Transition Management

Just one year after the Goethe-Institut carried out its study on managing the transition from pre-integration in the home country to the integration course in Germany, some of the key recommendations made in the study have already been implemented. A new website, My Path to Germany, contains a wide range of innovative language learning offers as well as accessible, easy-to-use information for migrants and a guide to (migration) advisory services.

Funded by the European Integration Fund (EIF), the project aims to optimise the transition from the pre-integration language courses and information and advisory services abroad to the initial language teaching and further integration measures provided by the Federal Government in Germany. The website created for this purpose, My Path to Germany, will therefore improve and consolidate the language and orientation skills acquired during the pre-integration process. Furthermore, by using the website, this particular group of learners will develop a range of other skills that are essential in every-day life in Germany, such as how to use various types of media, along with the basic knowledge of Germany that will ease their initial transition into their new lives.

My Path to Germany currently consists of the following three learning components: “Let’s practise German!”, “Living in Germany” and “Getting help”, as well as “Frequently asked questions”. Over the next two years of the project, an interactive community will also be established to facilitate exchange among migrants, and the three learning components will be progressively expanded.

Let’s practise German!

“Let’s practise German!” forms the core of the website, with various offers to maintain the target group’s A1 level of language proficiency. For example, a “mini-series” entitled “First steps in Germany” focuses on the every-day challenges which new arrivals are likely to encounter during their first few weeks in Germany. In the mini-series, which initially consists of five episodes, the main character Nevin Coşkun seeks and finds works, makes new friends, and copes with various other every-day situations in Germany. For each episode, there are also various exercises available on the project website.

Two other innovative highlights to encourage users to practise their German are the browser game “Invitation to the wedding” and the interactive story “Love in German”. In the browser game, players use various search screens to identify matching objects from the A1 vocabulary so that the game can continue to the next level. The “Love in German” concept is a response to the target group’s wish for short, motivating texts to practise their reading skills: after each paragraph, the user must choose how the character should react, thus deciding how the plot unfolds.

Living in Germany & frequently asked questions

Besides the content which is intended to motivate users to maintain their language proficiency, the “Living in Germany” pages contain texts with practical information on every-day topics of relevance to the target group, such as shopping, housing and life with children. The topics are presented in an accessible, easy-to-use format and over the course of the project will be translated into the languages spoken in the main countries of origin.

The “Frequently asked questions” supplement this offer by providing answers about specific topics relating to every-day life in Germany. The texts are designed in a manner which ensures that there is no duplication between their content and that of thematically similar websites such as “Welcome to Germany” (BAMF) and “Make it in Germany“. Links to these websites are included in most of the articles.

Getting help

The third major component of the website consists of the “Getting help” pages. Here, migrants can access information about advisory services, a little known-concept in some cultures of origin. These pages also offer a practical guide to the migration advisory services available to users.

Outlook

The latest version of the website will be piloted by the end of the project term in December 2014 and will be revised on that basis. It will then be gradually expanded as new content and sub-projects are added; these will include its own community, an interactive map of Germany with search functions for migration advisory services and integration course providers at destinations in Germany, and research and language training apps for download to mobile phones.

Visit the website “My Path to Germany”:
www.goethe.de/mwnd