City districts and the integration of foreigners

Statistical data and good experience

The Ministry of Interior has again published informative numbers of foreigners living in various city districts this year. Read our article to find out which districts do foreigners most commonly live in and an overview of the activities that the selected districts implement to support integration.

Which districts do foreigners most commonly live in?

15 out of 57 city districts (MČ in Czech) have already exceeded a threshold of 20% of foreigners living in them – as of the overview published on the website of the Ministry of Interior on the 1st of January 2022. They are the following: Prague 1, 2, 3, 5, 9,18, 22 and the districts of Kunratice, Libuš, Řeporyje, Zličín, Nebušice, Březiněves, Dolní Měcholupy, and Štěrboholy. Other districts, such as Prague 7, 13, and 14, are nearing the 20% threshold.

These numbers, however, only take into account foreigners with a valid visa or residence permit. 

Good experience aka Integration activities of city districts worth noting

Some City district authorities have been involved in the integration of foreigners for many years. They have a well-developed framework of integration activities for both foreign and majority citizens. These activities include multicultural events, educating city officials and pedagogical staff on the topic of integration, or teaching Czech and sociocultural orientation of children and adult foreigners. The city districts usually receive funding for these activities through so-called projects to support the integration of foreigners at a regional scale, financed by the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic and also the Prague City Hall. 

Below you can find some examples:

  • Prague 4 District is carrying out a “Pedagogical task group on the integration of foreigners” aimed at pedagogical staff of Prague 4 schools working with children with a different mother tongue. The task group presents activities that the district offers to pedagogical staff under the “Žijeme na čtyřce společně (Living together in Prague 4)“, thus creating a place to share and receive a good experience. Notes from the task group can be found HERE.
  • Prague 7 District’s town hall magazine Hobulet publishes a regular column “What’s up” with a concise summary of the most important district information. The column is in English, and newly also in Ukrainian. A collection of past entries can be found HERE. 
  • Prague 11 District is working on a project of civic and political engagement in cooperation with Inbáze. They’re trying to get the district’s foreign residents, local associations and organizations to participate. More information can be found HERE.
  • Prague 12 District is implementing “Příběhy našich sousedů (Our neighbors’ stories)” project in cooperation with Post Bellum organization. Children from Prague 12 record memories of Czech and foreign contemporary witnesses, which will be kept for future generations in the Paměť národa archive. You can see the results yielded HERE
  • Prague 15 District has compiled a “Toulání Prahou 15 (Wandering Prague 15)” storybook that, using fairytales and poems, guides children and their parents through various places in the district. The district then translated it into Ukrainian and Vietnamese. It’s designed to be used in foreigners’ families, as well as in kindergartens and elementary schools. 
  • Prague 11, 13, and 14 Districts have their own street/community workers for foreigners (e.g. for Vietnamese or Russian+Ukrainian communities). They actively seek out the district’s foreign residents, inform them about available services and offer their professional assistance, including accompaniment services to government offices, doctors, etc. 
  • Prague 3, 7, 11, 12, 13, and other districts have basic information about the district authority and activities that the district offers foreigners on their websites. This information is translated to multiple languages, e.g. English, Russian, Ukrainian or Vietnamese. 

ICP’s part in the integration of foreigners at a local scale

Since its creation, ICP has been supporting and closely cooperating with city districts through networking, sharing good experience, providing methodological materials, or educating government officials. Another key cooperation component is intercultural work in the form of interpreting during foreigners’ visits to government offices or providing translations.

Should you have any questions regarding this topic, please do not hesitate to reach out to our networking specialist Kateřina Bucher Jará at sitovani@icpraha.com.