Auto-SummaryThe post discusses the importance of language integration among immigrants, emphasizing that while it's crucial for newcomers to learn English, it's also essential for host countries to facilitate this process. The author references successful integration stories, such as the Ugandan Asians and Vietnamese boat people, and argues that Europe's emphasis on integration differs from the US's focus on assimilation. They highlight that asylum-seekers are often dispersed to poorer areas, which can hinder integration but may also foster a supportive community. The post suggests that the UK's restrictive policy could limit economic growth by preventing refugees from utilizing their skills in the job market. Ultimately, the author calls for a balanced approach to integration, where both immigrants and host countries share responsibilities.
qman, i think its actually a huge pity that you've lost Polish. You don't speak any at all?
I know some immigrant families in the US who do speak their native language at home. Many second generation respond in English to questions asked in the native language - i have seen this a lot. I speak a mixture of French and English at home with my parents. I think it's important to stay in touch with your roots.
What you seem to fear is an extreme the other way, of people only speaking the native language and not bothering to learn english. but how often does this really even happen? Yes it shouldnt be the case. When people come to work, they have to speak english. But you seem want everyone else to favour what your family did - lose their heritage. Balance is surely the key.
In the US the emphasis is on complete assimilation towards the white European origin Anglo-American "norm" but in Europe, the emphasis is on integration. In the EU we generally use English as a common language.
You've spoken before of the idea that if immigrants all mass together in solid communities then there is no incentive to integrate. In that case, it is true that language skills may come slower, but ultimately if these people want to survive, they will get a job. In order to do that, they need to learn english. I dont know how you picture the UK welfare state but its not actually as easy as you might think to be on benefits these days - and to survive.
I read something interesting today that harks back to a previous point that i made - that integration is a two way relationship, with responsibilities on both parties. Yes to an extent - first arrival immigrants do certainly group together. It is a security thing - to create a base on which to merge into mainstream society. But host governments play a part too.
Yes integration can fail, it can also be very successful. Why are you such a pessimist? Is it because you cling on to a sentence from Merkel years ago saying that people need to learn the native language?
here is what i read: Marginal benefits
Quote: Asylum-seekers are sent to the poorest parts of Britain. What happens next?
ONCE, Britain’s asylum-seekers could live where they pleased, but since 1999 they have been sent to a few places, mostly on Britain’s margins. These districts tend to be poor: Middlesbrough, which has the country’s highest number of asylum-seekers per person, also has its largest proportion of deprived neighbourhoods. Since most of Britain takes almost no asylum-seekers, officials in “dispersal areas” often complain this is unfair. Simon Danzuck, MP for Rochdale, which has Britain’s second-highest concentration of asylum-seekers, recently grumbled that his constituency is being used as a dumping ground.
 In some ways the policy is a good one. It sends asylum-seekers to places where housing is cheap and plentiful (houses in Middlesbrough sold for less than half Britain’s average in December 2015; many of the houses asylum-seekers now live in were previously boarded up). And the habit of concentrating refugees in the same places over many years may actually help integration. One theory goes that fellow ex-countrymen have a protective effect on new migrants; and, although tensions remain, locals tend to become more welcoming after years of new arrivals, says Heather Petch of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a think-tank.
This can be seen in Stockton, in north-east England, which has Britain’s fourth-highest number of asylum-seekers per person. Teatime drop-ins have grown into dedicated asylum-support groups; charity workers reminisce proudly about refugee children who are now at university. Growing groups of migrants have created demand for particular food and clothing: some refugees have set themselves up in the catering businesses. Bini Arai, who arrived in Middlesbrough from Eritrea 15 years ago and now runs a basement drop-in centre for asylum-seekers, says the community has become more supportive.
The main problem is that these areas have higher-than-average unemployment rates, and that people tend to stay there once granted asylum, rather than finding work elsewhere. According to Kath Sainsbury, who works for a refugee charity in Stockton, it is almost impossible to move on unless you already have a job lined up. Local authorities are obliged to provide refugees with welfare only if they have already been living in the area. There is also often a gap between the end of asylum assistance and the start of state benefits, meaning that people cannot afford to travel and must fall back on local shelters to avoid homelessness.
Few have jobs lined up. And although local businesses have learned to value industrious new refugees, says Ms Petch, it is hard to make connections with employers elsewhere if you don’t speak much English. English teaching is both patchy and in the wrong patches. One refugee charity in Bolton says it is the district’s only service offering formal English lessons, and the waiting list is around six months.
Asylum claims also take a long time to be processed, which means that claimants get rooted in a place. Gulwali Passarlay, an Afghan refugee originally placed in Kent, says it took a friend 15 years to gain refugee status from a dispersal area near Birmingham, and by that time he had seven young children in a local school.
Alexander Betts of Oxford University believes the Home Office could start placing asylum-seekers according to skills shortages in local areas. This might not be enough. Britain’s history of refugees includes stories of great success, such as the Ugandan Asians and the Vietnamese boat people. But these involve free movement and have city backdrops. The IMF found that Europe’s current crop of refugees could raise economic growth if integrated well into the job market. Britain’s restrictive policy may mean it loses out.
--------------------
War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength
|