New Pathways into Society

Tamara Puerto has arrived in Germany more than once. The first time was easy. She came to Göttingen from Colombia in 2017 to study. “I had a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). As a student, I received support with everything, from finding accommodation to obtaining a visa and health insurance.”

After graduating, she left the university environment and experienced Germany from a completely different perspective. “When I started looking for a job and a place to live, a very difficult period began. There is a lot of information available on every topic, but it is often written in a complicated way and remains very general. I was never able to find a solution that truly fit my situation.”

Today, Tamara Puerto is 33 years old and wants to help ensure that other women who are new to Germany do not face the same difficulties she experienced. That is why she volunteers, together with more than three dozen other recently arrived women from a wide range of EU and non-EU countries, in the citizen science project “Digital Active Women”, which is run by Minor – Projektkontor für Bildung und Forschung and funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung.

The women, known as co-researchers, designed and conducted an online survey that gathered responses from more than 600 immigrant women about their experiences with existing digital information and advisory services, as well as the challenges they encountered when using them.

People working in municipal administrations are aware that the needs of newly arrived migrants are not always met in the best possible way. “Public administrations are often focused on their own priorities", says Derya Yarici from the Integration Office, Berlin-Charlottenburg. "I can imagine that some people do not feel addressed or included. We are aware of these challenges. Things need to change towards a more service-oriented mindset. It is important for public authorities to incorporate different perspectives. Our administration is undergoing change.”

Researchers at Projektkontor Minor already know from other projects just how important migrant women are as a target group. Newly arrived women often take responsibility not only for their own integration process but also for that of their children, partners, and other family members. At the same time, compared to men, they are more likely to face barriers when it comes to access to employment, education, and healthcare.

In the “Digital Active Women” project, newly arrived women are the experts. Their own experiences make them highly qualified advisors when it comes to improving digital services for migrants and, ultimately, making it easier for people to settle into their new environment.

“How do you look for information about living and working in Germany?” the co-researchers of the Minor project asked women in their respective online communities. The results showed that 73.4 percent said they relied on social media, while 66.7 percent cited personal contacts. Fewer than 20 percent identified job centres, advice centres, or public authorities as important sources of information.

Social media and personal networks are clearly more important than institutions when it comes to finding one’s way and accessing information.
 

Migrant organizations provide an important bridge between immigrant women and German society. Zarona Ismailova works for DaMigra, the umbrella organization of migrant women’s associations, and frequently supports recently arrived women who face challenges accessing information on topics such as education, employment, and housing.

“Information is often not discoverable through search engines and can only be accessed via direct links that people need to know about", Zarona Ismailova knows (DaMigra, Umbrella Organization of Migrant Women´s Associations). "In addition, it is frequently written in complex language. And even once you have managed to decipher it, you may find that the information is no longer up to date.”

Co-researcher Tamara Puerto also recalls feeling poorly informed during her early years in Germany: “After completing my studies, I enrolled in a course designed to prepare me for job interviews. It was only much later that I learned the Employment Agency would have paid for the course. I had no idea what support I was entitled to, and there was no one from an official institution who told me about it. It would be helpful if information were written in plain language and presented in a more user-friendly way.”

The “Digital Active Women” project offers municipalities, migrant organizations, and advisory services a form of long-term digital coaching. Until the end of 2023, the women, as experts in their own lived experiences, advise public authorities and counseling services on how to better reach newly arrived migrants through digital media and channels. This enables public institutions and advisory services to tailor their information and support more closely to the needs of their target groups. “You always have to ask yourself: Am I actually reaching the people I want to reach? In which languages? And through what kind of communication?” says Derya Yarici.

Digital skills and access to target audiences vary considerably across the institutions involved in the integration process, as became clear during exchange meetings held as part of the “Digital Active Women” project.

Social media are an effective way to make complex topics easier to understand. Today, children and young people rarely give presentations without using explanatory videos. So why aren’t these channels already a standard part of the integration process? According to the Digital Active Women survey, more than 75 percent of respondents use Facebook and over 40 percent use YouTube to access information about living and working in Germany. In personal conversations, many women reported that Facebook groups in particular appeal to them because they provide access to communities of peers. “It actually makes perfect sense that someone who has just arrived in Germany would first look for information online", says Pantelis Lekakus-Kerkyraios. "The DAW study made me realize how valuable it can be to complement in-person support with a digital strategy.”

This is precisely where the “Digital Active Women” project comes in: helping providers of integration services improve their digital formats and offerings. The aim is to build bridges where service providers and target groups are not yet connecting. Ultimately, these services should meet the needs of newly arrived women and support them in building a life in Germany, both online and offline.

None of this would be possible without the commitment and solidarity of the volunteer co-researchers. Their motivation is high, and for good reason.