Integreat app facilitates integration in the district of Karlsruhe
Since the beginning of the year, the Integreat app has bundled the most important information in one application to help migrants make a new start in the district of Karlsruhe.
Finding your way in a new, unfamiliar environment is a challenge for all of us. However, if you have to flee your home country and try to build a new existence in a foreign country with marginal language skills, then these challenges are incomparably greater.
For this reason, the Integreat app has also been available to migrants in the district of Karlsruhe since the beginning of the year. It serves as a central point of contact for information and contact persons in the areas of education, work, language, health, law and everyday life. The application, which can be accessed at https://integreat.app/lkkarlsruhe/de/, is available free of charge in several languages and can even be used offline.
karlsruhe.digital spoke to the project managers at the Office for Integration at the Karlsruhe District Office about the Integreat app:
Ms. Goldbach, Ms. Litterst, the “Integreat App” was launched at the beginning of the year, an app designed to make it easier for migrants to make a new start and settle in the district of Karlsruhe. What prompted the district to introduce this service and were there any hurdles along the way?
The first idea for a digital information platform was born at the end of 2019 when we wanted to prepare important topics from the field of education (How does the school system work? What is a parents’ evening?) for new immigrants in simple language.
In addition, our own practical experience has shown that there is already a lot of great, useful and informative information and offers for new immigrants in the district – be it on flyers or on homepages. In the district integration office alone, where the Integreat app is also located, we have over 16 such projects and programs. This portfolio is expanded every year.
However, the problem with this wealth of offers is that you can quickly lose track of what you can find where. In addition, the topic of integration is highly dynamic: contact persons change, sometimes a telephone number is outdated or an offer is no longer current. Furthermore, integration can often fail simply because people do not have access to the information that concerns them.
At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the group of refugees increasingly requested multilingual information about coronavirus and also demanded information from local authorities and district committees.
The “Integreat App” project ultimately emerged from all of these points. As a digital platform for new immigrants, the Integreat app offers us the perfect solution: you can find the information you need independently with just a few clicks – and ideally in your own native language. It is also free and can be used offline.
The Integreat app, which was developed by the company Tür an Tür Digitalfabrik, is therefore a low-threshold offer for our target group. There were no major hurdles in the process of establishing the app, as the decision-makers were immediately on board and supported the app. This meant that the Integreat app could be implemented quickly in the district of Karlsruhe.
The app’s website states: “The app needs you – sharing is caring” – what exactly is behind this request?
Our app thrives on people talking about it, i.e. recommending it to friends, family, acquaintances or their own clients in counseling. Even though we have already promoted the app to numerous network partners and their clients, there are still various target groups that we have not yet reached. For example, the app may not reach people who are not currently in counseling at all. We are therefore dependent on “spreading the word”.
Sharing is caring” – to help as many people as possible settle in Germany.
Can anyone contribute to the app?
Yes, every person, every project, every association and every municipality in the district of Karlsruhe can contribute something. The app is constantly evolving and will continue to grow with new content in the future. It is important that the information is relevant for new immigrants and their settling in Germany or the district of Karlsruhe. The Integreat team at the district integration office is happy to receive contributions, as we want to present as broad a spectrum of information and offers from the district as possible in the app.
Anyone who would like to add information or offers for new immigrants to the app can contact us at any time.
What has been the feedback on the Integreat app so far and how has it been received by citizens with a refugee or migrant background?
The app was well received. We have received a lot of positive feedback from our network partners as well as ideas and requests as to which topics should be included. In addition, the number of clicks in the internal statistics show that the app has been actively used since its official launch on January 11, 2021. The number of clicks is generally on the rise, especially in the foreign languages. After the short time that the app has been online, this shows us that it is being accepted and used by new immigrants. Our colleagues from the Office for Integration (integration managers, social counseling) and external counseling centers are also diligently advertising the app to their clients so that we can reach even more people. Our colleagues also use the app as a source of information when providing advice.
Together with the ifo Institute for Economic Research and the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, we are currently planning a large-scale scientific evaluation to research the benefits and impact of the Integreat app on citizens with a refugee or migrant background. This will give us concrete results on the extent to which the app is useful for new immigrants and how it really helps with integration. This represents a real opportunity for us and the municipalities in the district of Karlsruhe to review and further develop existing approaches.
What are the plans for the future?
Our plans are varied. We are currently working on a new button that brings together all contact persons and information on the topic of “Children, youth and family”. In future, you will be able to find out about pregnancy, financial help and leisure activities for children, for example. We are also still actively marketing the app and are constantly thinking about how and where else the Integreat app can be advertised. Constant communication with the target group is also important to us. This is the only way we can find out where content is missing and who we should bring on board as additional network partners.
We are only at the beginning with the Integreat app and have a lot more planned for the future.
Anyone who would like to enter information or offers in the Integreat app or use flyers or digital advertising materials can contact the Karlsruhe District Office (Kreisintegrationsstelle) by email at any time:
Mrs. Goldbach/Mrs. Litterst
amt33.integreatapp@landratsamt-karlsruhe.de