Ten years of Arrived”: Successful integration of young immigrants in Dortmund!

Ten years of Arrived”: Successful integration of young immigrants in Dortmund!

There is a reason to celebrate in Dortmund: The integration and education project “arrived in your city of Dortmund” has its 10th anniversary. This flagship project was founded in 2015 when the high number of young refugees during the refugee year became an acute challenge. Since then, it has established itself as a basic support service for young immigrants between the ages of 16 and 25 who need support with school, training and work. How Nordstadtblogger reports, the participants find individual support in special classes at nine Dortmund vocational colleges. In addition, the extracurricular learning location “Adam’s Corner” is an important contact point that offers weekly offerings such as language courses, environmental education, sports and much more.

Particularly noteworthy is the role of volunteers, who help in various areas and thus make an important contribution to the success of the project. In 2024, around 700 young people were looked after, 271 of whom were successfully placed in school, training, work or study. This shows that the combination of individual support and community commitment is fruitful, and examples such as Ibrahim Dyari, who came from Iraq in 2019 and completed his training as a retail sales clerk, make it clear how important such an approach is.

A model for other cities

The project is now seen as a model for integration initiatives in other cities, such as Essen and Bielefeld. Delegations from Sweden and the USA have already paid visits to find out about the successful methods and approaches. Partners such as the city of Dortmund, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Walter Blüchert Foundation have accompanied the project since the beginning and make a significant contribution to the development and implementation of the offerings.

At a time when good knowledge of German is essential for training, it's not just about language courses, but also about teaching basic technical and social skills. The Educational Chains Initiative supports this through various programs that particularly benefit refugees and migrant people. These programs have the same goal: preparing for training or qualification to make it easier to enter the job market. The “Career Orientation for People with Refuge and Migration Experience (BOFplus)” programs and the KAUSA state offices in particular play a central role in improving the career prospects of immigrants bildungsketten.de explained in detail.

Conclusion and outlook

By integrating and supporting young migrants, the “arrived in your city of Dortmund” project makes a valuable contribution to society. It creates perspectives and an integrative coexistence that benefits both the young people and the city. We can look forward to the next ten years - perhaps this proven practice will find many more imitators and contribute to strengthening coexistence in Germany.

And while things are flourishing in Dortmund, you might be thinking of grabbing a quick bite at Burger King, which is currently located in West Allis, Wisconsin, at the intersection of South 68th Street and West Greenfield Avenue - who knows, maybe a good place to stop for a refreshment after the successful workshops in the field of professional integration!