The cooperation and open dialogue between the Integration Foundation and its partners have been and will continue to be extremely important to us. This is what inspired the idea to create a newsletter focused on the field of adaptation.

How have we been?

While I would like to start with the news right away, in the first newsletter, I want to take the opportunity to look back and give you an update on previous developments.

It is no secret that recent years have posed a major challenge for Estonia in terms of migration policy. We have offered support and knowledge to all newcomers – from war refugees from Ukraine and elsewhere to those who have migrated for work, study, or family reasons – so that they can successfully start a new life in Estonia. Due to the growing number of immigrants, it was decided that the adaptation programme needed a new home, and in the spring of 2023, it moved from the Ministry of Culture to the Integration Foundation.

In the first two years, we have focused on building a strong foundation for the adaptation programme. We have increased the volume of trainings, developed online learning courses, and expanded language learning opportunities. In 2024 alone, nearly 7,000 people participated in the free Estonian language courses of the Integration Foundation – among them people who had come to work or do research, as well as refugees from war zones. We will continue with these activities this year.

Many of you have expressed a wish to see a consolidated events calendar that would reflect upcoming courses of the adaptation programme and events in the field. We are very grateful for this feedback and will do our best to share relevant information already in this newsletter.

Towards a common goal

We are working every day to make adaptation services even more accessible for new migrants and make these services correspond to their needs. However, it is important to understand that adaptation does not just happen in the classroom or in an online course, but requires a comprehensive approach where new arrivals are supported by the state, local governments, as well as local residents, all working towards a common goal.

I am sincerely grateful to you for your consistent contribution and I invite you to cooperate even more closely. Feel free to share information about the Roadmap to Adaptation and other services of the Integration Foundation with your clients. Do not hesitate to contact us with your thoughts and suggestions – this is how we can create even better conditions for people to settle in Estonia. If you think your colleague could also receive this newsletter, please send them a form to fill in. 

Thank you very much!

Let us work together for a cohesive and friendly Estonia, where everyone feels welcome and cared for!

On Friday, May 30, the Settle in Estonia adaptation program website www.settleinestonia.ee will open registration for Estonian language courses at levels A1, A2, and B1 for recipients of temporary protection. Starting today, it is also possible to register for the mandatory adaptation trainings. Both the courses and the trainings are intended for recipients of temporary protection — refugees who have arrived in Estonia from Ukraine. Participation in all courses is free of charge.

The courses take place in classrooms in Tallinn, Tartu, Pärnu, and online. Classes are available at various times — you can choose morning, daytime, or evening sessions.

The next registration opportunity for language courses will be at the end of August.

To register, you must first create an account on the Settle in Estonia website. After creating an account, you can sign up for a suitable course or training here:
👉 https://settleinestonia.ee/login

To register for an A2-level course, you must have completed an A1-level Estonian language course.
If the A1 course was not completed within the Settle in Estonia adaptation program, a certificate proving completion of the A1-level course is required. Similarly, to register for a B1-level course, the A2-level course must have been completed beforehand. If your previous course was taken through the Settle in Estonia program, no certificate is needed. If you completed an A1-level course (at least 100 academic hours), A2 (150 hours), or B1 (250 hours) elsewhere (e.g. through the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund, a university, or one of the listed language schools: https://bit.ly/keeleamet), please send a copy of the course certificate to: info@settleinestonia.ee

The adaptation training covers the core values of the Estonian state, as well as the rights and obligations of residents. Participation in the adaptation program is mandatory for all recipients of temporary protection.
The training is available in different regions of Estonia and also online. Separate groups are organized in Ukrainian and Russian.

The adaptation program is co-financed by the European Union and the Estonian state budget.

On Friday, May 30, the Settle in Estonia adaptation program website www.settleinestonia.ee will open registration for Estonian language courses at levels A1, A2, and B1 for recipients of temporary protection. Starting today, it is also possible to register for the mandatory adaptation trainings. Both the courses and the trainings are intended for recipients of temporary protection — refugees who have arrived in Estonia from Ukraine. Participation in all courses is free of charge.

The courses take place in classrooms in Tallinn, Tartu, Pärnu, and online. Classes are available at various times — you can choose morning, daytime, or evening sessions.

The next registration opportunity for language courses will be at the end of August.

To register, you must first create an account on the Settle in Estonia website. After creating an account, you can sign up for a suitable course or training here: https://settleinestonia.ee/login

To register for an A2-level course, you must have completed an A1-level Estonian language course. If the A1 course was not completed within the Settle in Estonia adaptation program, a certificate proving completion of the A1-level course is required. Similarly, to register for a B1-level course, the A2-level course must have been completed beforehand. If your previous course was taken through the Settle in Estonia program, no certificate is needed. If you completed an A1-level course (at least 100 academic hours), A2 (150 hours), or B1 (250 hours) elsewhere (e.g. through the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund, a university, or one of the listed language schools: https://bit.ly/keeleamet), please send a copy of the course certificate to: info@settleinestonia.ee

The adaptation training covers the core values of the Estonian state, as well as the rights and obligations of residents. Participation in the adaptation program is mandatory for all recipients of temporary protection. Separate groups are organized in Ukrainian and Russian.

The adaptation program is co-financed by the European Union and the Estonian state budget.

For the sixth year running, the Integration Foundation offered Estonian language learners the opportunity to hold conversations with mentors – volunteers who speak Estonian at a native level. This year, the Language Friends programme featured the largest number of friends of Estonian ever: 1,018 learners and 981 mentors formed 1,023 conversation pairs of language friends.

‘These language friendships show the importance of taking the time to communicate with each other – we keep finding more and more in common, in terms of both our language and our ways of thinking. This spring, 1,999 people from Estonia and beyond have found as little as an hour per week to chat in Estonian about all sorts of things – the goings-on of their families, new experiences, current news, or books they have read. Through these dialogues, the learners have become more confident in their use of the Estonian language and both language friends come to understand each other better – and this way, the ties that connect us from the shores of Peipsi to Kihnu and from Keila to Tõrva have become stronger,’ said Ave Landrat, Head of the Language Friends programme and the Head of Partnerships at the Integration Foundation.

This year, 1,018 Estonian language learners participated in the Language Friends programme, joining through public sign-ups. A total of 981 mentors who volunteered for the programme helped them practise their Estonian. Conversations took place on all kinds of topics at least once a week – online, by phone, or face to face – to practise conversational language.

“The number of language friends growing year by year confirms how necessary it is for language learners to have the opportunity to converse in Estonian. It is a pleasure that they are supported by volunteers, many of whom have been participating for several years. We see that communication often continues after the program and turns into true friendship. Through such conversations and meetings, compatriots with different mother tongues find much more in common with each other than they previously thought. A big thank you to all the volunteers who have found time to support and encourage Estonian language learners,” said Dmitri Moskovtsev, Head of the Integration Foundation.

A team of coordinators brought the language friends together and helped them find the best solutions for their conversations. In addition, they supported the mentors with relevant advice and appropriate learning materials, drawing largely on their own previous experiences of participating in the Language Friends programme.

The Integration Foundation launched the Language Friends programme in 2020 to offer language learners an opportunity to continue practising their language online, as they were unable to participate in events for conversational language practice due to the state of emergency. To date, a total of 7,364 language learners have taken part in the programme.

We are implementing the Language Friends programme with the resources of the European Union’s Cohesion and Internal Security Funds for 2021–2027 and within the framework of project No. 2021-2027.4.07.23-0006 under Order No. 80 of the Minister of Culture of 15 March 2023 ‘Conditions for granting support for the implementation of activities supporting integration, including adaptation, in Estonian society’.

Overview of the sixth season of the Language Friends programme:

This summer, the Integration Foundation will launch support for the teaching of native language and culture in hobby schools of national minorities. The basis for the support is the regulation of the Minister of Education and Research ‘Terms and conditions of and procedure for granting support for language and culture education of national minorities in hobby schools’, which entered into force on 27 April 2025 and which transfers the distribution of support from the Ministry of Education and Research to our foundation.

The aim of the support is to help children and young people with a mother tongue other than Estonian learn and preserve their native language and learn about their national culture. The grant will be used to teach children and young people in hobby schools of national minorities their mother tongue, i.e. the language and culture of the specific minority. The aim is to keep the cultural traditions of national minorities alive among children and young people and to get young people more involved in the activities of their own cultural associations.

Ethnic minorities living in Estonia are guaranteed opportunities to preserve their language and cultural specificities, in particular for children and young people through the learning of their native language and culture. Preserving the languages and cultures of ethnic minorities enriches the society, helps to preserve cultural heritage and develop young people with strong identities.

The Integration Foundation has been supporting hobby schools of national minorities and the native language education they provide since 2003. In 2018–2024, the allocation of grants was transferred to the Ministry of Education and Research, and from this year onwards, our foundation will take over again.

In addition to studies, the grants have been used to organise visits to museums and exhibitions, attend performances, celebrate national holidays, buy teaching materials and folk costumes, and much more.

In 2024, 33 hobby schools of national minorities received state support.

A call for applications is also open on our website until 2 June.

Taotlusvoor „Toetus huvikoolidele rahvusvähemuste keele- ja kultuuriõppeks“ | Integratsiooni Sihtasutus

The Integration Foundation is organizing information sessions in May and June to provide details about Estonian language learning and other state support available for acquiring Estonian citizenship. In the first week, over 200 people registered for the online sessions held in Russian and English, and registration is ongoing via the website integratsioon.ee/kodanik.

“The first session on May 5 took place in a very constructive and positive atmosphere, and soon after we began receiving applications for our language learning conract programme, which supports people on their path to citizenship,” said Jekaterina Gvozdeva, Head of Civic Education at the Integration Foundation. “We’re seeing the greatest interest in questions about legislation, language studies, and study leave.”

According to Gvozdeva, the first session saw the most questions about residence permits and the required duration of stay in Estonia – i.e., the legal requirements for applying for citizenship. There was also significant interest in the study leave and compensation available for employed individuals through the language learning contract programme.

“Language learning remains a crucial topic. Although many see achieving B1 level as a challenge, our experience, client success stories, and official statistics show that passing the exam is a very realistic goal for most. Our role is to provide support and encouragement throughout the process,” Gvozdeva added.

Three more sessions will take place before the beginning of summer – on May 12 and 19, and on June 2. There is no limit on the number of participants, and the sessions will be held online, allowing participants to choose a suitable time and language. Registration for the information sessions is available on the website integratsioon.ee/en/kodanik.