Get out there to get in here!

Read this article in Norwegian here.

Researchers believe Norwegian outdoor life contributes to good integration. This is the starting point for an Innovation Action led by the Eastern Norway Research Institute.

Immigrants in many cases are crucial for the small municipalities in the rural areas of Gudbrandsdalen, four hours North of the Norwegian capital, Oslo.

“Ethnic Norwegians move to the cities”, researcher Tor Arnesen explains. “It is immigration from abroad that attenuates the decline in population in the rural areas. Inclusion of immigrants is of course important for long-term development.”

New solutions for inclusion and integration have to be found.

As part of a SIMRA Innovation Action, Tor Arnesen and his colleague Mari Bjerck have organised an innovation seminar for representatives from different refugee and immigrant services in the remote area of Gudbrandsdalen. Special guest at the seminar is Havva Curkukaya, head of inclusion of the Norwegian Trekking Association in Drammen, Norway’s 6th biggest city with a 28% immigrant population. Havva Curkukaya is originally from Turkey, and she has managed to inspire many people with multicultural background to get out in the great Norwegian nature.

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