In August 2005, OPU opened a branch office in Brno. The branch office provides free social and legal counseling, designated primarily for asylum seekers and individuals with (possibly long-term) residence permits.
We offer our clients: social and legal advice assistance in verifying and validating school certificates employment preparation and motivational courses PC and Internet courses assistance in finding employment and in negotiations with employers contacts with employment agencies opportunities for re-qualification and Czech language courses individual assistance in dealings with housing (integration flats for recognized refugees) assistance with proceedings at bureaus Our address: Leitnerova 9/682 602 00 Brno
tel./fax: 543 210 443 mobile: 731 928 388 e-mail:
Contacts:
The counseling centre is open every working day from 8:30 to 16:30 (on Monday and Wednesday from 8:30-17:00). All services were provided free of charge!!!
Southern Moravian Foreign Nationals Integration Centre
OPU Brno is informing, that as a partner of the Regional Authority of the South Moravian Region in a project “Southern Moravian Foreign Nationals Integration Centre" supported by the European Fund for the Integration of third countries nationals (EIF 2009)
provides following activities for third countries nationals with legal resident statute in the Czech Republic:
• PC courses for beginners – be registered now!!!!! • Social and legal counseling; • Social - cultural orientation courses
aimed to support their employment (e.g. CV writing, entrance interview
training, obligations and tasks sequent upon employment relationship,
job offers searching, assistance in diploma validation) • Lectures for primary, secondary and high schools´students focused on migration issues.
All activities take place in OPU Brno office and in Foreign Nationals Integration Centre in Brno.
New home - New Rights and Responsibilities – Assistance in Integration of Refugees
In the last quarter of the year 2009 is realized
the project of assistance during the period of six month after moving
into integration flat by OPU Brno in the region of Southern Moravia
and Zlín region. This project is supported by resources of European
Refugee Fund and the Ministry of Interior of Czech Republic. Within the frame of the project is offers
social - legal councelling concerning to moving into an integration
flat (registration of electricity, gas, residence, registration in
labor services, schools, doctors etc.), assistance in the process of
changing all requirements to recognized refugees. OPU also offers
mediation of contact among refugees and relevant subjects in the
process of moving into integration flat. We ensure lectures of social –
cultural orientation in the new environment. Very interesting activity
of the project is refunding of selected re-qualification courses for
refugees. Project is very closely tied with the project
Self-Improvement through Work, which helps to recognized refugees with
orientation and claiming to the labor market.
Southern Moravian Regional Center for Support of the Integration of Foreigners
We would like to announce that OPU as a partner of the Regional Authority of the South Moravian Region in a project “Southern Moravian Regional Center for Support of the Integration of Foreigners" implement the following activities from April 2009:
• Social and legal counselling for third countries nationals with legal resident statut in the Czech Republic for their orientation in social and legal system; • Social - cultural orientation courses aimed to support their employment, achieving social independence and self-sufficiency; • Lectures for secondary scholls, focused on migration issues.
Social- cultural orientation courses include: • Job offers searching (internet sources, employment offices offers, personal and job services advertising and press advertising) • Practical preparation for entry to labor market (e.g. CV writing, entrance interview training, obligations and tasks sequent upon employment relationship). • Basic PC skills (elementary knowledge of work with e-mail, job offers searching). • Assistance in diploma validation • Introducing to employers and employees rights and obligations (labor law, terms of labor contract, employment, contract of services, letter of resignation, sickness leave, taxes, evidence of Labor office, gross, net wage).
Project will be implemented in the South Moravian region till December 2009
Contact for South Moravian region: OPU Brno office, Leitnerova 9, Brno 60200, tel.: 543210443, mobil: (+0420)731928388
Social services
Advisors from OPU office in Brno in 2009 provides the professional social counselling to foreigners with permanent and long-term residence in the region of Brno and region of Southern Moravia. Social services are supported by grant from a Ministry of Social Affairs (Support of social services with local/regional activities), and City of Brno. Aim of service is- same as in previous years - approach to clients social a legal system of Czech Republic and make them easier their integration into a majority.
We offer: - Free social counseling, social - legal counseling (state social support, material distress, health insurance, sick-leave, retirement insurance, - Health insurance and medical system in Czech Republic information - Education counseling (Education system in the Czech Republic - Information about institutions, offices and social services - Contacts (doctors, psychologists etc. ) Social service is aimed at individuals, families with children, sick and disable people, elderly and people in need. Special attention is paid to vulnerable groups of clients (one-parent families, people in unfavourable life situation). We help clients with integration through contact with the social environment, we help them to enforce their rights. Raised care we pay to vulnerable groups - lonely mothers with kids, families with children, sick and disable people, elderly and youth. In the year 2008 OPU advisors provided 981 interventions. 412 clients used (personal, phone, e-mail) services. 237 clients were males, 167 females and 8 children.
Support to Interrelationship of minorities and majority society in the South Moravian region Project is supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism intermediated by the Civil Society Development Foundation (NROS).
Organization for aid to refugees (OPU) implement a project called Support to Interrelationship of minorities and majority society in the South Moravian region within the framework of the 2nd call for NROS grants.
The project´s goal is to assist foreigners and national minorities in integration in majority society in the South Moravian region by introducing their culture and traditions to the Czech public. The target groups are foreigners with long-term and permanent residence permit, national minorities´ members, students, public and state administration employees.
Supporting
the integration of recognized refugees and immigrants with permanent
residence permits with a focus on the labor market in the South Moravia
region
The Brno counseling and consultancy centre implemented from August 2005 the project “Supporting
the integration of recognized refugees and immigrants with permanent
residence permits with a focus on the labor market in the South Moravia
region”. The project was supported by the Joint Regional Operational Program (SROP). The project was carried out till June 2007.
Support for social services with a regional/local scope – South Moravian region
From January to December 2007, the OPU branch in Brno implemented the project “Support for social services with a regional/local scope – South Moravian region” within the framework of an endowment program. The project is designated for foreign residents in the South Moravian region, who find themselves in an adverse social situation – mothers with children, broken families, students, the elderly, handicapped persons, etc.
Within the project we offered our clients: - Educational, instructional and free time activities, e.g. financial contributions towards Czech language courses, children’s camp, etc. - Assistance while seeking employment, specifically acquiring basic skills – writing CV’s, job applications, searching for contacts, etc. - Contacts for institutions, offices, physicians, psychologists - Advice regarding education (educational system in the Czech Republic, selection of appropriate schools, study opportunities, etc.) - Social counselling The project was supported financially by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs Information about the MLSA project ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From June to December 2006, the Brno branch office implemented the project “Integration of Foreigners in South Moravia”. The project was supported by the regional authority of the South Moravian region within the framework of the endowment program Our Foreigners. The target group of the project was primarily foreigners living in the Czech Republic, who hold long-term visas in excess of 90 days – for the purpose of employment, study, business or with the intention of prolonging the visa. The project’s objective was to contribute towards the reduction of the isolation of this group of South Moravian residents. Our aim was to help them strengthen their position in the labor market, raise their awareness about health insurance, social security and pension schemes in the Czech Republic, as well as to motivate them to increase their interest in their education, thus improving the quality of their life.
The other target group was foreigners from a number of university and high schools. After graduation, they have the possibility to participate in the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs’ project “Legal Migration – open opportunities” (Active selection of qualified foreign workers). By participating in this project, they may gain in a shortened term of 2.5 years, permission for permanent residency in the Czech Republic. The project was also directed at Czech high school students – in particular, the Evangelic Academy of Higher Professional Social and Legal School in Brno and the Information Technology and Social Work High School in Brno. During lectures, we provided information on the problems faced by immigrants and refugees.
The project aims were accomplished through individual social and legal counseling, socialization and motivational courses, lectures for high school students on the theme of foreigners and migration, and a number of university students had the opportunity to work directly with foreigners.
Social and legal counseling included: providing information on issues concerning foreigners (statutes of residency, statutes on citizenship) providing information on social insurance, health insurance and pension schemes advising during the course of seeking employment personal assistance for proceedings at bureaus (for people physically handicapped, or unable to communicate in Czech) monitoring current problems faced by foreigners in South Moravia instruction on using the Internet
Clients expressed a strong interest in the motivational courses – employment preparation courses, whose aim was to teach clients the basics of working on a PC, seeking offers of employment, replying to advertisements, compiling a professional resume, writing a motivational letter and preparing for an interview with an employer. Six successful individuals who completed the motivational course received financial contributions towards Czech language courses and re-qualification courses.
A total of 280 clients from across the South Moravian region participated in the project. They made use of social and legal counseling, and in some cases attended employment preparation courses. We estimate that up to 500 foreign students were informed about the project, of which 17 had already expressed an interest in participating in the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs’ project “Legal Migration – open opportunities”. The project addressed 170 high school students, who attended lectures, and some of whom were actively involved at the OPU office.
OPU Brno 
