Human Step

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Human Step

• Step for your new life

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Profile of immigration

• Types of referential groups
• who stays in the CR asylum facilities
• who stays in the CR host families
• successful asylum seekers living in the CR

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Economy and labour market

• 1989 change of economy from planned into market
• 1990 the CS adopted new law of refugees, No.
  498/1990 Coll.
• 2000 new Asylum act, No. 325/1999 Coll., came
  into effect
• 2001 rapid growth of asylum seekers
• 2002 new restriction clauses

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Progress in asylum claims
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Czech society opinion regarding immigration

• EU countries USA -gt positive
• Ex Soviet Union muslims -gt not so acceptable
• 26 of respondents consider immigration as
  positive fact

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Importance of language in host country

• Basic knowledge bridge to understanding local
  society
• Good knowledge of host country language bares
  with itself
• Improvement in quality of communication
• Increasing the understanding of not only the
  daily routine, but also of the social-cultural
  differences
• Increasing the chances of finding a job
• Increasing participation within public life

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Rules and legislation concerning the access to
labour market (1)

• Employment of EU and Swiss citizens
• Citizens of EU, Norway, Lichtenstein, Iceland,
  Switzerland and members of EEA are not
  considered foreigners and enjoy the same legal
  status as Czech people
• They do not require a work permit in order to be
  employed in the CR
• Employer need only inform the Employment office
  about the start of employment (no later than the
  starting date)

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Rules and Legislation concerning the access to
labour market (2)

• Employment of the foreigners
• Foreigners from the third countries work only on
  the basis of employment permit
• Without a permit foreigners can only work in
  cases specified by the law

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Role of the multiethnic association in social
integration (1)

• European Cultural Foundation one of the largest
  multicultural associations
• Development of cultural cooperation
• Supporting cultural variety within Europe
• Promoting the idea of cultural dimension of the
  EU

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Role of the multiethnic association in social
integration (2)

• Project Variety into libraries
• Main goal create a unique space for different
  cultures meetings in the Czech public libraries
• There are organized graphic and literature
  competitions to help children to think about
  cultural variety
• Project Financial education for foreigners
• Main goal provide foreigners with information
  about czech banks and financial sector, assist in
  their successful integration

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Role of the multiethnic association in social
integration (3)

• Project Influence of qualification in work
  career and opportunities within the czech job
  market in the group of migrants from third
  countries
• Mail goal analyse relationship between
  qualification and work career on the job market
  in the first group of migrants
• Stress is put on strategies applied by
  individuals
• Target groups include CR citizens (foreigners who
  were awarded Czech citizenship), foreigners with
  the residence permit and asylum holders

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Role of the multiethnic association in the social
integration (4)

• Project Human Step
• One of the current four projects founded by
  European Social Found and state budget at the CR
  under program EQUAL

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Specific features of our project

• Cooperation with 6 different non-profit and
  profit organization
• Creation of a network of cooperating
  organizations in the Czech Republic (employment
  offices, potential employers, non-profit
  companies, learning organizations, etc.)
• International cooperation with our EU partners
• Progress in the understanding of asylum seekers
  plight in the Czech Republic

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Basic building components

• Language diagnostic and language education
• Social education and integration
• Legal job opportunities

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Planned products of our project

• Database of potential employers
• Czech coursebook for foreigners including manual
  for teachers
• Social-cultural handbook How to live in the CR
  including manual for teachers
• Analysis of discrimination and inequality on the
  labour market and Analysis of legislation
• Participation strategy of Red Cross and Red
  Crescent societies into project Human Step
• Interactive web page of the project including
  secondary information sources

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Awaiting outputs of our project

• New job opportunities and experiences for asylum
  seekers
• Personal progress of target group
• Easier entry to labour market for asylum seekers

• Elimination of prejudice and racism in major
  society
• Starting up discussion about immigration politics
  
• Achieving better cooperation between state
  organizations, non-profit companies, potential
  employers and learning organizations

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Human Step working team
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Thank you for your attention and wishing you a
nice day

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