associations. A total of 23 projects will receive funding.

The most widely known traditional festivals that will receive support are the ‘National Cultures Creative Pot’ in Jõhvi, the international festival of Ukrainian culture for children and teenagers ‘Kvity Ukrainy’, the international festival of Slavic culture ‘Svetotš 2017’ and the international Orthodox music festival ‘Credo’. Support has also been allocated for the organisation of the 18th International Izabella Yurieva Competition for performers of Russian romance and festivities marking the 80th anniversary of the Russian Choirs of Estonia in Narva.

66 applications were received in total. In addition to major festivals, a number of other events will also be receiving funding. They include a language and culture camp for the children of Estonia’s Ingrian Finns in Ida-Viru County in summer; a series of concerts and the issuing of a CD celebrating the 25th anniversary of the folklore ensemble Žurba in Narva, Kohtla-Järve, Oisu and Kärdla; and the publishing of a book entitled Belaja Lestovka on the funerary customs of Estonia’s Russian Old Believers.

Kristina Pirgop, the Head of Partnership Relations with the Integration Foundation, says that the competition is designed to contribute to the preservation and showcasing of national minority languages and cultures in Estonia. “National cultural associations enrich our cultural landscape with the music, dances, handicrafts, art and literature of a wide range of nationalities,” she said.

The competition supports the implementation of the ‘Integrating Estonia 2020’ development plan, which contributes to the cultural diversity of Estonian society and to the sustainable operating and development of organisations representing national cultures. The competition is being financed by the Ministry of Culture.

For further information please contact:
Kristina Pirgop, Head of Partnership Relations, Integration Foundation, telephone: +372 659 9024, e-mail: kristina.pirgop@meis.ee    

Come and share your migration experience

Dear person with migration experience!

Whether you are an Estonian abroad, or a foreigner in Estonia, descendant of a migrant, emigrant or ex-emigrant; whether you have recently left your home country or lived abroad for decades; whether you are a long-term or short-term migrant; whether you live permanently in one country or you are in constant move between different countries; whether you are adult or juvenile – this announcement is for you!

We plan to develop a new methodological tool for Estonian schools, which would support teachers in explaining the topic of migration to pupils. This tool would reflect as well topics about why people leave their home country as how migrants and/or their descendants feel themselves in the new society, and how they understand their own identity.

Would you be willing to help us? We would like to hear about your personal story regarding your travels, or about how your ancestors’ migration has affected you.

Try to find one precise topic of focus for your writing. In the process of choosing, consider what could be the most engaging and interesting plot from a reader´s perspective. Try out how it is to be a writer and add juicy details to your story!

- Maybe you can talk about an event that is important for you and that influenced you in deciding to leave your home country?
- Or you can talk something about the process of choosing your new homeland, or how did you end-up in your new country?
- Or maybe you have something to tell regarding how you feel in your new homeland? What have been the strange things in there that differ from things at home, what do you miss the most when living abroad?
- Maybe you would like to verbalise the feelings that you have regarding how it is to live abroad when your mother-tongue/cultural background/religion/skin colour etc. is different from the majority?
- Or would you like to talk about why you have decided to stay forever in your new homeland; or the other way around - why you regret your decision or at least you consider moving back home or to some other country? What stops you in doing that?

We also welcome those stories where the author tries to connect one or more separate topics. In that case it is important that those topics would be closely linked to each other and would convey together some concrete message.

Please write your story in Estonian, English or Russian with a length of around 15-20 sentences, and submit it by 17th of April to: ingi@pagulasabi.ee.

From all received migration stories we will choose the ten best ones. We will have a professional writer who will help with the editing so that the stories would be more easily readable. Therefore, the final stories could have some literary additions. Every story will have supportive illustrations with the help of wonderful children’s books illustrator Marja-Liisa Plats. By autumn 2017, the final version of the project will be freely available in the internet. In addition, 200 Estonian schools will get free A2-size poster-sets that support them in talking about the topic of migration in the classroom or in making an exhibition in the hallway.

Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact the project manager Ingi Mihkelsoo via email: ingi@pagulasabi.ee or by phone: +372 525 8702.

This project is being managed by the Estonian Refugee Council and the University of Tartu Centre for Ethics in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Research, and it is being funded by Council of the Gambling Tax.