Integration foundation launches competition in support of sports and cultural activities
The Integration and Migration Foundation has launched a project competition designed to support the organization of sports and cultural activities in 2016. The competition is open to events which inspire and involve people who live in Estonia but come from other cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
"Nothing supports integration more effectively than working together and actual, practical contact between people," said Anne-Ly Reimaa, a deputy secretary-general with the Ministry of Culture. "Our goal is to give people additional opportunities to get together and talk to one another, so they can take the step from language immersion to the implementation of practical skills in the language environment through sports and cultural activities."
The competition is designed to support joint activities and cooperation projects in the fields of sport and culture, which foster a more cohesive Estonian society, encouraging people from different cultural backgrounds to interact more and do things together. "For a cohesive society to work it’s important to contribute to people of different nationalities coming together," said Jana Tondi, the director of cultural immersion with the Integration Foundation. "We have to create opportunities for them to do things together and attend all sorts of events."
Projects may be submitted to the competition by legal entities governed by private or public law, local authorities and the agencies managed by them. The projects may be in two fields. "First, we’re looking for ideas for sports events that foster contact between people of different nationalities," Tondi explained. "They could be large-scale, popular events or team events that enable people from different cultural backgrounds to take part. The other area is cultural activities that boost integration and inclusion. This could involve organizing performances, festivals, concerts, exhibitions or lectures, or for example translating children and young adult fiction, with the aim of showcasing the cultures and traditions of different people, and to involve people in joint activities."
Projects should be submitted with a planned budget and additional documents to the Integration Foundation by 10:00 on January 12, 2016. The competition documentation and guidelines are available on the foundation’s website. The budget for the competition is 79,175 euros.
Those interested in applying are invited to attend an information day on December 21. More information here.
"Promotion of a unified field of information through cultural and sporting activities" project competitions have been organized by the Integration Foundation since 2014. The competition is being financed by the Ministry of Culture.
Editor: M. Oll