A Handbook for members of the Bakossi Area Cultural and Development Association Finland (BACDAF) containing useful information for integration into Finnish society

The purpose of this Development-based thesis was to create a guidebook for members of the Bakossi Area Cultural and Development Association Finland (BACDAF) containing useful and vital information for integration in Finland. The thesis was as well written in collaboration with BACDAF Finland. The reason for the guidebook was due to the constant challenges shared by members regarding integration into the Finnish society. Producing a guidebook and making it available to members and newcomers upon arrival in Finland, will broaden their knowledge on integration services and thus, assist in their integration path. The theoretical framework of this thesis was to define, explain the meaning as well as differences of two central concepts namely integration and assimilation used in the context of incorporating migrants into new societies. Also, to use theories related to the concept of integration to describe those factors that are contributing to the successful integration of immigrants and to describe how integration work with immigrants is structured and organized in Finland. The role played by immigrant’s associations towards integration was also discussed. The method used in this Development based thesis was collecting information related on the concept of integration, conducting interviews as well as gathering reliable information from literature like research, laws and web pages containing information on integrating into Finnish society. The findings of this thesis indicates that, migrants while in host countries easily face more greater risks of social exclusion than natives especially with respect to accessing education, employment, housing, health care and other social services. Migrants bring with them many educational qualifications as well as professional experiences from native countries. Recognizing these qualifications and utilizing migrant’s skills and work experiences would be beneficial and will speed up quick access to aspects such as employment and education. Also, developing integration plans for immigrants that are based on their service needs would greatly reinforce the link between promotion of integration and working life. Knowledge of the language of the host country is seen as a core element in integration. This is well documented and stressed in government policy in Finland for example where language skills are a very vital component to social interaction and finding employment opportunities. Taking into consideration that employment and networking are essential elements to build further language skills, failure to master the language of the host country can only make the path to integration more challenging and long. Therefore, an early development plan for sound language skills will greatly improve immigrant’s integration as well as access to labor market opportunities