Giving Compass' Take:

• Tamim Nashed explains why the way that we approach refugee integration serves to alienate, rather than incorporate refugees into host countries. 

• How can funders help to shift refugee programs to make them more inclusive? 

• Learn about asset-based funding for refugee crises. 

I left Syria in August 2012, as there was no other choice. I had friends in Austria and that is why I ended up in Vienna. At the time, I had no idea what the words “refugee,” “asylum” and “integration” meant.

During the first year after getting asylum, I was busy learning the German language and looking for a job. However, I had zero intention of integrating myself in the new society I was living in, and frequently asked myself why I would need to integrate.

After 18 months of hard work invested in learning the language, making new friends and exploring a new country, journalists started contacting me. They wanted to hear more about the Syrian revolution and the factors that had helped me integrate in Austria. That was my first concrete exposure to the world of “integration.” Before that, I had thought I already was part of the society, as my friends never asked me to integrate: We were simply all equals living in the same place, yet sharing different experiences.

For these reasons, I believe that refugees should seek advice from friends, service providers, language institutes or any other relevant sources that could help them settle down in a new country, as many civil society actors are making great efforts to support newcomers. Exclusive programs or integration courses designed just for refugees lead to segregation instead of inclusion and can neglect to address newcomers’ different backgrounds, including the fact that those fleeing wars may need additional support to overcome trauma and health issues. Refugees frequently find themselves obliged to follow certain paths or make certain choices imposed by governments, and this leads to the creation of a new second-class society. We live in a time where “integration” has become a burden on “refugees” instead of being a solution.

Read the full article about the way we approach about refugee integration by Tamim Nashed at News Deeply.