Themes of i4L
Language learning and integration are at the core of the the i4L work.
Language learning
We have been collaborating with various stakeholders to find new and innovative ways in which Finnish language skills can be developed by language learners. Our view is that language learners have so many and varied backgrounds, that projects can be informed by their specific needs, and so respond to them. Finnish language learning is considered relevant towards social integration.
Integration
By immigrant integration we mean the process in which the individual’s wellbeing is formed in a new environment after migration. Integration is the process in which a person negotiates between the cultural systems, social interactions, beliefs, values etc. of their original culture and of the host society. During the process of integration, the newly arrived person gains new knowledge and skills needed in their new society, which in turn is altered and transformed by learning alongside the new arrivals. Finding sustainable solutions to integration is essential, since immigrants have a significantly lower rate of employment compared to natives in Finland. We see integration as more than just employment, though, as something that encompasses the whole wellbeing of the person and people close to them.