Not an easy day. Lots of information, many thoughts. It'll take a while before I come to a clearcut idea. At the other hand, do I have to be that radical to hook to one single point of view?
Since Hero tweeted our blog link, and the UDI retweeted it, I should be careful what I write down. Words to organize my ideas like neo-communism can't be mentioned in this blog, I imagine. Certainly not if it is said in the wrong context.
Back again at the center in Stavanger this morning, we were happy to hear from the team that earlier some resident has come down to explain about things happening at night in the center. Yesterday still feeling a bit like "is it all bright and shiny or did I miss something" today I'm happy to experience this openness from my international colleagues about the challenges they encounter as well.
Silvia too was relieved when we came to know that even in Norway they make mistakes. The government kept on sending tax papers to rejected asylum seekers which the former asylum seekers used to mislead employers they could work legally. Point is not the error, point is: mistakes are human. Ergo, Norway is (still) human.
During lunchtime I gave our presentation about the Belgian system. But I wasn't on my ease. Honestly, I'm not that much bothered to speak in public, I rather had difficulties to defend our system. 200 people in the hotels, ever increasing capacity but still insufficient, 10.000 persons to whom we couldn't offer a bed the last two years. Nevertheless, the slides contained a lot of positive words as well. And as a matter of fact we do have interesting projects running, from which other countries can learn too. On top of that, we have plenty of motivated staff. It's not them to blame. However, somewhere I felt that I might gonna need some peptalk when I'll be back at work in Belgium.
So, what is our problem than? This is the question constantly spinning in my head since my arrival in Stavanger. Hero is not having more resources, definitely not on the level of staff. And don't we have as many good ideas as they do up here? Well, maybe that's not the problem. I start to belief we lost track since we are developing all kind of projects dealing with our crisis and increasing influx of ASs. We tender certain things like in Norway, but we do many things ourselves, we have lawyers for legal support, but our assistants do that as well, some residents can cook, for others we cater, we provide material support and in a second fase (or should we say third because in the mean time we've created transit centers trying to manage the overcapacity) we give financial aid. We have professional observation centers for minors, but the majority gets stuck in hotels. We just don't choose...
My boss loves kissing or at least KISS: Keep It Simple and Stupid. I'd like to follow him for the first S, the urge to simplify. E.g. at our centers we have to do daily briefings to decide on complicated sanctions regarding follow-up of residents. In Norway they simply deduct money from those who don't clean or vandalize. We can only administer a sanction, for instance requesting them to work to "pay back" what they destroyed (e.g. in case of damaged goods). Whereas withholding something is far more easy and effective...
Although the national government is outsourcing plenty of services for AS, this doesn't mean organizations like Hero are free to do as it suits them. The state clearly knows what they want. Even from the local authorities. This we learned in the afternoon during a visit at the municipality to give us more explanation about the rights for asylum seekers who obtained a protection status.
The "komune" gets a fixed amount of money for each refugee they accept in their region for five continuing years. The komune will let the responsible state body (IMDI) know with a annual plan how many refugees they are welcoming that year. So the IMDI can plan (it has been requested not to write control) to where they are sending who.
Each municipality is responsible for an introduction course to facilitate integration of their refugees. These trainings are obliged for those who are in need for it (for instance if you don't have a job yet). Such a person will have to make a plan with their "coach" from the komune to clarify the persons future objectives and the way he or she will be trying to achieve these goals. This package will always include Norwegian language courses, a training to apply for jobs and an integration course in Norwegian society. Although on paper refugees are free to join this program. If they don't they loose huge benefits. The choice between a narrowly defined support and no support is a choice but I wonder how much this appeals to concepts like ownership and intrinsic motivation. Unexpectedly, I started to regain some pride about our improvisation skills at Fedasil. We try, we create and maybe we've invented the wheel too many times, not getting immediate cash for our efforts, we are nevertheless doing it!
Another feeling I like to share with you is my idea that Norway is pretty young. They love diversity they say. They embrace open-mindedness. And they are proud in Stavanger to be multiculti. But the way they plan the spread of the different nationalities, shows they aren't confronted (yet?) with area's concentrated with people from a certain background. There are no Turkish areas here, or African quarters. They don't have many of few, they have few of many. And this keeps one nationality very dominant, i.e. the native Norwegian one. Although you feel that this society doesn't accept anyone falling out of the boat, you see who remains the captain of the boat. Although in Belgium and other Western countries some might have loved to keep it that way, eventually we all get outnumbered. Question is who's defining the culture of a community? The ones who lived there, or the ones living there? Here comes up the debate on integration and assimilation. Be assured, Norwegian people won't dare to speak about assimilation. However it is kind of obvious that refugees dropping in one by one in a city rather learn Norwegian, than a whole city learning the mothertongue of the newcomer. Still I wonder, in a globalizing world, is this kind of integration giving enough room to go both ways?
The central planning of this strong state is obviously showing its advantages. It is simple and neatly coordinated. At the other hand a tailormade solution is only tailormade for a given situation. This weakness of simplicity is the strength of diversity: room for innovation and alternatives.
To summarize my feelings: this morning I was still dreaming of starting up my own company as a free man to tender here in Norway alongside Hero. Ariete even wanted to join me. It seemed satisfying to compete with others and take full accountability for the reception of AS. At first it felt confortable to me, choosing how I would organize this and picking the best from Norway and Belgium and other experience I may have. In the afternoon it didn't feel that confortable and free anymore. I could do whatever I want as long as I don't cross the lines of the strongly demarcated framework that's laid out for me (and you).
I'd like to compare it with a massage. If you trust it, you can relax and enjoy it. But if you start to worry, you suddenly realize the hands on your shoulders can take too much grip on you. You just feel the power and the warm breath of the person close behind you. Not to mention, it are the hands that make a message a success, not our shoulders.
It's nice to be in good hands though.
Greetings, Kobe
NB: is it still news that our train from Stavanger to Sandness left spot-on time, and the next stop was Paradis? No further comments.
Back again at the center in Stavanger this morning, we were happy to hear from the team that earlier some resident has come down to explain about things happening at night in the center. Yesterday still feeling a bit like "is it all bright and shiny or did I miss something" today I'm happy to experience this openness from my international colleagues about the challenges they encounter as well.
Silvia too was relieved when we came to know that even in Norway they make mistakes. The government kept on sending tax papers to rejected asylum seekers which the former asylum seekers used to mislead employers they could work legally. Point is not the error, point is: mistakes are human. Ergo, Norway is (still) human.
During lunchtime I gave our presentation about the Belgian system. But I wasn't on my ease. Honestly, I'm not that much bothered to speak in public, I rather had difficulties to defend our system. 200 people in the hotels, ever increasing capacity but still insufficient, 10.000 persons to whom we couldn't offer a bed the last two years. Nevertheless, the slides contained a lot of positive words as well. And as a matter of fact we do have interesting projects running, from which other countries can learn too. On top of that, we have plenty of motivated staff. It's not them to blame. However, somewhere I felt that I might gonna need some peptalk when I'll be back at work in Belgium.
So, what is our problem than? This is the question constantly spinning in my head since my arrival in Stavanger. Hero is not having more resources, definitely not on the level of staff. And don't we have as many good ideas as they do up here? Well, maybe that's not the problem. I start to belief we lost track since we are developing all kind of projects dealing with our crisis and increasing influx of ASs. We tender certain things like in Norway, but we do many things ourselves, we have lawyers for legal support, but our assistants do that as well, some residents can cook, for others we cater, we provide material support and in a second fase (or should we say third because in the mean time we've created transit centers trying to manage the overcapacity) we give financial aid. We have professional observation centers for minors, but the majority gets stuck in hotels. We just don't choose...
My boss loves kissing or at least KISS: Keep It Simple and Stupid. I'd like to follow him for the first S, the urge to simplify. E.g. at our centers we have to do daily briefings to decide on complicated sanctions regarding follow-up of residents. In Norway they simply deduct money from those who don't clean or vandalize. We can only administer a sanction, for instance requesting them to work to "pay back" what they destroyed (e.g. in case of damaged goods). Whereas withholding something is far more easy and effective...
Although the national government is outsourcing plenty of services for AS, this doesn't mean organizations like Hero are free to do as it suits them. The state clearly knows what they want. Even from the local authorities. This we learned in the afternoon during a visit at the municipality to give us more explanation about the rights for asylum seekers who obtained a protection status.
The "komune" gets a fixed amount of money for each refugee they accept in their region for five continuing years. The komune will let the responsible state body (IMDI) know with a annual plan how many refugees they are welcoming that year. So the IMDI can plan (it has been requested not to write control) to where they are sending who.
Each municipality is responsible for an introduction course to facilitate integration of their refugees. These trainings are obliged for those who are in need for it (for instance if you don't have a job yet). Such a person will have to make a plan with their "coach" from the komune to clarify the persons future objectives and the way he or she will be trying to achieve these goals. This package will always include Norwegian language courses, a training to apply for jobs and an integration course in Norwegian society. Although on paper refugees are free to join this program. If they don't they loose huge benefits. The choice between a narrowly defined support and no support is a choice but I wonder how much this appeals to concepts like ownership and intrinsic motivation. Unexpectedly, I started to regain some pride about our improvisation skills at Fedasil. We try, we create and maybe we've invented the wheel too many times, not getting immediate cash for our efforts, we are nevertheless doing it!
Another feeling I like to share with you is my idea that Norway is pretty young. They love diversity they say. They embrace open-mindedness. And they are proud in Stavanger to be multiculti. But the way they plan the spread of the different nationalities, shows they aren't confronted (yet?) with area's concentrated with people from a certain background. There are no Turkish areas here, or African quarters. They don't have many of few, they have few of many. And this keeps one nationality very dominant, i.e. the native Norwegian one. Although you feel that this society doesn't accept anyone falling out of the boat, you see who remains the captain of the boat. Although in Belgium and other Western countries some might have loved to keep it that way, eventually we all get outnumbered. Question is who's defining the culture of a community? The ones who lived there, or the ones living there? Here comes up the debate on integration and assimilation. Be assured, Norwegian people won't dare to speak about assimilation. However it is kind of obvious that refugees dropping in one by one in a city rather learn Norwegian, than a whole city learning the mothertongue of the newcomer. Still I wonder, in a globalizing world, is this kind of integration giving enough room to go both ways?
The central planning of this strong state is obviously showing its advantages. It is simple and neatly coordinated. At the other hand a tailormade solution is only tailormade for a given situation. This weakness of simplicity is the strength of diversity: room for innovation and alternatives.
To summarize my feelings: this morning I was still dreaming of starting up my own company as a free man to tender here in Norway alongside Hero. Ariete even wanted to join me. It seemed satisfying to compete with others and take full accountability for the reception of AS. At first it felt confortable to me, choosing how I would organize this and picking the best from Norway and Belgium and other experience I may have. In the afternoon it didn't feel that confortable and free anymore. I could do whatever I want as long as I don't cross the lines of the strongly demarcated framework that's laid out for me (and you).
I'd like to compare it with a massage. If you trust it, you can relax and enjoy it. But if you start to worry, you suddenly realize the hands on your shoulders can take too much grip on you. You just feel the power and the warm breath of the person close behind you. Not to mention, it are the hands that make a message a success, not our shoulders.
It's nice to be in good hands though.
Greetings, Kobe
NB: is it still news that our train from Stavanger to Sandness left spot-on time, and the next stop was Paradis? No further comments.
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