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Integration CAN-D: Research Exchange and Cooperation between Canada and Germany on the Integration of Refugees

Lead: Prof. Dr. Karin Zimmer
Duration: 2018 - middle of 2020
Funding: Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF) and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

The current project "Research Exchange and Cooperation between Canada and Germany on the Integration of Refugees"- funded by the BMBF - aims to support and coordinate the joint research activities in Germany and Canada and their presentation at national and international research conferences. In addition to research networking, the project supports knowledge transfer and activation of research activities and findings. A major goal is to expand the research network continuously; More information at http://www.leibniz-bildungspotenziale.de/integration-can-d or directly: LERN-CAN-D[at]dipf[dot]de.

Online series of events: "Integration of refugees in Germany and Canada: How we learn from and with each other"

8 December 2020 - 11 December 2020

Click here for event registration.

Edited book published on Knowledge Mobilization and Transfer in Refugee Research

Emerging from the Integration CAN-D project is an edited book: Gonser, M., Zimmer, K., Mühlhäußer, N. & Gluns, D. (Eds.). "Wissensmobilisierung und Transfer in der Fluchtforschung. Kommunikation, Beratung und gemeinsames Forschungshandeln" [Knowledge mobilization and transfer in refugee research. Communication, counseling and joint research action], with contributions in English and German. The authors of the book conceptualize transfer / knowledge mobilization and discuss it from the point of view of different stakeholder groups in refugee research, e.g. in different education sectors, social work and public administration. The book also presents case studies from Germany and Canada as well as interviews with actors from practical work. The original English-language articles by the Canadian contributors have been translated into German by Integration CAN-D and are available in the German language open-access via the VET Repository of the Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (German Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training):

Chia-Kangata, S., Lachance, L. & Ungar, M. Integrierte Wissensmobilisierung: Vielversprechende Praktiken aus zwei kanadischen Projekten. [Integrated Knowledge Mobilization. Promising Practices from Two Canadian Projects]

Atallah, N. & Boyter, J. Forschung und Wissensmobilisierung: Die Rolle von Dienstleistungsanbietern zur Ansiedlung in Kanada. [The Role of Canadian Settlement Service Providers in Research and Knowledge Mobilization]

Zimmer, K. & Mühlhäußer, N. Deutsch-kanadische Forschungszusammenarbeit zur Integration von Geflüchteten: Transferleistungen im Projekt Integration CAN-D. [Integration CAN-D. The Canadian-German Research Cooperation on the Integration of Refugees]

The printed version of the book can be ordered directly from the publishers (in German, only).

"Successful labour market integration of young refugees - Canadian and German approaches"

On November 13, the first event of a series (five events that will be organized all over Germany) took place in the Science Shop Vechta/Cloppenburg.Together with the project SKM “Soziale Kompetenzen für Auszubildende und Mediationstraining für Ausbilder*innen” [project for social competences for apprentices and mediation-training for educators], the project Integration CAN-D organized an exchange on strategies and research results in the field of labour market integration of newcomers in Canada and Germany. Following a contribution by Karin Zimmer, Nicola Mühlhäußer and Mohja Alia (ISANS, Immigrant Association of Nova Scotia) on structural conditions and strategies of labour market integration of refugees in Canada, representatives of various institutions of the districts of Vechta and Cloppenburg as well as a very interested audience discussed the topic.

4. Research workshop |16. – 18. March 2020 | Winnipeg, Canada

The fourth joint research workshop of Integration CAN-D takes place at the University of Manitobaor, on March 16-18, 2020. Main topics are “Participation in Civil Society – the Roles of Newcomers and the Host Society“ and “Trauma – Mental Health and Well-Being“.

- Canceled due to the spread of the corona virus -

Integration CAN-D’s Summer School

From September 9 to 13, 2019 the project Integration CAN-D organized a Summer School for Early Career Researchers at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich. Emerging researchers in their late doctoral or early post-doc phase from Canada and Germany came together with international experts for an exchange in the field of refugee studies. 22 young academics (including seven from Canada) and nine experts participated at the Summer School. In addition to five keynotes from international experts and one workshop on the topic knowledge transfer and mobilization, the participants had the opportunity to work on their own projects in intensive small working groups and to get together with local organizations, working with newcomers in Munich.