Innovation Conference on Integration
Innovation Conference on Integration International Social Entrepreneurs with solutions for the challenges of migration Together with competent partners Ashoka has searched for the most reliable concepts attempting the integration of refugees – from language acquisition and integration into the employment market through to interfaith understanding – in the large worldwide Ashoka network. In a multistage selection process 13 outstanding national and international concepts were identified as especially relevant für Germany and invited to the Innovation Coference on Integration:
Work & financial security NICOLE CICERANI, UPWARDLY GLOBAL ( USA)
Upwardly Global (UpGlo, founded by Ashoka Fellow Jane Leu) is opening up professional career opportunities for skilled immigrants at leading companies in the US. Therefor Upwardly Global leverages employer partnerships that benefit from access to this talent pool, and provides customized training and support for the immigrants to give them an equal opportunity to find and secure skill appropriate opportunities and achieve their full economic potential in the U.S. The outcome is global talent for employers, culturally competent service providers for diverse communities, and family sustaining incomes for those who were previously unemployed or underemployed. With 15 years of experience Upwardly Global wants to bring its concept to Germany to contribute to the integration of refugees into the German employment market.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.upwardlyglobal.org
ABDOULAYE FALL, ASSOCIATION OF SELF FUNDED COMMUNITIES ( SPAIN )
With Association of Self Funded Communities (ACAF, founded by Ashoka Fellow Jean Claude Rodríguez-Ferrera), Abdoulaye Fall addresses basic financial and networking needs of immigrant populations by creating self-sustaining, immigrant-led financial groups. ACAF‘s model is well-consolidated and easy to adopt by other organizations. It is currently used model in six European countries. In Germany, Abdoulaye is looking for implementation partners with access to immigrant communities, like welfare organizations and self-help groups for immigrants. In Spain, Abdoulaye is also working with companies to develop new products and services for immigrants. He would be interested in supporting German companies in this effort as well.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.comunidadescaf.org
Bildung & Teilhabe SHAI RESHEF, UNIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLE ( USA)
University of the People (UoPeople) is the world’s first non-profit, tuition-free, accredited online university dedicated to opening access to higher education globally. Using open-source technology and Open Educational Resources University of the People is designed to provide access to college studies for qualified high school graduates, despite financial, geographic, societal or personal constraints. Shai Reshef wants to spread his offer in Germany especially for refugees and immigrants and wants to establish education-partnerships with German universities.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.uopeople.edu
MARY NALLY, THIRD AGE ( IRELAND)
With Third Age, Mary Nally is building structures that keep older people engaged in their communities by bridging gaps between generations and disparate populations. In Ireland, she has been mobilising her network of tens of thousands to provide language learning for refugees. Mary has a well-documented model that is easy to adopt by other organizations. She is looking for implementation partners in Germany, such as welfare organizations, operators of retirement homes, or other social entrepreneurs who work with older people.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.thirdageireland.ie
JOHANN OLAV KOSS, RIGHT TO PLAY (CANADA)
With Right To Play, Johann Olav Koss uses the power of sport and play for development, health and peace. Johann’s programs bring about behavioral changes and enhance children’s holistic development through the medium of sport. His model is particularly well-suited for young refugees. Johann would like to bring the Right To Play to Germany via partner organizations like sport clubs, community centers, or even libraries using a train-the-trainer approach that he already applied in 23 countries. Johann has a lot of experience consulting governments and big sport organizations and would be interested in sharing his knowledge with German ministries and organizations as well.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] righttoplay.com
CHARLOT TE FREY, CLIMB (GERMANY )
climb-Lernferien, i.e. learning vacations motivate children and adults to learn and helps them gain self-confidence for their paths through school and life. climb‘s innovative educational approach sheds light on children´s strengths and empowers them to achieve autonomy. The project also educates young adults to become ambitious leaders in classrooms and elsewhere simultaneously and it especially addresses children from socially disadvantaged families. In 2016 climb will involve children with flight experience as well.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.climb-lernferien.de
SASCHA HASELMAYER, CITYMART ( DENMARK )
Citymart transforms the way cities solve problems, connecting them with new ideas through open challenges to entrepreneurs and citizens. The method has helped more than 50 cities around the world from San Francisco to London and Barcelona to Rio de Janeiro find proven solutions. Citymart partners with cities to rethink their spending habits so they focus on what problems they need to solve instead of what things they want to buy. As Germany is facing a historic challenge that could mark Europe for generations in delivering on its commitment to help refugees, Sascha Haselmayer wants to help German cities achieve better results with the limited resources at hand.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.citymart.com
Welcoming culture & acceptance PASTOR JAMES WUYE & IMAM MOHAMMED ASHAFA, INTERFAITH MEDIATION CENTRE ( NIGERIA)
The Interfaith Mediation Centre, has been working in the areas of peacebuilding with faith based groups, promoting community dialogue among warring groups, through mediation, negotiation, interfaith media dialogue and training of peace advocate across Nigeria and in other parts of the world. The Centre has intervened in many conflict prone communities, which at the end of the interventions; peace agreements have been signed by the conflicting groups or communities towards the restoration of peace in those locality and within the groups, among several other initiatives promoting and sustaining peace.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.imc-nigeria.org
DAVID LUBELL, WELCOMING AMERICA ( USA)
With Welcoming America, David Lubell is addressing the fears of U.S. born residents regarding immigrants. He helps cities to set up welcoming committees who then develop concrete plans to turn residents from fearful to neutral to welcoming, using a number of simple but highly effective frameworks. David is already in negotiations with several cities in Germany that would like to use his model and participate in an exchange program with cities in the U.S. David advised the White House on its Building Welcoming Communities Campaign and would be interested to help German ministries set up similar initiatives.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.imc-nigeria.org
NATHANAËL MOLLE, SINGA ( FRANCE )
With Singa, Nathanaël Molle is helping refugees launch ventures and to become powerful ambassadors for the contributions that refugees can make to society. Investing in entrepreneurial personalities, he builds a network of ambassadors that highlights the economic value of refugees. In Germany, Nathanaël is looking for implementation partners. Potential candidates include incubators, entrepreneurship centers, vocational training providers, and many others. In France, Nathanaël also advises cities and ministries on how to prepare for the arrival of refugees, and he would be interested in supporting German cities and ministries as well.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] singa.fr, singa-deutschland.com
Life & health care DANIEL KERBER, MORE THAN SHELTERS (GERMANY )
With More Than Shelters, Daniel Kerber turns refugee camps into spaces of dignity and opportunity, using both physical products and innovative architecture and social design concepts. Daniel would like to transform refugee camps all over Germany using a network of specially trained advisors. He would like to partner with local and regional governments as well as private operators or refugee camps.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] morethanshelters.org
INGE MISSMAHL, IPSO (GERMANY )
With ispo ecare, Inge Missmahl pioneers an online psychosocial intervention process as a means to help traumatised people in crisis or refugee situations. The WHO accepts this intervention as effective. Inge would like to empower immigrants with a background in psychology, medicine or social work in Germany to provide psychosocial counseling to other refugees. To that end, she would like to partner with welfare organizations and health insurance providers. Inge also offered support to welfare organizations to set up trainings for their employees on trauma and how to handle it in day to day operations.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] ipsocontext.org
DAVID LEVIN, REFUGEE OPEN WARE ( USA)
With Refugee Open Ware, David Levin employs advanced technology to improve human rights fulfillment of both refugees and host communities in conflict-affected areas. Therefor David is building a network of innovation centers in conflict-affected areas that provide training to displaced persons and host communities, while building solutions to the hardest problems facing victims of conflict – including a low-cost, 3D-printed prosthetic hand for a Yemeni refugee, and an open-source echolocation device with haptic feedback for a Syrian refugee who was blinded in the war. David Levin is interested in supporting German stakeholders with his competence in employing modern technologies for humanitarian innovations.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.row3d.org
Further invited Social Entrepreneurs FAISEL RAHMAN, FAIR FINANCE (GREAT BRITAIN )
Faisel is challenging retail financial systems in the UK that discriminate against and exclude the most marginalised people and that allow predatory lenders to exploit these vulnerable populations. To reform such practices, he is increasing transparency and accountability by providing critical information to key decision makers—banks, regulatory agencies, and borrowers—to better reflect the credit-worthiness of disadvantaged people. Most importantly, Faisel is delivering new client-centered financial products and services to the most marginalized people in a way that demonstrates to banks that this population is creditworthy and that his approach is financially viable for mainstream institutions.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.fairfinance.org.uk
JUDY KORN, VIOLENCE PREVENTION NETWORK (GERMANY )
Judy Korn combines anti-violence-training with interactive political educational work. She strengthens young perpetrators to distance themselves from ideologically radical attitudes and actions. Therefore she approaches them at the end of the criminal career - in prison. Through a multifaceted training she works with the youngsters through their personal biography to dismantle the ideological justification of their crimes and leads them to take responsibility for what they have done. Additionally, her trainers enable the emotionally alienated prisoners to control their aggressions and dare to build relationships. Since 2007 she has also extended her approach to help religiously motivated perpetrators with migration background.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.violence-prevention-network.de/de
Work & financial security NICOLE CICERANI, UPWARDLY GLOBAL ( USA)
Upwardly Global (UpGlo, founded by Ashoka Fellow Jane Leu) is opening up professional career opportunities for skilled immigrants at leading companies in the US. Therefor Upwardly Global leverages employer partnerships that benefit from access to this talent pool, and provides customized training and support for the immigrants to give them an equal opportunity to find and secure skill appropriate opportunities and achieve their full economic potential in the U.S. The outcome is global talent for employers, culturally competent service providers for diverse communities, and family sustaining incomes for those who were previously unemployed or underemployed. With 15 years of experience Upwardly Global wants to bring its concept to Germany to contribute to the integration of refugees into the German employment market.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.upwardlyglobal.org
ABDOULAYE FALL, ASSOCIATION OF SELF FUNDED COMMUNITIES ( SPAIN )
With Association of Self Funded Communities (ACAF, founded by Ashoka Fellow Jean Claude Rodríguez-Ferrera), Abdoulaye Fall addresses basic financial and networking needs of immigrant populations by creating self-sustaining, immigrant-led financial groups. ACAF‘s model is well-consolidated and easy to adopt by other organizations. It is currently used model in six European countries. In Germany, Abdoulaye is looking for implementation partners with access to immigrant communities, like welfare organizations and self-help groups for immigrants. In Spain, Abdoulaye is also working with companies to develop new products and services for immigrants. He would be interested in supporting German companies in this effort as well.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.comunidadescaf.org
Bildung & Teilhabe SHAI RESHEF, UNIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLE ( USA)
University of the People (UoPeople) is the world’s first non-profit, tuition-free, accredited online university dedicated to opening access to higher education globally. Using open-source technology and Open Educational Resources University of the People is designed to provide access to college studies for qualified high school graduates, despite financial, geographic, societal or personal constraints. Shai Reshef wants to spread his offer in Germany especially for refugees and immigrants and wants to establish education-partnerships with German universities.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.uopeople.edu
MARY NALLY, THIRD AGE ( IRELAND)
With Third Age, Mary Nally is building structures that keep older people engaged in their communities by bridging gaps between generations and disparate populations. In Ireland, she has been mobilising her network of tens of thousands to provide language learning for refugees. Mary has a well-documented model that is easy to adopt by other organizations. She is looking for implementation partners in Germany, such as welfare organizations, operators of retirement homes, or other social entrepreneurs who work with older people.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.thirdageireland.ie
JOHANN OLAV KOSS, RIGHT TO PLAY (CANADA)
With Right To Play, Johann Olav Koss uses the power of sport and play for development, health and peace. Johann’s programs bring about behavioral changes and enhance children’s holistic development through the medium of sport. His model is particularly well-suited for young refugees. Johann would like to bring the Right To Play to Germany via partner organizations like sport clubs, community centers, or even libraries using a train-the-trainer approach that he already applied in 23 countries. Johann has a lot of experience consulting governments and big sport organizations and would be interested in sharing his knowledge with German ministries and organizations as well.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] righttoplay.com
CHARLOT TE FREY, CLIMB (GERMANY )
climb-Lernferien, i.e. learning vacations motivate children and adults to learn and helps them gain self-confidence for their paths through school and life. climb‘s innovative educational approach sheds light on children´s strengths and empowers them to achieve autonomy. The project also educates young adults to become ambitious leaders in classrooms and elsewhere simultaneously and it especially addresses children from socially disadvantaged families. In 2016 climb will involve children with flight experience as well.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.climb-lernferien.de
SASCHA HASELMAYER, CITYMART ( DENMARK )
Citymart transforms the way cities solve problems, connecting them with new ideas through open challenges to entrepreneurs and citizens. The method has helped more than 50 cities around the world from San Francisco to London and Barcelona to Rio de Janeiro find proven solutions. Citymart partners with cities to rethink their spending habits so they focus on what problems they need to solve instead of what things they want to buy. As Germany is facing a historic challenge that could mark Europe for generations in delivering on its commitment to help refugees, Sascha Haselmayer wants to help German cities achieve better results with the limited resources at hand.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.citymart.com
Welcoming culture & acceptance PASTOR JAMES WUYE & IMAM MOHAMMED ASHAFA, INTERFAITH MEDIATION CENTRE ( NIGERIA)
The Interfaith Mediation Centre, has been working in the areas of peacebuilding with faith based groups, promoting community dialogue among warring groups, through mediation, negotiation, interfaith media dialogue and training of peace advocate across Nigeria and in other parts of the world. The Centre has intervened in many conflict prone communities, which at the end of the interventions; peace agreements have been signed by the conflicting groups or communities towards the restoration of peace in those locality and within the groups, among several other initiatives promoting and sustaining peace.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.imc-nigeria.org
DAVID LUBELL, WELCOMING AMERICA ( USA)
With Welcoming America, David Lubell is addressing the fears of U.S. born residents regarding immigrants. He helps cities to set up welcoming committees who then develop concrete plans to turn residents from fearful to neutral to welcoming, using a number of simple but highly effective frameworks. David is already in negotiations with several cities in Germany that would like to use his model and participate in an exchange program with cities in the U.S. David advised the White House on its Building Welcoming Communities Campaign and would be interested to help German ministries set up similar initiatives.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.imc-nigeria.org
NATHANAËL MOLLE, SINGA ( FRANCE )
With Singa, Nathanaël Molle is helping refugees launch ventures and to become powerful ambassadors for the contributions that refugees can make to society. Investing in entrepreneurial personalities, he builds a network of ambassadors that highlights the economic value of refugees. In Germany, Nathanaël is looking for implementation partners. Potential candidates include incubators, entrepreneurship centers, vocational training providers, and many others. In France, Nathanaël also advises cities and ministries on how to prepare for the arrival of refugees, and he would be interested in supporting German cities and ministries as well.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] singa.fr, singa-deutschland.com
Life & health care DANIEL KERBER, MORE THAN SHELTERS (GERMANY )
With More Than Shelters, Daniel Kerber turns refugee camps into spaces of dignity and opportunity, using both physical products and innovative architecture and social design concepts. Daniel would like to transform refugee camps all over Germany using a network of specially trained advisors. He would like to partner with local and regional governments as well as private operators or refugee camps.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] morethanshelters.org
INGE MISSMAHL, IPSO (GERMANY )
With ispo ecare, Inge Missmahl pioneers an online psychosocial intervention process as a means to help traumatised people in crisis or refugee situations. The WHO accepts this intervention as effective. Inge would like to empower immigrants with a background in psychology, medicine or social work in Germany to provide psychosocial counseling to other refugees. To that end, she would like to partner with welfare organizations and health insurance providers. Inge also offered support to welfare organizations to set up trainings for their employees on trauma and how to handle it in day to day operations.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] ipsocontext.org
DAVID LEVIN, REFUGEE OPEN WARE ( USA)
With Refugee Open Ware, David Levin employs advanced technology to improve human rights fulfillment of both refugees and host communities in conflict-affected areas. Therefor David is building a network of innovation centers in conflict-affected areas that provide training to displaced persons and host communities, while building solutions to the hardest problems facing victims of conflict – including a low-cost, 3D-printed prosthetic hand for a Yemeni refugee, and an open-source echolocation device with haptic feedback for a Syrian refugee who was blinded in the war. David Levin is interested in supporting German stakeholders with his competence in employing modern technologies for humanitarian innovations.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.row3d.org
Further invited Social Entrepreneurs FAISEL RAHMAN, FAIR FINANCE (GREAT BRITAIN )
Faisel is challenging retail financial systems in the UK that discriminate against and exclude the most marginalised people and that allow predatory lenders to exploit these vulnerable populations. To reform such practices, he is increasing transparency and accountability by providing critical information to key decision makers—banks, regulatory agencies, and borrowers—to better reflect the credit-worthiness of disadvantaged people. Most importantly, Faisel is delivering new client-centered financial products and services to the most marginalized people in a way that demonstrates to banks that this population is creditworthy and that his approach is financially viable for mainstream institutions.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.fairfinance.org.uk
JUDY KORN, VIOLENCE PREVENTION NETWORK (GERMANY )
Judy Korn combines anti-violence-training with interactive political educational work. She strengthens young perpetrators to distance themselves from ideologically radical attitudes and actions. Therefore she approaches them at the end of the criminal career - in prison. Through a multifaceted training she works with the youngsters through their personal biography to dismantle the ideological justification of their crimes and leads them to take responsibility for what they have done. Additionally, her trainers enable the emotionally alienated prisoners to control their aggressions and dare to build relationships. Since 2007 she has also extended her approach to help religiously motivated perpetrators with migration background.
EMAIL WEBSITE
[email protected] www.violence-prevention-network.de/de
