Within a short period of time, the Netherlands transformed itself from a relatively tolerant country to a nation that called for cultural assimilation, tough measures and neo-patriotism. The discursive genre of 'new realism' played a crucial role in this retreat from multiculturalism, and that had a dual effect for immigrant women. Whereas formerly they were virtually ignored by both the integration and the emancipation policy, since the triumph of new realism they are in the centre of both policy lines and there is now more policy attention for their needs and interests. Yet in the public debate the culture card is drawn frequently and immigrant women are portrayed as either victims or accomplices of their oppressive cultures. Policy makers and practitioners in the field, however, succeeded in avoiding cultural stereotyping by developing cultural-sensitive measures, while naming them in culture-blind terms.
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This report maps different programs that supportrefugees on the road to entrepreneurship. The municipality of The Hague, along with the refugee and migrant support organization EnterStart (MigrantINC) asked for an evaluation of the program The Hague Test Garden (from now on called The Test Garden) where refugees can ask for help starting their own businesses. The evaluation is not just based on the experiences in The Test Garden; other programs have been included in the evaluation to come to a broader view of the road to entrepreneurship and the obstacles encountered. The increased inflow of refugees in Dutch society and on the Dutch labor market has generated different support programs for starting-up a business. Some of these programs already existed but shifted to accommodate the needs of this specific target group. Other programs were initiated to support refugees because of perceived barriers in Dutch society. Most programs are private initiatives, funded on a project basis. In the Netherlands, refugees that hold a residence permit are called ‘status holders’. Upon arrival, they received a temporary permit for at least five years. They need to follow a civic integration and language program and they are expected to be part of the (regular) education system or labor market as soon as possible. The Test Garden started in 2016, a time when multiple support systems for refugee-entrepreneurs began their programs. This report starts with a short overview ofrefugee flows to the Netherlands. The main part of the report consists of the comparison and evaluation of the different programs. The information was gathered through literature, websites, and in-depth interviews with program managers and others involved. Interviews with the participants are only included for The Test Garden (Appendix 1 gives an overview of the meetings and interviews). LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karijn-nijhoff-89589316/
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Om actief te kunnen deelnemen aan de samenleving, moet iemand toegang hebben tot financiële diensten. Onze samenleving wordt steeds meer divers, mobiliteit en sociale media beiden nieuwe kansen voor ondernemende mensen. Ondernemers zijn niet meer plaats gebonden en kennen geen grenzen als zij markten verkennen. Werk en ondernemen worden steeds meer in combinatie opgepakt. Oude vormen ondernemen en werken verdwijnen snel. Deze hybride vormen van ondernemen vragen om een kijk op financiële ondersteuning. Banken die daar niet op inspelen zullen zien dat mensen zelf het heft in handen nemen. Crowdfunding, P2P platforms, en informele spaar – een leen groepen komen snel op als reactie daarop. Mensen willen weer zeggenschap en controle hebben over hun geld. In het buitenland is gebleken dat microfinanciering een goed instrument is om mensen die buitengesloten zijn, weer bij de maatschappij te betrekken ( Financial Inclusion). Microfinanciering leert anders te denken over geld en ondernemend handelen. Microkredieten bewijzen dat je waarde kunt genereren door maatschappelijk verantwoord handelen en de relatie tussen mensen en organisaties weer centraal te stellen. Ondernemende mensen, die worden ondersteund door microfinanciering, blijken vaker voor nieuwe (meng)vormen van ondernemen te kiezen, waarbij het sociale of maatschappelijk belang ook een belangrijke rol speelt ( New Entrepreneurship). Nederland en andere Europese landen kunnen veel leren van de ontwikkelingen die door microfinanciering in ontwikkelingslanden zijn ingezet. Door terugkoppeling (Reversed Transfer of Knowledge South – North) kan deze kennis bijdragen aan de totstandkoming van meer klantgerichte financiële diensten voor ondernemende mensen, ongeacht hun nationaliteit of sociaal-economische status.
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