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discussion forum is established in connection with ff The young refugees who have found a home in
the website for those interested in cultural issues.
ff Cultural actors ensure that their visibility
on the Internet is multilingual.
ff Everyone adds their events to the city’s event
calendar in foreign languages, too – regardless
of the language used at the event.
ff The general cultural services unit draws up
a newsletter on the events in the city four
times a year. The city’s communication unit
reserves resources for the translation and
layout of the newsletter and creates a platform
for its distribution. Online communications
unit adds the possibility of subscribing to
the newsletter via e-mail on the website.
ff The university and other organizations employing
international staff inform their new employees
about the cultural summaries in foreign languages.
The same applies to the international relations
units at other educational institutions.
The cultural life is present in the
information package received
by the quota refugees
The quota refugees receive a short introduction
to Finnish society when they are selected. When
the quota refugees arrive at Rovaniemi, they will
participate in a group information session and
receive a booklet about the services in Rovaniemi.
In the booklet, the society is presented from a very
practical point of view: agencies, health care, the
education system, finding work and mental health.
The possibilities of culture are not presented visibly
enough at the moment.
It would be good to offer the quota refugees an idea
of the area where they will be living as soon as it is
known. By telling stories and using images and videos
it is possible to show that even a completely foreign
place can be human, and what kind of an attitude is
needed to adjust.
Proposals:
ff Kultti will write a short text presenting the
cultural life in Rovaniemi in general terms and
find suitable images for illustrations. In the
presentation, the low threshold cultural services
such as the library and the general cultural services,
as well as cultural hobbies, are highlighted. Kultti
will deliver the material to the parties arranging
preliminary and initial information sessions.
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Rovaniemi will create a video about the first year
of a new family in Rovaniemi. They will receive
support for their project from the city’s youth
services and the cultural actors. The Immigration
Office receives a copy of the video for its own use
and translates it into different languages. The video
can be shown to the quota refugees before they
arrive to the country or right in the beginning.
ff The receiving organisations clarify the type
of information refugees are interested in. The
organisations will ensure that culture is present in
ways they consider appropriate both at meetings
and in the written materials. If necessary, they
will request up-to-date information from the
cultural producers of the city, for example.
Asylum seekers may be future
inhabitants of Rovaniemi
The asylum seekers living in the Rovaniemi reception
centre operated by the Red Cross Finland do not have
a residence permit, which means that they do not have
a municipality of residence in Finland. Both adults
who have arrived in the country alone as well as
families with children live in the reception centre. The
life of an asylum seeker revolves around the reception
centre. Participating in the cultural events directed at
the inhabitants of the municipality may feel difficult.
On average, it takes two years to receive a decision
on an asylum application. During this period of time,
the person has already formed an opinion about
Rovaniemi. Those who have hobbies or who have
found activities that support their own preferences
have a better starting point for staying in Rovaniemi
after they have received a potential residence permit.
Proposals:
ff The Finnish Red Cross proposes models of
co-operation for actors in the cultural sector.
The goal of the co-operation is to make the
uncertain daily life of the inhabitants of the
reception centre lighter and familiarise them
with the cultural services in Rovaniemi.