Integration offers for young people

New arrivals have many questions: What will happen in the coming weeks and months? Who will support me if I need help? Where can I go to school and learn the German language? How can I spend my free time? There are answers to many questions. Many networks, advice centres and youth and refugee organizations are there to support you. You can find helpful offers and contact addresses here.

It's not easy to find your feet in a new country when everything is different: the environment, the language, the cultural habits, rules and expectations. But you don't have to do it alone. Many people will help you to settle in Germany. They offer you support with school and the authorities, help you with everyday challenges and invite you to join in activities and projects. This will help you make contact with other young people more quickly and feel more at home in your new city.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, there is a municipal integration center in every district and municipality. You can obtain further information on local educational opportunities from the teachers employed there.

Learning the German language and attending school are the most important prerequisites for a successful future. For this reason, all children and young people who come to North Rhine-Westphalia as asylum seekers and are of school age are given access to the education system as soon as possible after their arrival - regardless of whether they have prospects of staying or not.

The lessons prepare you for attending a regular school after your stay in the central accommodation facility (ZUE). The school-related lessons in learning groups take place in the ZUE. There, teachers teach German language skills, but also general knowledge and skills in mathematics, social studies and science, as well as the rules of everyday German school life and social interaction.

Classes are held regularly 5 days a week with 5 lessons of 45 minutes each. There are no lessons during the school vacations.

The staff at the youth migration services in North Rhine-Westphalia support young people like you who are new to our country. They help you to settle into your new city and find a suitable language course. They will also support you in dealing with the authorities or in finding a training place.

You can find all the important information and contact details about this free advice service here on Familienportal.NRW under the keyword "Jugendmigrationsdienste".

You're probably wondering what you can do in your free time and where you can make contact with other young people. In North Rhine-Westphalia, you have many options. For example, in sports clubs in your town. Or you can simply drop by the youth center. The doors are wide open for young people with a history of immigration in the facilities for open child and youth work. There is sure to be a youth center near where you live. All children and young people are invited to spend their free time together, for example chilling out, listening to music, playing games or table football.

Singing, drumming, dancing, acting or rapping: What is your talent? The working groups for cultural youth work and the youth art schools in North Rhine-Westphalia organize a wide range of projects in all artistic disciplines in which you can actively participate. No matter what language you speak or what experience you have, you can try out your skills, get creative and come into contact with other young people at many of the facilities run by the Landesvereinigung Kulturelle Jugendarbeit e.V. (State Association for Cultural Youth Work).

You can find out more about current projects and offers on the website of the Landesvereinigung Kulturelle Jugendarbeit NRW and on the website of the Jugendkunstschulen.

Life without digital media: unthinkable, right? Videos, apps, websites, podcasts and many digital platforms help young people like you to find their way around their new home, keep in touch with family and friends, listen to music, watch films and play games - but also to overcome language barriers or search for information. The "Digital dabei 9.0" project shows how young refugees can benefit from active media work.

The project takes place at several locations in North Rhine-Westphalia. Together with other young people, you can create interviews, film contributions, radio broadcasts or photo exhibitions. The active media work helps you to explore your immediate surroundings, get in touch with other people and bring your point of view to the public.

13 member organizations of the Landesarbeitsgemeinschaft Lokale Medienarbeit NRW e.V. are participating in this project. All information and locations can be found on the website digital-dabei.de.