(English below)

Tá ið vit tosa um integratión í Tórshavnar kommunu, leggja vit altíð dent á tey, sum júst eru flutt higar. Vit skulu sjálvsagt bjóða nýkomnum fólki vælkomnum og veita teimum alla neyðuga hjálp og vegleiðing. Tó skulu vit eisini stuðla og hjálpa øðrum bólkum av tilflytarum - her hugsi eg um tey, sum eru komin higar í arbeiðsørindum, fløttum og tey, sum hava búleikast her eina tíð.

Kommunulistin leggur dent á at skapa eina kommunu fyri øll. Fyri at røkka hesum máli mugu vit hava eina opna og erliga samrøðu um týdningin av integratión, áðrenn vit kunnu menna hetta økið á ein fullgóðan hátt.

Vit mugu:

· Styrkja samskiftið og menna ráðið fyri tilflytarar, sum á bestan hátt kann veita ráðgeving og kunning um integrasión og umstøðurnar hjá tilflytarum.

· Breiðari fokus enn bert Fjølmentanarvika: Øll dáma vit væl Fjølmentanarvikuna, men hvat við hinum 51 vikunum í árinum? Til tess at fremja munagott samskifti við tilflytarar áttu vit at havt ymisk tiltøk og átøk viðvíkjandi integrasión alt árið.

· Tryggja at kunnandi tilfar er tøkt til tilflytarar, sum ikki skilja føroyskt.

Heldur enn at seta sær høg mál, sum skjótt fara úr eygsjón, er betri áhaldandi at taka smærri tøk, sum støðugt menna umstøðurnar hjá tilflytarum og fremja ítøkiliga integrasión. Integratión snýr seg ikki bert um hvat tilflytarin skal gera: Tað snýr seg um eitt samstarv millum tilflytaran og nýggja heimstaðin.

Vel ein fevnandi rødd í Býráðið. Vel ein persón, sum veit hvat tað er at flyta til ein nýggja bý og eitt nýtt land, og tískil kennir til umstøðurnar hjá teimum, sum eru flutt til Føroyar.

Vel ein persón, sum veit, at integratión ikki snýr seg um nøkur fáa fólk, men at fáa okkum øll at kenna okkum sum part av einari heild.

X við Tonicia Cherese Hansen, valevni fyri Kommunulistan

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What about integration?

When we talk about integration in Tórshavn Municipality, the focus is always on those who are new to the Faroe Islands. We should of course welcome ‘newcomers’, but this focus should not detract nor lessen the support or help given to other immigrant groups (e.g. refugees, international workers and those who have been here for some time).

In Kommunulistin we are dedicated to creating a municipality that works for every single resident. In order to do this fully, we require an honest conversation of the importance of integration in our community, before we engage with this area more proactively. To do this,

We must:

• Re-engage the Integration Board – Who better to inform on the challenges and successes of integration, then those residents navigating the integration process.
• Look beyond ‘Diversity Week’ - We all love ‘diversity week’, and our cultural night, but what about the other 51 weeks of the year. In order to make it easier to foster connections between all residents within our community, there should be events and programs that run through–out the year aimed at just that!
• Ensure information is available to each resident within the Municipality, even to those who do not speak nor understand Faroese.

Rather than making big promises and under- delivering, I would like to do the opposite. We need to work towards making our community more inclusive so that integration doesn’t seem so elusive in the short term, and thus easier to achieve in the longer term. For too long, integration has been something that immigrants must do. When in fact it is an act that can only be done in co-operation.

Now is the time to choose a more inclusive voice for the local council. One who knows what it is like to be other! One who will continuously work for a municipality that represents all of its residents, including those who are not originally from the Faroe Islands. Someone who will remember integration is for the many and not the few, because a well-functioning integration policy/area, benefits each and every resident of Tórshavn Municipality.

X við Tonicia C. Hansen, electoral candidate for Kommunulistin