Today we are launching the website for our research project ‘’Learning Crossroads for Refugee Inclusion’’. This project researches citizens’ initiatives whose mandates are centred on the promotion of the social participation and inclusion of refugees in the Netherlands. There has been a significant rise in the formation of (in)formal initiatives since 2015 as a response to the increased arrivals of refugees in the Netherlands in recent years. These initiatives address numerous stages in the lives of refugees, ranging from the initial arrival when a newcomer seeks practical assistance in navigating their host country to helping refugees build a future in a new society.

Visitors can find a myriad of initiatives on the website’s home page and you can search each initiative based on a mapping of their location. If you click on a specific city, you will be redirected to the initiative available in that city, a description of their work, target audience as well as a link to their website. There is also the option of browsing the section ‘’Initiatives’’, where you will find an alphabetical overview of the initiatives that are spread throughout the country.

The ‘Stories’ section will provide initiatives with the opportunity to post about their own experiences as related to the themes they work on, the strides that they are making and the challenges they experience. These narratives will be shared in blog-form. The ‘About’ section of the website contains information concerning what drives the ‘’Learning Crossroads for Refugee Inclusion’’ project, its participants, the team behind the website and a list of relevant publications.

The website seeks to provide a platform that allows different initiatives to connect, cooperate and exchange lessons learned. It also plays an integral role in ensuring the visibility and sustainability of such initiatives. In that sense, the ‘’Learning Crossroads for Refugee Inclusion’’ website is a unique platform that resonates with not only other initiatives, but it is also of interest to a wide range of practitioners from the refugee-realm, including official authorities, municipalities, policymakers as well as, of course, refugees themselves.

The website is a dynamic environment that is continuously supplemented with new initiatives. We are therefore always looking for new initiatives to add to our website. If you are involved in an initiative that is not yet listed on our website, please let us know, so that we can also include your initiative on our website. Please do not hesitate to contact us for this.

Feel free to peruse the website and leave behind any comments, questions or remarks that you may have!

You can find the new website here: www.refugeeacademy-learningcrossroads.nl