The 23rd of April, representatives for DRW participated in a network meeting with Coordination North, an important operator within the field of integration for newcomers in the Stockholm region.
Among others, DRW met Josefin Daleskog who is coordinating strategist for the coordination in the north of Stockholm; this is administered by Sollentuna municipality. She told us that the target group for Coordination North is individuals covered under the Ordinance (2010:1122) on government compensation for measures towards certain foreigners, which also covers unaccompanied children and minors.
DRW presented our activities for the network participants. DRW, also, shared the result from our first study on newcomers with non-normative abilities’ experiences of the Swedish reception.
Among other things, DRW highlighted transportation, which was described as a problem in interviews with the target group. Some informants drew attention to the need for more accessible transport, for example, to visit health care units. DRW’s experience is also that there are no possibilities for transportation, for instance, to the monthly drop-ins or other activities that DRW organise for the target group. Different solutions, involving volunteer initiatives and civil society commitments, have been discussed but coordination on the local level is still needed to handle this problem.
The meeting resulted in a discussion on how future cooperation could be organised. DRW has experience-based knowledge of the needs of newcomers with non-normative abilities, which will be essential for developing the work with integration and reception of newcomers with non-normative abilities living in the north of Stockholm.
Short on Coordination North
Coordination North is a network where 15 municipalities in the north part of Stockholm county cooperate with the aim of strengthening the municipal reception of refugees. It is strategic cooperation involving among other things:
- Exchange of experiences from refugee reception.
- Mutual knowledge development.
- The joint pursuit of issues.
- The running of joint projects.
The strategy started as a project 2012 and was made into a jointly financed permanent operation for the participating municipalities in 2014.
Participating municipalities:
Danderyd
Ekerö
Järfälla
Lidingö
Norrtälje
Sigtuna
Sollentuna
Solna
Sundbyberg
Täby
Upplands-Bro
Upplands Väsby
Vallentuna
Vaxholm
Österåker