Good Practice Competions

As part of the conference "A New Face for Europe: Migrant Elders across Europe – from Challenges to Opportunities", six European projects were honoured that have successfully contributed to the integration of migrant elders. Each winner was awarded a prize for "Active ageing and social, cultural and economic integration of migrant and minority ethnic elders across Europe", and received a certificate as well as a monetary award. The competition was divided into two categories. The first prize for each category was kindly sponsored by NRW.BANK.

Competition I - non-profit sector

Good Practice Competition I was geared towards organisations and associations from the non-profit sector.

The award was presented by Mr. Ernst Gerlach, executive of the NRW.BANK, which sponsored the project.

The 1st prize went to the Arbeiterwohlfahrt Region Hannover e.V. (Workers' Welfare Association for the Region of Hanover) (Germany). With its "Intercultural Senior Work" project, the association provides a broad spectrum of multi-lingual consulting and leisure activities for migrant elders from various countries of origin.

The prize was accepted by Ms. Fatma Taspunar.

For more information regarding the project:

• www.awo-hannover.de

The 2nd prize was awarded to the Caritas-Verband Paderborn e.V. – Integrationsagentur (Caritas Association/Integration Agency of Paderborn) (Germany) for its "International Visiting Service" project, in which migrant women support the care for the residents of a retirement centre by regular visits, joint leisure activities and assistance with problems.

The prize was accepted by Mr. Hezni Barjosef, Ms. Monika Stricker, Ms. Ismuni Yalçin and Ms. Miriam Ercan.

For more information regarding the project:

• www.caritas-pb.de

The 3rd prize was awarded to the Caritasverband Mannheim e.V. (Caritas Association of Mannheim) (Germany) for its "Breakfast with Teens" project, in which elderly repatriates (e.g. ethnic Germans from the former USSR) share breakfasts with young people.

The prize was accepted by Ms. Anna Felix and Ms. Rita Deep.

For more information regarding the project:

• www.caritas-mannheim.de

Competition II - local and regional authorities

Good Practice Competition II was open to local and regional authorities, municipalities, social services departments, housing associations, co-operative societies and NGOs.

The prize was awarded by Mayor Roland Schäfer, President of the Nordrhein-Westfälischer Städte- und Gemeindebund (North-Rhine Westphalia Association of Towns and Municipalities), which acted as partner of the AAMEE project.

The 1st prize went to the City of Edinburgh Council (Great Britain) for its "A City for All Ages – Today & Tomorrow" project, which has been running since 1999. An initiative of migrant elders and their representatives, the project works for equal opportunity and combats discrimination, while also providing for the needs of elder members of minority groups.

The prize was accepted by Ms. Glenda Watt and Ms. Neena Agarwal.

For more information regarding the project:

• www.edinburgh.gov.uk/acfaa

The 2nd prize went to the multicultural retirement home "De Schildershoek" in The Hague, the Netherlands, for its "Elkaar bgrijpen helpt" project ("Understanding Each Other Helps"). The retirement home accommodates migrant elders from no less than twenty different nations. In order to facilitate day-to-day communication among the residents, De Schildershoek has developed communication booklets with pictograms: one in Dutch and one in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Turkish and Surinamese, respectively.

The prize was accepted by Ms. Els de Quant and Mr. Rene E. Nollkämper.

For more information regarding the project:

• www.schildershoek.nl

The 3rd prize was awarded to the MOBIAGE Resource Centers for Elderly Migrants in Dobrich, Bulgaria. Until recently, Bulgaria was a land of emigration. Over the last few years, however, more and more migrant elders from other EU member states are moving to the Black Sea region, either permanently or on a seasonal basis. By offering language courses and advisory services to these newly arrived migrant elders (as well to the local authorities), MOBIAGE is promoting their integration into Bulgarian society.

The prize was accepted by Ms. Tanya Stoyanova.

For more information regarding the project:

• www.mobiage.net

Competition criteria

Wanted were the best European projects in the field "Active ageing and social, cultural and economic integration of migrant and minority ethnic elders across Europe". In order to qualify for AAMEE Good Practice Competition I or II, these projects must have left the planning stage behind, and had already to be in the process of active implementation. Eligible were projects from all EU member states.

The following types of organisations could participate in AAMEE Good Practice Competition I: migrant self-help organisations, charitable associations, religious organisations, foundations, non-profits associations and projects.

AAMEE Good Practice Competition II was open to the following types of organisations: municipalities, counties, local umbrella associations, city councils, social welfare offices, housing companies or cooperatives, and NGOs.

The applicants were required to demonstrate how their project carried out volunteer work with and for migrant elders.

The applicants were also asked to comment on the following criteria as good as possible: innovation; equal opportunity; qualitative improvements in the social, cultural and / or economic integration of migrant elders; networking and cooperation; sustainability; knowledge transfer for the benefit of social cultural and/or economic integration of migrant elders.

1. The projects had to be innovative. In this context, "innovation" meant the implementation of new ideas in the form of products or services.
2. The projects had to foster equal opportunity and help combat discrimination.
3. The projects had to effect a qualitative improvement in the social, cultural and/or economic integration of migrant elders. "Integration" was taken to mean the dynamic, long-term and highly nuanced process in which disparate societies merge and coalesce. In contrast to assimilation (complete adjustment), integration does not demand the abandonment of one's cultural identity.
4. The criterion "networking and cooperation" referred to collaborating with other project partners and interfacing with other relevant players.
5. The "sustainability" of a project referred to its long-term orientation and stability.
6. "Knowledge transfer" meant that, in the context of given process (e.g. evaluation), knowledge had to passed on from one person to another (e.g. via media such as books, internet or databanks). This transfer of know-how also had to foster the social, cultural and/or economic integration of migrant elders (e.g. a certain association benefited from the experience of other organisations.)

All applications were evaluated by an international jury panel. The members of the jury panel were drawn from the fields of science, politics, the non-profit sector, public corporations and migrant self-help organisations. One of the objectives of the competition was to develop recommendations for the EU with regard to volunteer work for and by migrant elders.

Applications were accepted from 15 March 2008 to 30 August 2008.