JANUARY 2011

 

Electronic Estonian language learning kits for special purposes in the areas of security and health care, which were commissioned by the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA), were recently completed.

 

The learning kits are available for all instructors, students, and other interested parties in the web portal www.kutsekeel.ee, which is administered by MISA.

 

The learning kits for both areas include learning materials, audio materials, and an instructor’s manual. “The Power of Justice” (“Õiguse jõud”), the Estonian language learning kit for special purposes, which is intended for people employed in the area of security, was developed by InterAct & Projektid and the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences (Sisekaitseakadeemia), and the health care language kit was prepared by Tallinn Health Care College (Tallinna Tervishoiu Kõrgkool). The creators of the health care textbook were Ene Kotkas, Margit Tamberg, Siret Piirsalu, and Anne Illopmägi, and the creators of the security textbook were Mare Kitsnik and Signe Abel.

 

The learning kits were prepared within the framework of the procurement “Learning materials of the Estonian language for special purposes for the employees of security and health care areas and the training of instructors”. As a result of the procurement, in addition to preparing the learning kits, trainings on how to use the kits were also conducted with instructors and teachers of the Estonian language as a second language as the main participants.

 

The preparation of the learning kits and the training of the instructors were financed by the Ministry of Education and Research.

 

For further information, please contact: Kristina Johannes, Coordinator, Lifelong Learning Unit, tel 659 9065, e-mail kristina.johannes@meis.ee

 

 

In January, the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People in co-operation with the Ministry of Culture announced an application round for base-line funding of culture societies of national minorities in the framework of which the activities of culture societies of national minorities will be supported through umbrella organisations. Applications for the competition are expected to be filed by 2^nd February. The conditions of the competition are available on the foundation’s homepage.

 

Only umbrella organisations and their member societies that have passed the evaluation conducted by the Office of the Minister of Population and Ethnic Affairs (Rahvastikuministri Büroo) in 2008 or by the Ministry of Culture in 2009 may apply for base-line funding. The relevant list is published on the Ministry of Culture web page.

 

The goal of the application round is to find co-operation partners of various nationalities united under umbrella organisations to partner the state. The goal of the co-operation partners is to introduce the uniqueness of different cultures, support the activities of national culture societies in preserving, promoting, and introducing their national cultural heritage, acknowledge and inform Estonian society of multiculturalism in Estonia, and for further co-operation with each other and between Estonian culture societies.

 

For further information, please contact: Kristina Pirgop, Coordinator, Culture and Youth Work Unit, tel 659 9024, E-mail kristina.pirgop@meis.ee  

 

The Governing Board of the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA) approved the renewed principles for granting migration support at their December meeting. The renewed rules will become effective on 1^st January 2011.

 

The need to renew these principles was primarily due to the changeover to the euro. The support amounts were calculated into euro; for the beneficiaries, the support amounts increased slightly compared to the previous amounts.

 

From 1^st January 2011, the maximum amount of return support is 2,000 euro, which is slightly higher than the previous 30,000 kroons. The aim of the support is to help Estonians or nationals of Estonia who have lived abroad for at least 10 years to compensate the expenditures related to their return and to facilitate their adjustment back to life in Estonia.

 

The maximum amount of remigration support is 1,000 euro from 1^st January. This sum is also a little higher compared to the previous 15,000 kroons. The remigration support is meant for European third-country nationals who have lived in Estonia for at least 10 years and plan to leave Estonia and need financial support. The European third-country nationals are persons who are not nationals of the European Union, the member countries of the European Economic Area (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein), or the Swiss Confederation.

 

According to Martin Eber, the Head of Civil Education and Migration Unit, the applicants of remigration support should bear in mind that the processing of applications takes time. For example, the applications filed at the offices of the Police and Boarder Guard Board outside Tallinn may be delayed up to two weeks before they arrive at MISA. “In order to ensure support for the applicant before they leave Estonia, it is advisable to file the documents as soon as they are collected together. Besides, it must be taken into account that all payments are made through the State Treasury system, which also lengthens the procedure. The application form with the supportive documents should arrive at MISA at least two weeks before the applicant actually leaves Estonia,“ Martin Eber explained.

 

For further information, please contact: Martin Eber, Head of Civil Education and Migration Unit, tel 659 9067, e-mail martin.eber@meis.ee

 

 

 

In the framework of the project competition “Common media field” („Ühine meediaväli“), support is granted to two radio series of Raadio 4 and the etnoweb.ee and sekundomer.ee news portals. Support was allocated in the total amount of around 436,000 kroons. The activities will be implemented in 2011.

 

The project “Common home” („Ühine kodu“) of the Estonian Public Broadcasting was supported in the radio category. Raadio 4 will broadcast a five-part talk radio series “Social Contract” („Ühiskondlik leping“, “Общественный договор”) from April to June 2011. A 10-part series “Let’s All Have a Picnic!” („Kõik piknikule“, „Все на пикник!“), which will introduce listeners to manorial culture: Estonian manors and historic people related to them, will be aired from June to September 2011.

 

MTÜ Etnoweb’s project “Multimedia and interactive development of the national minorities portal” („Vähemusrahvuste portaali multimeedia ja interaktiivne areng“) and MTÜ Sekundomer’s project “Common media field” were the projects supported from the news portals. During the project, MTÜ Etnoweb will update the portal www.etnoweb.ee and add an online-glossary, surveys, feedback form, video gallery, photo bank, archive, and more. MTÜ Sekundomer will supplement the Estonian language version of the sports portal www.sekundomer.ee and add a feature to the portal that would allow for the transmission of video clips and interviews from sports competitions.

The projects are financed by the European Fund for the Integration fo Thrd-Country Nationals and the Ministry of Culture.

For further information, please contact: Kersti Peterson, Co-ordinator of Civic Education and Migration Unit. Tel 659 9034, e-mail: kersti.peterson@meis.ee