For more than 20 years the I’MI has been giving trainings to representatives of ethnic/cultural minorities, in order to optimize the founding and leading of a (non-profit) organisation.

Staff Training means working on knowledge, abilities and skills which will heighten involvement and participation of people from ethnic/cultural minorities. The sharing of responsibilities is the first basic ability which needs to be learned through Development and Training in order to succesfully realize management activities.

Staff development
We explain and use the term Development in 2 ways:

• The formation of a group or organisation. Staff Development then is the process during which staff is being formed and/or an organisation is being founded. This is usually a part of Community Work.
• Development on an individual basis. Through new insights, the staff member creates more awareness concerning his/her own situation and in this way improves personal efficiency and actions. Staff Development in this way is an individual activity which fits in with Community Work as a whole.

Staff training
A very large diversity exists in the area of Staff Trainings. The I’MI uses 4 different forms:

Contact meetings
With this form ‘staff’ migrants, not being able to find support in the immediate area, have the opportunity to meet on a provincial or national level and share experiences.

Study meetings
These may entail a few meetings where topics are inter-related. The most common are one-time, thematic meetings.

Temporary Counselling
For a predetermined period of time a group or organisation will be closely observed,
after which propositions will be made concerning staff Development and Training.
The strengthening of the organisation is always the main goal in these processes .

Trainings
1) Training with a practical challenge

In this form the practical problem or challenge the organisation faces is a starting point in the learning process. Concrete tasks are being used to distill general lessons from them. This form is often referred to as ‘encapsulated staff training’ and stands close to practical reality: you can see what it’s for. A lot of groups prefer to work with this method.

2) Training an organisation (entire group)

Here, board members and staff are being trained as a complete group. This form often deals with raising awareness and improving the use and efficiency of what participants already know. The training builds on the group’s own possibilities and gives members more self confidence, which in turn strengthens the group as a whole. The program focuses on:

a) Internal training: improving the efficiency of teamwork.
b) External training: handling all challenges dealing with external contacts of the group or organisation.
c) Program elements aimed at Staff Development are in demand on a regular basis (what do we want, what are we capable of, how do we handle co-determination, the media, our own position, etc).

3) Training of representatives of organisations (staffeducation)

Here, the Training focuses on specific working areas within the organisation, such as finances, subsidy requests or marketing. This form is highly suitable for treasurers, chairmen/women or a Staff member leading an HR Department. The program also deals with the transfer of knowledge and experiences to other Staff members or grass roots levels within the organisation.

“Train the trainers!”: aspiring Staff trainers can follow a course to be able to realize further trainings within their own organisation. The trainee needs to be involved in developments taking place within migrant communities. Also, he/she needs to be skillful in mapping questions and requirements within their own organisation. The trainee learns to transform these questions and needs into domestic programs, hereby gaining a clear view of what people can learn and how much time and effort this is going to require.

An evaluation of practical reality
Sometimes the meaning and impact of Staff Training are being overestimated. Too easily a Training will be regarded as a miracle cure that will give organisations and migrants more power and influence. Staff Development and Training are very important, but organisations need more than that in order to exert real influence on their own existence in the Netherlands. I’MI proposes to follow up on the Training with at least a 1-year phase of Monitoring.

For further information and discussion of Trainings please contact us:

Institute for Migration Issues
Jansweg 52
2011 KN Haarlem
Phone: +31 (0)23-5327620
Fax: +31 (0)23-5428370
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The method book (Dutch) “Ogen spreken, maar als de mond niets zegt hoor je weinig” can be ordered for € 9,90 at the I’MI (see Publications).

A few examples of Trainings realized by the I’MI:

Vakbonden en stichtingen Buitenlanders, Haarlem, 1980/1985
Media en Migranten, Bentveld, 1986
Working Group Migrants and Opportunity, Noordwijkerhout, 1987
Europees congres ‘Employment and Vocational Training’, Berlin, 1988
Europese werkgroep ‘Identiteit en Sociale Economie Migranten’, Kassel, 1989
Intercultural Community Leader, Brussels/Cordoba/Copenhagen/Essen/Paris, 1990/1995
Migranten Vrouwen en de Media, Bergen, 1992
Uitwisselingsprogramma Tunesische jongeren, Bergen/Brussels, 1994
Kadertraining platform Buitenlandse Migranten, Bentveld, 1995
Minority Youth, Budapest, 1996
Train de Trainers, Bergen, 1998
Young Observers at the European Parliament Elections, Brussels/Bergen, 1999
Migranten in besturen van Huisvestingscorporaties, Egmond, 2002
Future without Fear, Istanbul, 2003
Black Sea Youth Platform, Tbilisi, 2005
Migranten- en Vluchtelingenopvang in de nieuw toegetreden EU-landen, Soesterberg, 2006