Social integration processes of immigrants: The case of Turkish Red Crescent Community Center and German Multikulturelles Forum

Forced migration is a multidimensional process in which individuals are forced to relocate due to factors that threaten their living conditions such as war, conflict, political oppression and economic crisis. Factors such as cultural adaptation problems, language barriers, social exclusion and economic inequality that migrants experience after migration deeply affect their integration processes with the society they live in. At this point, civil society organizations assume both protective and integrative functions as structures that support the social cohesion of migrants. The aim of this study is to reveal the contributions of civil society organizations to the social integration of migrants after forced migration and to analyze the reflections of these contributions in the field. In the study, interviews and participant observation were used as qualitative data collection techniques; thus, the experiences of migrant individuals and the practices of relevant institutions were discussed in detail. While the population of the study consisted of migrants who entered Turkey and Germany irregularly, the sample consisted of individuals who benefited from the services of the Turkish Red Crescent Community Center and Multikulturelles Forum e.V. Individual interviews were conducted with 26 migrants in total; the participants were from Syria, Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan. Supportive interviews were also conducted with two staff members from each of the two non-governmental organizations. In the study, phenomenological design was adopted to analyze the social adaptation processes of individuals. The qualitative data obtained were evaluated using MAXQDA program with thematic analysis method. The research data were meticulously analyzed in accordance with the research purpose and to answer the research questions. As a result of this analysis, three main themes, three sub-themes and a total of twenty-two categories were identified. The main themes are classified as Civil Society Organizations, Social Cohesion and Social Exclusion. The theme of Civil Society Organizations includes the categories of service delivery, support programs with participant statements, cooperation and coordination, and volunteer participation. Under the Social Cohesion theme, the categories of language learning and education, working life and economic situation, social relations and community integration, cultural adaptation and support mechanisms were examined. Under the Social Exclusion theme, the categories of discrimination experiences, marginalization and poverty, psychological and emotional effects, and legal and administrative problems are included. In addition, three sub-themes were identified that are transitive between themes. The Education and Language sub-theme consists of the categories of language education programs, challenges in education and success stories. The Health and Psychosocial Support sub-theme includes the categories of access to health services, psychosocial support programs and mental health. The Legal Support and Rights sub-theme includes the categories of legal counseling services, knowledge and exercise of rights, and administrative procedures and challenges. In this study, in the light of the data emerged within the scope of the adaptation processes of immigrants to the society with their cultural identities, it was evaluated in the context of social cohesion and recommendations were developed.