Browsing by Subject "leikkipuistot"

This Master’s thesis examines the prerequisites of successful integration services. In my thesis I examine the Kotoklubi Kaneli integration service organized by the city of Helsinki as part of the integration of immigrant women. The purpose of Kotoklubi Kaneli is to offer experiential learning of the Finnish language for adults and children in the playgrounds and family houses of Helsinki. In my thesis I study the significance of playground services for the integration of immigrant women through the perspective of participants as well as employees (instructors). My research question is: What prerequisites of successful integration services are there in the City of Helsinki’s playground services? Finnish integration politics have reached a turning point and are considered to need reform. According to remarks given to the state of Finland, Finnish integration politics should focus more on better integrating women and children. Discussions and decision making concerning integration often occurs without the participation of target groups. This renders decision making dynamics discriminatory and leads to an imbalance of power. Therefore, my research examines the service through the experiences of its participants. The purpose is to provide information in order to improve the integration services specifically in Helsinki and Finland, but also elsewhere. This thesis represents the field of urban sociology and pioneer research, since research on the integration processes and the significance of social networks for immigrant women is scarce. This thesis also represents a piece of feminist research, as it is research conducted by a woman about women (a predominantly female clientele) and for women (to improve their integration processes). The research data consists of interviews with participants and instructors (n=15). The focus on women is based on the fact that a large proportion of the participants are women, as are all of the interviewed participants in this study. The data has been analysed through content analysis and is based on grounded theory. The analysis groups excerpts from the interviews as significations and entities of significations that describe the studied phenomenon. The theoretical framework that supports the analysis is based mainly on the theories of Mark Granovetter (1973) on weak ties, Judith Lynam’s (1985) research on support networks of immigrant women and the model of different forms of social capital (BR, BO+ and BO–) by Nannestad et al. (2008). The theoretical framework also discusses Otherness, resocialisation and the structure of integration services. The core finding emerging from research is that the prerequisite of successful integration services is the successful realization of an unofficial integration process that is connected to social interaction, wherein a participant or user of a service feels that they are met and accepted without prejudice as their true self. This creates a crucially important atmosphere suitable for learning and integration through the social interaction that is based on trust. Immigrant people are just like anyone who finds themselves in a new environment and whose need for help is ample, but specifically concerns social interaction amidst a lack of relations in a strange environment. My results complement those of earlier studies on the significance of social networks in the integration processes. If the realised quality of the service corresponds with the needs of its target group, people will wish to participate. These participants in turn enable a successful service together with its executors, that is, the employees. The flexibility of the employees is significant in enabling the service, but their work seems to suffer if the service is governed and measured with disregard to the expertise of the employees. The results can be applied in improving integration processes and services for early support.