Welcome to the CR Film Now Available in Hindi and Turkish

Photo: vitejtevcr.cz

The Slovo 21 organisation has expanded the selection of language versions of the Welcome to the CR film. The key film screened at the adaptation and integration courses can now be watched in Hindi and Turkish, so that essential information on foreigners’ rights and responsibilities in the Czech Republic is available in more languages.

Slovo 21 introduced the adaptation and integration project Welcome to the CR in 2013 in order to provide foreigners in the CR with comprehensive information on life in their new country, covering the topics of residence, employment, education, healthcare and housing. The project has seen continual development and since 2021 it has been mandatory for certain groups of foreigners based on an amendment of the Act on the Residence of Foreign Nationals. The course has now been attended by more than 31,400 people.

Adding Hindi and Turkish among available language versions of the Welcome to the CR film is an important step towards greater inclusion and enhancement of cultural diversity. Although these languages are not widely represented in the Czech Republic, it is important that they are used in the adaptation and integration courses, so that members of these language groups also find it easier to understand the Czech environment and adapt to it. Slovo 21 made this decision as a step towards better awareness of newcomers and their faster integration into Czech society.

People employed at Slovo 21 who are expats themselves have a good understanding of the challenges of starting life in a new country, which has contributed significantly to the creation and success of this project. Thanks to their personal experience and close cooperation with the Czech Ministry of the Interior as well as other non-profit organisations, the project has gradually developed and between 2013 and 2020 the course was attended by more than 7,000 people. Slovo 21 is responsible for technical and methodological aspects of the project, including lecturers and interpreters’ training and regular updates of the course content reflecting current legislative and practical changes.

Extensive course evaluations have been carried out regularly since 2021. Participants appreciate the quality of the course and 90% of them would take the course again even if it was not mandatory. Feedback shows that the course is most beneficial if completed as soon as possible after the arrival in the Czech Republic.

More information about the course and other projects of the Slovo 21 organisation is available on the official website of the project.