Integration Foundation celebrates its birthday
The ‘Ku-ку!’ Estonian language fairs are done and dusted. How did they go?
Director appointed to Estonian Language Centre in Narva
Not sure how to mark Diversity Day?
Get to grips with Estonian using an innovative language-learning programme
Estonian Jewish community invites everyone to attend international conference
Welcoming Programme’s spring trainings launch in April and May

 

Integration Foundation celebrates its birthday

 

On 5 April the Integration Foundation marked its 20th anniversary in style at the SpaceX event centre. Ministers responsible for the field of integration since 1998 took part in an engaging debate moderated by Eestlase käsiraamat /Handbook for Estonians/ author Mihkel Raud. Musical entertainment was provided by singer Elina Nechayeva and the ensemble Comodo.
 

During the debate, former Ministers of Population Affairs Katrin Saks, Eldar Efendijev and Paul-Eerik Rummo agreed that while changing people’s attitudes is what takes more time than anything else, quite a lot has been achieved in the last 20 years.

To see all the photos of the event please click here: http://www.meelikyttim.com/Events/Integratsiooni-Sihtasutuse-20-aastap%C3%A4ev/n-HBqtRM/

To see the anniversary film which was presented at the event please click here: https://youtu.be/SVlWEP24e5U

 

 

The ‘Ku-ку!’ Estonian language fairs are done and dusted. How did they go?
 

They went well – so much so that the Integration Foundation plans to organise further such fairs.

 

A total of 1400 people attended the fairs:

400 people in Narva

1000 people in Tallinn

 

A total of 350 people attended the workshops at the fairs:

150 people in Narva

200 people in Tallinn

 

13 institutes showcased their language-learning opportunities at the fairs alongside a wide range of other ways of studying Estonian independently. Sales of learning materials were particularly successful – to the extent that the sellers had to have more brought in from stock to meet demand.

 

At the Tallinn fair an entire language course was up for grabs in a prize draw: the innovative Game Club ‘Estonian for communication’ course known as ‘Juhan’, whose lucky winner was drawn at the end of the event.

 

Director appointed to Estonian Language Centre in Narva

 

The director of the new Estonian Language Centre in Narva as chosen by the Integration Foundation will be Jelena Kordontšuk, who has wide-ranging experience in leading projects and as a language teacher in both schools and adult education.

 

Currently working as an Estonian teacher at Narva Language Lyceum, Kordontšuk will take up her post as director in mid-April.

 

Irene Käosaar, the director of the Integration Foundation, says the Estonian Language Centre in Narva will be launched by a director with the determination to make it a success – one with a track record in a number of educational institutions in the border city for achieving results.

 

“We’re sure that Jelena’s experience and the breadth of her awareness of the local situation will make the Estonian Language Centre in Narva a real hub, where people with mother tongues other than Estonian can study and practise the national language,” she said.

 

The main challenges facing the newly appointed director will be building up the Estonian Language Centre in Narva as a structural unit within the Integration Foundation, putting together and managing a successful team, creating a network with professionals from the field and moulding an appropriate public image. The Estonian Language Centre in Narva is scheduled to open on 2 January 2019.

 

The competition to find a director for the Estonian Language Centre in Tallinn failed to produce a result and the search continues. “We’re looking for someone with extensive experience in education management and integration issues who’s very much about people-centred management,” Käosaar explained.

 

Not sure how to mark Diversity Day? Invite a national cultural association to come and visit or take a trip to Pärnu and Haapsalu!

 

Who better to represent cultural diversity than national minority cultural associations? The aim of Diversity Day (25 April) is to recognise and appreciate what makes every person important and unique.

 

To showcase the values that Diversity Day embodies, why not let the Integration Foundation help you invite a national culture association to visit your company or organisation? During their visit they can:

• reveal the secrets of their national cuisine;
• give a folk dancing demonstration;
• teach you their national handicrafts;
• give a fun concert;
• give an engaging talk; or
• put on a fascinating exhibition.

 

If you’re interested in inviting a national cultural association to pay you a visit, we recommend contacting our Head of Partnership Relations Kristina Pirgop. You’ll find her contact details below.
 

You can also find out more about national cultures in Pärnu and Haapsalu, where three events are being organised as part of Diversity Day:

on 22 April at 11:00-15:00 the Pärlike dance collective will be hosting an open day with the theme of ‘Slavic folk dancing’ in Pärnu at Karja 4;

on 25 April from 10:00-16:00 the Bereginja Russian Folk Culture Centre will be hosting an open day in Haapsalu at Kastani 7. There will be an exhibition, and a workshop will be given on how to make protective dolls known as the ‘Eye of God’;

on 29 April at 14:00 there will be a poetry event at which poems are recited in the mother tongues of people of different nationalities in Pärnu at Rüütli 23 (2nd floor).
 

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

Get to grips with Estonian using an innovative language-learning programme

 

In March, the Integration Foundation introduced the innovative language-learning programme Speakly, which was developed in Estonia and enables people who speak other languages to learn Estonian free of charge.
 

The programme is otherwise only available for a fee, but from now on, anyone interested can start learning Estonian on the basis of Russian, English, German or French free of charge. It is the Integration Foundation’s gift to those wishing to learn the language on the occasion of Estonia’s 100th anniversary. Please note: use of the programme will remain free of charge after the centenary year.

Speakly is a language-learning programme which can be used on a computer or a smartphone and which employs a three-step system to help learners gain a good communicative level in the language. Step 1 is all about vocabulary. Step 2 is when you start writing and speaking. Step 3 involves practising every situations.

 

Special memory techniques are used in the programme to make memorising new information easier. The programme works out for itself which words you need to practise more and the best time for you to do so. User experiences have shown that Speakly enables motivated learners to quickly gain new language skills. To do so, users need to learn at least 15 words a day with the programme, which takes 35 minutes on average.

 

How to access free Estonian studies via the programme:
First, go to www.speakly.me and click on ‘Buy now’. Next, log in and select Estonian. Then choose any package and enter ‘EV100’ as your discount code, which will annul the fee. Take the test to determine your language level and voila, you can start!
 

For further information please contact: Ott Ojamets, CEO, Speakly, mobile: +372 51 20 938, e-mail: ott@speakly.me 

 

Estonian Jewish community invites everyone to attend international conference

 

A conference dedicated to three anniversaries being marked in 2018 – the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, the 70th anniversary of the state of Israel and the 30th anniversary of the restoration of Jewish life in Estonia – will be taking place at Tallinn Creative Hub from 9:30-17:00 on 23 April.
 

The conference will examine relations between Jews and Estonians in the present and past. Proclaimed a century ago, the Republic of Estonia gave the Jews living in the country the chance to freely foster their community life and establish themselves as a national minority. It also supported the development of Zionism in Estonia and the start of repatriation to Israel, which enabled Estonian Jews to contribute to building up the restored state of Israel.
 

Speaking at the conference will be Prime Minister Jüri Ratas, chairwoman of the Estonian Jewish Community Alla Jakobson, Israeli ambassador Dov Segev-Steinberg, Estonia’s chief rabbi Shmuel Kot and others. Simultaneous interpretation (in Russian, Estonian and English) will be provided at the event. Registration: http://www.jewish.ee/konverents2018/#register The conference is being funded by the Ministry of Culture.

 

For further information please contact: NPO Estonian Jewish Community, telephone: +372 662 3034, e-mail: info@jewish.ee
 

 

Welcoming Programme’s spring trainings launch in April and May

Martin Tulit, Ministry of Interior

 

The spring season of the Welcoming Programme meant for foreigners who have recently arrived in Estonia launches in April. Moving to a new country is an exciting journey, however, full of challenges. For the settling to be as smooth as possible, Estonia offers foreigners to participate in a free Welcoming Programme.

 

The programme consisting of different trainings provides foreigners with an overview of the main subjects that they need to know about when settling in Estonia. For example, the trainings introduce the general way of life in Estonia, different aspects of working or doing business, studying or carrying out scientific work in Estonia.  There are also courses to teach the basic level of the Estonian language. In addition, the trainings provide foreigners with practical advice regarding settling in Estonia with a family. Altogether, the Welcoming Programme has seven one-day trainings on various subjects and a two-months Estonian language course. The teaching languages are English and Russian, and the trainings take mostly place in Tallinn, Tartu and Narva.

 

Who can participate?

All foreigners who have been living in Estonia for less than five years, have received a temporary living permit or hold a temporary residence right (E.g. the citizens of the European Union), are eligible for the free trainings of the Welcoming Programme.

 

Support for the employer

A large proportion of the foreigners arriving in Estonia come here for professional purposes. Helping a foreign specialist to settle in Estonia might be challenging for the local businesses for several reason. For example, foreigners may neither be familiar with Estonian working culture, everyday life, rights and obligations nor have any command of the local language. Hence, both businesses that employ foreigners and foreign specialists need some help. The Welcoming Programme is proving support for the companies by reducing their workload in helping the foreigners to settle in as well as teaching the Estonian language. If a study group is sufficiently large, and in agreement with the tutor, companies may have trainings organised at their premises.

 

Why participate?

All Welcoming Programme trainings are free of charge. Trainings are practical; cover many real life examples that enable participants to understand the content better and put it into practice. All trainings take place in an open and supportive learning environment with professional tutors. In addition to gaining new knowledge and experience, participants have a great opportunity to meet new people and start building their Estonian network at the trainings. All trainings are carried out by Expat Relocation Estonia. The Welcoming Programme is funded by the European Union via the European Social Fund and by the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Estonia.

 

Read more about the Welcoming Programme: www.settleinestonia.ee

 

 

Estonian Language Centre seeks people passionate about making the world a better place
10 sports and cultural projects promoting integration to receive 80,000 euros in support
More than 200 Russian-speaking youngsters to spend summer with families in Võru County
More than 100 foreign Estonian youngsters to descend on Viljandi County this summer
Make a note in your calendar: Citizen’s Day Quiz is from 19 to 29 November
Second half of May to exhibit Slavic culture
Enjoy Ukrainian culture at the beginning of June
New Head of Research to start work in May
Anna Farafonova to move to a new job
Support services for educational institutions
 

 

Estonian Language Centre seeks people passionate about making the world a better place
 

The search for people to staff the Estonian Language Centres in Tallinn and Narva is under way. Estonian language teachers and those running language-learning projects are welcome to apply for the positions, which are due to commence in January 2019.

Five specialists whose strengths lie in teaching Estonian at the A1 and A2 levels, making learning an engaging experience and organising a variety of events are to be recruited for each centre. People will also be taken on to lead and carry out language-learning activities. Their tasks will be to organise joint activities to support integration, networking and to arrange language cafés in companies and community centres.

Irene Käosaar, the director of the Integration Foundation, says the Estonian Language Centres could develop into regional hubs where the teaching and learning of Estonian takes place in a variety of ways, including in a relaxed club format. “We’re looking for people who are really motivated to contribute to the field,” she explained. “We want the centres to become places with a positive atmosphere that people like coming to and where they get the advice and support they need about studying Estonian and feeling more at home in Estonian society.”

Those selected will start work in early 2019. This will be preceded by thorough training at the University of Tartu.

Anyone interested in applying is welcome to attend an information sessions in Tallinn | 9 May | 13:00-15:00 | Estonian Entrereneurship University of Applied Sciences (Suur-Sõjamäe 10a, 2nd floor, room No 227)

Applications are open until 18 May 2018.

Take a look at the job advertisements here: 
- https://www.integratsioon.ee/uudised?news_id=1091 
- https://www.integratsioon.ee/uudised?news_id=1090

 

10 sports and cultural projects promoting integration to receive 80,000 euros in support

 

From the almost 100 applications submitted to its Sports & Cultural Project competition, the Integration Foundation has selected 10 projects for funding, with a total of 80,000 euros to be distributed among the recipients. The projects in question will create fertile ground for people in Estonia who speak different languages to interact with one another.

 

Jana Tondi, the Head of Language and Cultural Immersion with the Integration Foundation, says that taking part in engaging activities with other like-minded individuals is one of the best ways of integrating people from different backgrounds. “Playing sport and attending cultural events together leads to people from different linguistic backgrounds getting to know one another much more naturally than they otherwise might,” she explained.

 

Below is an overview of the projects to be funded. The maximum amount of support that can be granted to a single project is 10,000 euros.

 

• The Estonian Club for the Organisation of Sporting Events’ Narva Fun Run will be held for the eighth time in 2018. It has become the biggest popular sporting event in Ida-Viru County.

 

• The Estonian Football Association’s ‘We speak football!’ project brings 400 girls to football tournaments in Ida-Viru County to take part in fun games and practice under female Estonian trainers and with female players.

 

• The NPO Lasnaidee project ‘A community garden for Lasnamäe’ is designed to promote neighbourly relations through community-based urban gardening. The initiative, which will be based in the courtyard at Võru 11, will create the first focal point of its kind in the city district for people to come together and interact with one another. It will play host to seminars, workshops and working bees.

 

• The NPO ContempArt will be showcasing contemporary classical music at the Narva Opera Days festival, with audiences enjoying world premieres and the work of talented young artists. One of the main events will be the debut of a piece dedicated to Narva by Estonian composer Madis Järvi.

 

• OÜ Mägede Hääl will be organising a two-day family event in Kohtla-Järve whose concert programme will see local artists like Estrada Orchestra, Smoke'N'Smile and Kaschalot taking to the stage alongside nationally famous artists like Winny Puhh, Orelipoiss and Holy Motors so as to promote Russian-language bands from Ida-Viru County to a wider audience.

 

• Tallinn Central Library will be organising a series of meet-and-greets with Estonian authors entitled "#minaloenagasina?!”/„#ячитаюаты?!“ /#ireaddoyou?!/ for students who speak Russian as their first language.

 

• The Kistler-Ritso Eesti Foundation’s ‘10 decades in Estonian history’ project will foster youngsters’ cooperation skills, giving them an insight into academic writing and the curating of exhibitions.

 

• The Motus Sports Club’s ‘Estonia 100 Narva Series 2018’ organises running events.
   
• The Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum Foundation’s ‘Sport unites!’ integration programme will showcase sports history and culture for young people from Ida-Viru County. Educational programmes and workshops will be updated so that they can be run in two languages, thus also speaking to youngsters with mother tongues other than Estonian.

 

• The Estonian Orienteering Federation’s ‘Inclusion of the Russian-speaking population of Ida-Viru County in the orienteering community’ project aims to bring residents together as both participants in and organisers of events.

 

The project activities support the implementation of the objectives of measure 1.2 ‘Support for everyday contact, communication and inclusion in society’ of sub-objective 1 ‘Attitudes and values supporting integration have emerged in Estonian society’ of the ‘Integrating Estonia 2020’ development plan (see http://www.kul.ee/sites/kulminn/files/le2020_arengukava_uuendatud_2016…).

 

For further information please contact: Jana Tondi, Head of Language and Cultural Immersion, e-mail: jana.tondi@integratsioon.ee, telephone: +372 659 9069

 

More than 200 Russian-speaking youngsters to spend summer with families in Võru County

 

More than 200 youngsters from Ida-Viru County and Tallinn will be adding to their knowledge of Estonian language and culture this summer by temporarily moving in with Estonian-speaking families in Võru County. The family studies are being organised by the Integration Foundation.

 

Such studies are an effective way of familiarising young people aged 7-18 who are living in Estonia but whose mother tongue is a language other than Estonian with Estonian cultural space and of offering them the opportunity to form contacts with people of the same age who speak Estonian as their mother tongue.

 

Three tenderers were successful in the competition: the NPOs ‘Volonta’, ‘Veeda vaheaeg Võrumaal’ and ‘Lapsele oma kodu’.

 

Jana Tondi, the Head of Language and Cultural Immersion with the Integration Foundation, says that the 10-day family stays give the youngsters a unique opportunity not only to practise their Estonian, but also to experience a different way of life.

 

“We’ve put together a fun programme for the kids, so they’ll have plenty to talk about,” she said. “They’ll be taking a look at the local sights, going hiking, having picnics, spending evenings round the campfire, taking care of animals and taking part in sports competitions. The choice of activities takes the summer weather into account, but also the kids’ own wishes.”

 

The schedule and contact details for the family studies can be found online at https://www.integratsioon.ee/2018-eesti-keele-ja-kultuuri-ope-peredes-projektilaagrites-pusilaagrites.
 

The Integration Foundation has been supporting Estonian language and culture studies at camps and in families since 1998. Almost 20,000 youngsters from all over the country have taken part in the projects.

 

85,240 euros has been allocated in support of family studies, financed by the Ministry of Culture.

 

Family studies projects are supported by measure 2.1 ‘Creating opportunities to increase the social activity and support the integration of less-integrated permanent residents of the country with a foreign background’ of sub-objective 2 ‘The level of involvement in society of less-integrated permanent residents of the country with a foreign background has increased through the attainment of Estonian citizenship and new social knowledge’ of the ‘Integrating Estonia 2020’ development plan.

 

For further information please contact: Jana Tondi, Head of Language and Cultural Immersion, telephone: +372 659 9069, e-mail: jana.tondi@integratsioon.ee

 

 

More than 100 foreign Estonian youngsters to descend on Viljandi County this summer

 

The Integration Foundation runs Estonian language and culture camps for young foreign Estonians from June to August each year. This year, with the help of partner NPO HeadEst, the foundation will be hosting 110 youngsters at five camps.

 

The youngsters will be descending on Viljandi County from 30 countries: Portugal, the United States, Poland, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Germany, Turkey, Serbia, Mexico, Italy, Malta, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Romania, France, the United Kingdom, Austria, Latvia, the Bahamas, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Australia, Canada, Honduras and Africa.

 

For young people aged 13-18 who have an Estonian background but live in other countries, the camps are an opportunity to study the language, get to know Estonian kids their own age and learn more about Estonia’s cultural environment. They go sightseeing and on excursions and play sport together. Taking part in the camps alongside their foreign Estonian peers, helping them with their language practice and outlining the things kids get up to in the country, will be 40 local Estonian-speaking youngsters.

 

Jana Tondi, the Head of Language and Cultural Immersion with the Integration Foundation, says that by attending the camps young Estonians who live abroad feel a connection with their homeland and the Estonian language. “What they experience at the camps motivates them to learn more about the country and gets them thinking about whether and how their future lives might be tied to Estonia,” she explained.

 

• The 1st camp will be held from 25 June-5 July for youngsters whose Estonian skills are elementary. It will take place at Venevere Holiday Centre in Viljandi County (www.venevere.ee).
• The 2nd camp will be held from 9-19 July for youngsters who speak Estonian at an upper-intermediate level. It will also take place at Venevere Holiday Centre in Viljandi County (www.venevere.ee).
• The 3rd camp will be held from 23 July-2 August for youngsters whose Estonian skills are elementary. It will also take place at Venevere Holiday Centre in Viljandi County (www.venevere.ee).
• The 4th camp will be held from 24 July-3 August for youngsters who speak Estonian at an upper-intermediate level. It will take place at Sammuli Holiday Village in Viljandi County (www.sammuli.ee).
• The 5th camp will be held from 6-16 August for youngsters who are fluent in Estonian.  It will take place at Venevere Holiday Centre in Viljandi County (www.venevere.ee).

 

More than 200 youngsters living abroad applied via the Integration Foundation website for the summer camps being held in 2018.

 

The Integration Foundation has been running such camps since 2000.

 

Support for the organisation of the camps is provided by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education and Research via the ‘Countrymen programme 2014-2020’ and as part of the ‘Estonia 100’ project of the Government Office.

 

For further information please contact: Jana Tondi, Head of Language and Cultural Immersion, e-mail: jana.tondi@intergratsioon.ee, telephone: +372 659 9069

 

 

Make a note in your calendar: Citizen’s Day Quiz is from 19 to 29 November

 

This year, the quiz will be in a smaller volume. There will be one questionnaire, i.e. 50 questions in Estonian. Everyone who has completed the quiz will receive a personal link with the results of the quiz to their e-mail address immediately after the end of the quiz on 30 November.

 

The quiz held in the same week as Citizen’s Day is the sixteenth in succession. In earlier years the Foundation has drawn up several different questionnaires for the quiz that have been aimed at students of different age groups. Over the years, the quiz was successfully completed by approximately 75,000 students. From 2015 to 2017, the Foundation also offered the possibility to complete the quiz to adults and, as a result, 10,000 persons tested their knowledge in the quiz.

 

The Citizen’s Day Quiz is held with the support of the Ministry of Culture.

 

 

Second half of May to exhibit Slavic culture

 

The traditional Slavic Cultural and Literary Language Days to be held in the second half of May are a huge and important party for all the Slavic people living in Estonia.

 

Cultural Association Kirill ja Meffodi invites all those interested in culture to attend the events of the cultural days because the Slavs living in Estonia have compiled a really exciting cultural programme. Come and listen to the sound of the Slavic spiritual, classical and folk music and enjoy the original Slavic dances and folklore.

 

Slavic Cultural and Literary Language Days 2018

PROGRAMME

 

18 May at 13:00 at the Russian Cultural Centre

Opening of X Slavic Cultural and Literary Language Days.

“Images and Symbols of Eternity in Russian Literature – Conversation about Russian Literary Language”

Sergei Fjodorov, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences,  Head of the Department of Philology,St. Petersburg Postgraduate Pedagogical Education Academy.

 

18 May at 16:00 at the Russian Cultural Centre

Opening of the exhibition of the Association of Russian Artists in Estonia

 

18 May at 18:00 at the Russian Cultural Centre

Concert “There is Spring in Our Souls” by the female choir Slavyanka

 

19 May at 16:00 at the Russian Cultural Centre

Concert by the chamber choir Eleegia and the mixed choir Russ

 

21 May at 17:00 at the Russian Cultural Centre

Lecture “History of Ancient Russian Culture and Literature” by Tatjana Tšervova, MA in cultural history

 

22 May at 12:00 at the Russian Cultural Centre

Lecture “Sts. Cyril and Methodius” by Sergei Minin, a member of the Estonian Artists’ Association

 

23 May at 18:30 in the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Concert of Orthodox spiritual songs, devoted to the memory of Cornelius, Metropolitan of Tallinn and all Estonia. The performers are church and secular choirs from Tallinn.

 

23 May at 17:00 at the Russian Cultural Centre

Concert of classical music “Voices of Slavs”, the performers are soloists from the Russian Philharmonic Society

 

24 May at 11:00 at the Russian Cultural Centre

Lecture “Plots of Russian Painting from XVIII to XIX Centuries Based on Literary Work” by Valeri Laur, a member of the Estonian Artists’ Association

 

24 May at 18:00 at the Russian Cultural Centre

Folklore concert “Bridges of Song”, the performers are folklore groups from Tallinn and Haapsalu

 

25 May at 18:00 at the Russian Cultural Centre

Russian Culture Day “Russian Miracle”, devoted to the 130th anniversary of the concert balalaika

- Film “Secret of Three Strings” (supported by the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Estonia) 

- Performance by the folk art ensemble Rondo (Brest), an honoured amateur group from Belarus
 

26 May at 18:00 at the Russian Cultural Centre

Belarusian Culture Day, the performers are folklore, theatre and instrumental music groups from Belarus (Minsk, Brest) and Tallinn

 

27 May at 13:00 at the Russian Cultural Centre

Piano concert by students of Children’s Music School No. 45 of Pushkin District of St. Petersburg

 

27 May at 16:00 at the Russian Cultural Centre

Ukrainian Culture Day, the performers are creative groups and soloists from the Association of Ukrainian Organisations in Estonia.

 

Admission is free of charge.

 

For further information please contact: Tatjana Semenjuk, Member of Management Board of Cultural Association Kirill ja Meffodi, main organiser of the Slavic Cultural and Literary Language Days, e-mail: semjana7@gmail.com

 

Enjoy Ukrainian culture at the beginning of June

 

On 3 June 2018, the Association of Ukrainian Organisations invites everybody to the Lindakivi Cultural Centre to attend the gala concert of the Kvity Ukrainy international children’s and youth festival, the programme of which has been devoted to the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia.

 

The performers in the festival are the choreographic ensemble Kolor, instrumental ensemble Meloodia, children’s vocal studio UN C ANTO and students of Sunday schools from Tallinn, Valga, Narva, Sillamäe and Tapa. The foreign performer is the youth theatre Rezonans from the Ukraine. The director of the festival programme is Niina Koort, Artistic Director of the choreographic ensemble Kolor.

 

Vladimir Palamar, President of the Association of Ukrainian Organisations in Estonia, invites everybody to visit the gala concert and the handicraft fair and art exhibition of students of Sunday schools.

 

Doors open at 15:00 and the gala concert starts at 15:30. Admission is free of charge. Welcome!

 

The event is financed through the project competition of cultural associations of national minorities from the budget of the Ministry of Culture.

 

For further information please contact: Ljubov Laur, Association of Ukrainian Organisations in Estonia, e-mail: ukrainaoae@gmail.com, tel. 5668 9607

 

 

New Head of Research to start work in May

 

From 7 May the new Head of Research of the Integration Foundation is Olga Loitšenko. 

 

Olga has graduated from master’s studies in the field of written translation in Tallinn University (in 2015). Thereafter, she entered doctoral studies where she continues her studies as a third year doctoral student in the field of linguistics. Olga studies colour vocabulary and colour associations among Estonian-Russian bilingual informants. At the moment, she is engaged in cognitive and psycholinguistics and has also established herself the aim of moving to neurolinguistics.

 

Olga’s earlier work experience comes mainly from the field of tourism – she worked as a tour guide in Tallinn Traveller Tours for two years. She has come into contact with the field of research through her Doctoral studies by participating in the project ‘COST New Speakers in a Multilingual Europe: Opportunities and Challenges’ along with her supervisor and by initiating the project “Blue and Lilac Colour Categories of Estonian-Russian Bilinguals in Estonian and Russian” that she plans to complete in January 2019. In addition, she has supervised students’ seminar papers and Bachelor’s theses on bilingual language approach, identity and linguistic attitudes. Olga considers her major achievement to be the publication of the article ‘Colour terms in the blue area among Estonian-Russian and Russian-Estonian bilinguals’ in the collection ‘Progress in Colour Studies. Cognition, language and beyond’ in summer this year.     

 

Anna Farafonova to move to a new job

 

Anna Farafonova, who worked as a counsellor in Narva office of the Integration Foundation until today, will assume from Ljudmilla Peussa the role of the Head of Cooperation from 14 May as the latter goes on a longer holiday. 

 

The task of the Head of this field is planning and implementation of cooperation activities and development of the cooperation network.

 

Support services for educational institutions

 

In cooperation with valued partners the Estonian Refugee Council offers support services for education institutions and their employees in questions relating to the studies of children and young people with migration and refugee background and developing a multicultural and tolerant learning environment.
 

The aim of the service is to raise the professional confidence of educational workers in dealing with questions related to the studies of children and young people with migration and refugee background and developing a multicultural and tolerant learning environment.

 

All educational institutions in Estonia (schools, kindergartens, youth centres) may order the service. Free support is provided for educational leaders, teachers as well as for the support staff.
 

It is possible to receive support for a single occasion (for ex. a training day for teachers or a workshop on global education for students) or to agree upon a long-term action plan.
 

The form of the support services will be decided upon with each educational institution separately dependent on their needs. Advising the institution could be organised in the form of direct meetings (for ex. advisory visits or trainings), as well as an indirect meeting (for ex. e-mail, phone or Skype correspondence).
 

The services is based on the individual needs of educational institutions. Activities can roughly be divided into two categories:

• Offering advice and training for management, teachers and the support staff of educational institutions
• Organising activities that raise awareness and expand the horizons of the children and young people who study in educational institutions, as well as their parents
   

The service is provided as a part of the project “Launching mobile advisory groups for education institutions for treating questions related to the studies of children with a migration background”, funded by the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research. 

 

Read more about the service: http://www.pagulasabi.ee/en/support-services-educational-institutions

 

 

Employers, take advantage of the opportunity to develop the Estonian language skills of your employees!
Organisers sought for Estonian language courses
First family studies in Võru County completed
Media education projects spark interest in journalism among 200 students
‘We, the Roma’ book published
Ingrian Finns invite everyone to their song and dance festival
Latvian Cultural Days in Estonia

Employers, take advantage of the opportunity to develop the Estonian language skills of your employees!

 

Employers will be able to apply for training support for the development of the Estonian language skills of their employees from the Unemployment Insurance Fund as of 1 June 2018. There are good options for Estonian language training for everyone, but finding the most suitable one may not prove to be an easy task. Ask the advisers at the Integration Foundation for assistance and they will help you find the language training solutions that best meet your needs.

 

Our advisers will analyse what your employees expect from Estonian language training. There are so many opportunities for learning today that focusing on the needs and possibilities of each learner makes it possible to avoid mediocre and incomplete solutions. Employers and employees are both interested in learning the language in the most efficient way possible.

 

Further information about the advisory and information services of the Integration Foundation is available online at https://www.integratsioon.ee/noustamine, or you can call us on 800 9999 or send us an e-mail at info@integratsiooniinfo.ee.

 

As requested by the employer, the Integration Foundation also offers:

• adaptation and integration information and counselling for employees on the employer’s premises;
• after launching the language training for employees, support in the implementation of methodologies and advice on how to support the start and continuation of independent language learning by employees;
• the option to participate in training consisting of several stages for the implementation of the language café methodology as well as mentoring. Advice and training can be offered to the company’s managers, department heads, HR managers, training managers, language café leaders and others.

 

The implementation of the support offered to the employer will be financed via the European Social Fund project ‘Terms and conditions of the provision of support for activities promoting integration in Estonian society’.

 

*The volume of the training must be at least 80 academic hours and the duration of the training may be up to one year. The application for training support must be submitted before the start of the training.

 

In order to receive the support, the company must have paid the employer’s unemployment insurance contributions in at least two of the three years preceding the submission of the application. The employment contract of the employee (for whose training the support is requested) must be in effect for at least six months after the submission of the application.

 

The employer can choose in-service training that complies with the Adult Education Act for training their employees, or if suitable training is not being offered on the training market, prepare a suitable training plan with the trainer. 

 

The training support is used to compensate the employer for the training expenses, the employee’s transport expenses related to participation in training and the employee’s wages at the minimum hourly rate for the time the employee was in training. We cover up to 80% of the total amount of expenses, but no more than 2000 euros per employee.

 

The detailed terms and conditions of applying for training support can be found on the website of the Unemployment Insurance Fund at https://www.tootukassa.ee/content/tootuse-ennetamine/koolitustoetus-tooandjatele.

 

You can submit the application for training support in the manner that suits you: via the e-Unemployment Insurance Fund, by sending an e-mail to koolitustoetus@tootukassa.ee, by post or at an office of the Unemployment Insurance Fund.

 

Organisers sought for Estonian language courses

 

A public procurement for the organisation of Estonian language courses for less successfully integrated residents of Estonia and new immigrants has been launched.

 

The aim of the procurement is to enter into four public contracts for the preparation and implementation of Estonian language courses for the aforementioned groups at the A2, B1 and B2 levels from 21 August-21 December 2018. A total of 608 study places will be created as part of the procurement.

 

The procurement has been divided as follows: Ida-Viru County (Part 1) and Tallinn and/or elsewhere in Estonia (Part 2).

 

The procurement documents can be found in the e-procurement registry at https://riigihanked.riik.ee/register/hange/197605.

 

Tenders should be submitted to the registry by 11:00 on 14 June 2018.   

 

The courses will be financed as part of sub-activity 5.2.1 ‘Integration training’ of activity 5.2 ‘Development and provision of an integration programme’ of European Social Fund project no. 2014-2020.2.06.004005006.01.15-0001 ‘Activities promoting integration in Estonian society’.

 

For further information please contact: Jana Tondi, Head of Language and Cultural Immersion, telephone: +372 659 9069, e-mail: jana.tondi@integratsioon.ee

 

First family studies in Võru County completed
 

A total of 30 students, including 23 from Narva Language Lyceum, one from Narva Pähklimäe Gymnasium, three from Narva Kesklinna Gymnasium and one from Sillamäe Kannuka School, took part in the first (1-10 May), second (13-22 May) and third (24 May to 2 June) family studies in Võru County.

The impressions of the participants in the ‘Spend the School Holidays in Võru County’ project are positive – family student exchanges are a great opportunity to communicate in Estonian and constantly hear Estonian spoken around you. The weather was also great, so the students spent time at Tamula beach and on its promenade after their lessons. The families in Võru County who hosted the students are also happy: “The kids were great and everything went well.”
 

Elizaveta Tsõganova had the most praise for the great teachers and friendly classmates at Võru Gymnasium. Allan Ivanov also mentioned the helpful students at Võru Gymnasium first and foremost. They also spoke highly of the good living conditions, interesting excursions and tasty food. Anastassia Ivanova agreed with them – she also thinks the lunches at Võru Gymnasium were good.

 

Maivi Liiskmann, Project Manager with the NPO Volonta, the organiser of the family studies, said that the positive comments of the participants are the best advertisement for the project. “They also encourage their classmates to come to Võru County for 10 days to practise their Estonian and take part in joint initiatives,” she said.

 

Jana Tondi, the Head of Language and Cultural Immersion with the Integration Foundation, says the organisers really make an effort to make learning Estonian language and culture in Estonian families a success. “The satisfaction of the students and their parents with the family studies is of primary importance, but the selection of the cultural programme, free-time opportunities and, of course, food are no less important,” she said.

 

The Integration Foundation is supporting the participation of 204 young people in family studies this summer.

 

Media education projects spark interest in journalism among 200 students

 

How do you get the light just right when taking photos and making videos? What do you need in order to write a script that really grabs people? How can you use design programmes? These and other media skills were taught to almost 200 students from general and vocational education institutions from January to May.
 

• The 19 students who took part in the Ida-Viru County Vocational Education Centre project gained practical skills in using editing equipment and what it takes to make a corporate video. Lighting and script-writing proved the most interesting aspects for the students. As part of the project they worked with the Baltic Film and Media School at Tallinn University.

 

• Students from 15 upper secondary schools in Tallinn contributed to the project of the NPO Lasnamäe Hobby School with the aim of making people’s use of social media more informed and analysing various sources of information. They were taught how to take high-quality photos using their mobile phones and given practical skills for processing them. An exhibition was put together of the photos the students took.

 

• The Tapa Secondary School project ‘Real Life in School Media’ encouraged students to take an active and responsible role in society. First the students were given an in-depth overview of the technical side of making a television programme and of journalistic writing, with study trips to ERR (Estonia’s national broadcaster) and consultations with media professionals assisting them in this regard. As a result of the project, 20 of the students worked together to produce a live programme on their school’s Facebook page.

 

• A total of 20 youngsters from Valga Gymnasium with an interest in the media learned how to put together advertising posters using design programmes. They also visited the Baltic Film and Media School at Tallinn University and a number of editorial boards.
   
• The project run by the NPO VVS Media Group saw 30 Estonian- and Russian-speaking students from Tallinn schools learn how to find important information, critically assess it and become able, through the media, to have their say in public debate. Alongside lectures on theoretical aspects, the students took part in practical video and creative lessons, made films and produced texts and interviews for a television programme.

 

• Students from Mustamäe Secondary School of Science in Tallinn, led by Arvo Iho, learned how to broaden their minds. To do this you have to be open to a variety of media sources: you should watch documentaries and programmes produced by the world’s leading media agencies. A total of 30 students worked together to make video clips about social problems such as school bullying, the value of work and money and smartphone addiction.

 

• The NPO ‘Tuulemaa’ Education and Culture Society organised a photographic exhibition about the day-to-day life of the Waldorf School to mark the 100th anniversary of Waldorf education. Preparation of the exhibition involved training the students (on what makes a good photo, what they should bear in mind when taking photographs and how to process photos once taken) and organising communication related to the event. The students became familiar with various media channels and genres through which to talk about their project.

 

• A group of 22 students from Tallinn School of Service participated in a media camp to develop their skills in written self-expression. The youngsters were taught the basics of penning news stories, opinion pieces and interview texts. They then used these skills to write about the Teko Championships. There were also workshops on creating news using pictures.
   

The media education projects were financed by the Ministry of Education and Research to a total value of 17,000 euros.

The goal of the projects was to raise the participants’ awareness of how diverse media work can be and to give them an overview of editorial environments and career opportunities in the media. The youngsters who took part in the projects now have a better grasp of the value of news and of the fact that one and the same piece of information can have a range of interpretations.

 

 

‘We, the Roma’ book published

 

The presentation of the documentary photo book ‘We, the Roma’ took place on 29 May. The authors of the book are photo artist Annika Haas and children of the Roma community throughout Estonia.

 

Estonia is home to almost 200 different nationalities and the Roma have been living among Estonians for four centuries. Stereotypes and negative opinions about the Roma are widespread, but is it fair to criticise them without having any deeper knowledge or understanding of these people?

 

Haas has been recording the lives of Estonian Roma people for almost 10 years. The photographer gave small cameras to the Roma, and over a period of two years they took photos of everything that makes up their lives and is important to them. Representatives of the community’s younger generation from Valga, Tartu, Varstu, Maardu, Kohila, Tapa, Kallaste and Paldiski took part in the project.
 

In addition to the photos taken by the children and Haas, the book features a part consisting of the personal archive of a Roma family from the 1960s to the 1990s, which adds a valuable visual anthropological nuance to the book. The book is bilingual – in Estonian and English.

 

Many people and organisations helped to get the book published, incl. the Integration Foundation.

 

 

Ingrian Finns invite everyone to their song and dance festival

 

The Estonian Union of Ingrian Finns is organising a song and dance festival starting at 13:30 on 16 June at the song grounds in Iisaku.

 

The tradition of Ingrian Finn song and dance festivals in the country dates back to Elva in 1991. Since then, 27 festivals have been held in different towns and cities in Estonia. This year’s festival is being held in Iisaku so as to promote the culture of the Ingrian Finns among the residents of Ida-Viru County. There will be almost 400 performers in total: Ingrian Finns and Izhorians from Estonia, Finland and Russia as well as local Estonian folklore groups from Alutaguse municipality.

 

The event is being financed via the National Minority Cultural Association project competition from the budget of the Ministry of Culture.

 

For further information please contact: Maire Petrova, Chairwoman of the Management Board of the Estonian Union of Ingrian Finns, mobile: +372 52 60 394, e-mail: maire2008@gmail.com

 

Latvian Cultural Days in Estonia

 

The ‘Latvia 100’ Cultural Days in Estonia will be held in Tallinn on 9 & 10 June as part of our southern neighbour’s centenary celebrations. 

 

9 June | Maarjamäe Castle park (Pirita tee 56)

• The opening event of the Cultural Days will be the Estonian premiere of the family film ‘Grandpa More Dangerous Than Computer’. In Latvia the film broke records, becoming the most-watched family film of the last five years.
• Concerts will be given by folklore groups, dance troupes and other performers.
• A fair showcasing Latvian delicacies, design and handicrafts will be open all day.
• Shining the spotlight on Latvian design will be the store M50 and others.
• Handicraft workshops will be running throughout the day.
• Refreshment will be provided by Valmiermuiža beer and Latvia’s own ice cream Gogelmogel.
• Traditional Latvian food will be prepared by famous Latvian housewife Ilze Briede.
• You can try true Latvian bread, pastries and midsummer cheese.

 

10 June | Masters’ Courtyard (Vene 6)

• Fair showcasing Latvian delicacies, design and handicrafts, plus concerts

 

For more information on the programme see https://www.facebook.com/lkpeL100/.

 

For further information please contact: Laura Šmideberga, Association of Latvian National Culture in Estonia, e-mail: laura.shmideberga@gmail.com, mobile: +372 5451 1595