The movement of refugees and migrants worldwide has increased since WWII. This has created challenges for cross cultural understanding. The International Centre for Cultures and Languages (Internationales Zentrum für Kulturen und Sprachen, or ICCL) in Austria paired police officers with immigrants and refugees. ICCL has works to encourage understanding and reduce discrimination.
Changing Immigration Patterns in Austria
There has been significant immigration to Austria since the 1970s. But the profile of the immigrant populations has changed greatly in the ensuing decades. In the 1970s, workers from Turkey and the former Yugoslavia were invited to fill jobs. Since the 1980s, the immigrants tend to come from Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia. Many are asylum seekers. These later immigrants experience even more discrimination than their guest worker predecessors.
This discrimination occurs in society in general, but also in areas like the police force. Several high-profile confrontations between police and migrants in the 1990s brought the issue to the forefront. Having never had the chance to interact with immigrants or refugees, many police officers held negative stereotypes about these populations.
Tandem© Pairing: A Unique Approach to Building Relationships
ICCL used the idea of tandem pairing, a tactic first used in language learning, to combat these issues. In tandem pairing, partners from two different cultures (or who speak two different languages) meet and share what they know. Each partner is both a teacher and a learner.
With the help of the Austrian Ministry of the Interior, ICCL developed a seven-month police-training course in human rights. The “Police Action in a Multicultural Society” program. The program consists of twelve classes and seven Tandem© program seminars. During the twelve classes, the police participants discuss human rights issues as they relate to police work, immigrants and refugees. The Tandem© seminars offer the participants an opportunity to connect with a member of the Austrian immigrant community. These community members are a key part of the course. Between 20 and 25 police officers and an equivalent number of immigrants take the course each year.
The Tandem© partnership allows police officers and immigrants to get to know each other on a personal, rather than professional, level. The officer and partner do activities together. These activities may include working on an agreed upon project, going out to eat, watching a football match, or taking a walk. The officers learn about their partner’s family, job, and culture. They are often surprised to find that their partner’s life is not so different from their own. These partnerships make it possible to dismantle negative stereotypes about immigrants. At the same time these partnerships help immigrants to understand and be more comfortable around the police.
Importance of Community Involvement
ICCL takes care in selecting the immigrant participants and in pairing them with police officers. Immigrant participants must have:
- knowledge of German
- a residence permit for Austria
- be in good standing with the law
- be self-confident and
- be willing to discuss and share their personal life experiences.
They should also be willing to commit to participation in the entire program. ICCL has potential participants meet with former migrant participant to give them a better idea of what to expect. ICCL also provides monetary compensation to migrant participants. When pairing migrants with police officers, ICCL takes into account:
- age
- where participants live, and
- their flexibility in regards to travel.
Some migrant participants are very young, so they are not paired with the oldest police officers. Participants who live near each other or who can travel easily will have more opportunities to meet outside of organized sessions. This can add to the success of the program. ICCL sought willing participants on both the police and migrants sides. A reluctant participant can create a negative experience for his or her partner and the rest of the Tandem© group.
Structure of the Tandem© Seminars
ICCL also carefully organizes the Tandem© seminars. Seminars last four hours, with one meeting a month over the course of seven months. A seminar generally consists of the following:
- time for discussion
- group activities that help participants learn more about one another, and
- breaks in the schedule.
ICCL staff organizers found that many meaningful conversations and connections occur in those more informal settings. Sample activities include sharing the meanings of one’s name, talking about the stages of one’s life and the events that shaped them, and learning about the greetings used in different cultures.
Each seminar focuses on a different issue. These include identity, culture, prejudice, discrimination/racism, use of language, and the courage to stand up for one’s beliefs. On the last evening, participants celebrate with a concert, a banquet and a presentation of joint projects.
An effective setting for the experience must be created. ICCL kept the setting neutral and the dress informal. The seating arrangements were casual to help discussion. Snacks and beverages were also provided to help participants bond.
Application in Other Contexts
Police officers in Austria were not used to interacting with African and Asian populations. ICCL found that in the Netherlands, many people from those backgrounds were in fact members of the police force. So the issues were different. The organization has found success in transmitting the program to Hungary.
For more information on this tactic, read our in-depth case study.
