The Integration Centre is a non-governmental organisation which is committed to the integration and inclusion of people from immigrant backgrounds in Ireland.

This year’s Gala All Ireland Camogie Finals will celebrate diversity in Ireland with 200 families from new communities attending the Association’s premier sporting event on Sunday September 12th in Croke Pak.

 

Jo Ahern CEO ISICI, and Wale Mogaji Head of Communications, spoke on Thursday last, in Trinity on the future for the asylum process. The lecture was entitled The Common European Asylum Process; Where to Now? Dr Rosemary Byrne, a senior lecturer in the Law Faculty also spoke at the event.

Many fear for the most vulnerable in society, during an economic downturn. Often unable to advocate for themselves, it is important that NGOs continue to work towards the protection of the rights of those that would otherwise go unaided. The Integration and Social Inclusion Centre Ireland (ISICI) provides a nationwide information service for immigrants in the area of immigration, international protection and integration and draws on the expertise of a national network of more than 230 community and voluntary organisations.

The Integration Centre today engaged with people from immigrant backgrounds at the first meeting of the Centre’s network of organisations in 2010, held at the New Oak Community Centre, Carlow.

The Integration Centre has called for the monitoring of integration worldwide to determine the level of immigrant engagement in society. This information will lead to a targeted response to what is lacking in national systems, and prevent the wastage of invaluable resources. Josephine Ahern, CEO of The Integration Centre, made the call in furtherance of the Stockholm Programme which identified a set of integration indicators, including education, employment and active citizenship, agreed by the EU in Nov 2009. This call coincides with World Refugee Day which is to be celebrated around the world on the 20th June.

Lord Mayor of Dublin, Gerry Breen will today launch The Integration Centre. The Centre is the first of its kind in Ireland, and will engage in the monitoring of immigrant to inform legislation, policy and practice.

The Integration Centre, in collaboration with the EU READI project, is helping to promote employment in Ireland through a series of workshops and the production of manuals which assist immigrants in the job market.

Details of Ireland’s first International Gospel Music Festival will be unveiled at 10.30am tomorrow, Friday, 3rd September, in the Conference Centre, Edmund Rice House, O’Connell Schools, North Richmond Street, Dublin 1.

Community groups, members of county councils, the HSE, GAA and a number of other entities met today(13/10/10) to discuss the future of integration for Ireland.
Integration planning has been a feature of governance in most EU countries for a number of years. However as Ireland’s history has been one defined more by net emigration than immigration, we are only now recognizing the need to plan for this in Ireland.

A coalition of seven national and regional organisations has called on legislators to drop provisions in the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill 2010 that would allow for the summary removal of migrants, when they meet to discuss the draft legislation tomorrow (Friday 5 Nov).