The Challenges of Integration of Minority Groups in Swedish-speaking Ostrobothnia: Structured Dialogic Design as a Tool of Enhancing Diversity and Inclusion - Identification of Challenges

Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research & Minority Studies, Abo University Report Title The Challenges of Integration of Minority Groups in Swedish-speaking Ostrobothnia: Structured Dialogic Design as a Tool of Enhancing Diversity and Inclusion - Identification of Challenges Project Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research & Minority Studies, Abo University Triggering Question What challenges (political, economic, educational, sociocultural, religious, linguistic) do the minority groups is Swedish speaking Ostrobothnia face to integrate in the local community? Location Vassa, Finland Dates 22nd September 2018 Lead Facilitator(s) Andreas P. Andreou Assistant Facilitator(s) Hasan Habes Author(s) Hasan Habes Editor(s) Andreas P. Andreou Yiannis Laouris Total Duration 9 hrs Statistics Participants=12 Number of ideas=67 Number of Clusters=8 Ideas received Votes=24 Ideas on MAP=24 Spreadthink=30.6%

Executive Summary

The Structured Dialogic Design Co-Lab/Workshop entitled The Challenges of Integration of Minority Groups in Swedish-speaking Ostrobothnia: Structured Dialogic Design as a Tool of Enhancing Diversity and Inclusion - Identification of Challenges was organized by Hasan Habes as part of his PhD research project funded by the Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research & Minority Studies Department of the Abo University. It was part of the Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research & Minority Studies, Abo University project.

The aim of his research is to enhance diversity and inclusion of the minority groups such as migrants, ethnic/racial and sexual groups by identifying the challenges they face during the integration process to the society and by developing action plans to overcome these challenges. This Co-Lab/Workshop aimed to bring knowledgeable individuals from different societal groups together under one roof in Vaasa to discuss and identify the challenges and obstacles they face in today’s conditions, and to develop a focused and targeted action plans and solutions collectively towards these issues.

The workshop was held on September 22nd 2018 at Abo University in Vaasa, Finland with the participation of twelve (12) participants.

The Triggering Question (TQ) of the workshop was:

What challenges (political, economic, educational, sociocultural, religious, linguistic) do the minority groups is Swedish speaking Ostrobothnia face to integrate in the local community?

In response to the TQ, the 12 participants came up with 67 ideas, which were categorized in 8 clusters. Following the voting process, 24 ideas received one or more votes and were structured to create the influence MAP shown below.

Influence tree from the ideas generated at The Challenges of Integration of Minority Groups in Swedish-speaking Ostrobothnia: Structured Dialogic Design as a Tool of Enhancing Diversity and Inclusion - Identification of Challenges

According to the participants of this workshop, the ideas that appear to be the most influential were:

• Action #45: (1 vote) Silent acceptance of racism
  
• Action #67: (4 votes) Not including Finns in the integration process
  
• Action #23: (3 votes) Negative attitudes
  
• Action #53: (3 votes) Immigrants are seen as economic drain in the society
  
• Action #7: (2 votes) Assumptions of inferiority
  
• Action #61: (2 votes) Lack of local involvement
  
• Action #14: (1 vote) Fear of foreign culture
  
• Action #33: (1 vote) Xenophobic behaviour towards certain ethno-religous groups
• Action #34: (1 vote) Lack of trust in foreigners
• Action #41: (1 vote) Lack of help to integrate

The workshop was facilitated by Andreas P. Andreou and Hasan Habes.

Communication Material

• Invitation
• Program
• Certificate