Welcome municipalities

We provide a platform to reach newcomers with relevant information and activities, that helps them integrate.

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One platform for facilitating sustainable integration of newcomers

In the year 2022 a dramatic record was broken: worldwide there are now 100 million refugees. These people were received by many European countries, including in the Netherlands. Successful integration of refugees involves various challenges in which language, culture and communicating information succesfully play a role. Welcome app supports  municipalities in setting up an effective and humane integration policy. It is a platform where local connections are facilitated between newcomers, Dutch citizens, organizations and municipalities.

The new ‘Wet inburgering’ that came into effect on 1 January 2022, offers great opportunities but also demands a lot from municipalities. The system must work in such a way that it leads to rapid and sustainable integration. Welcome app completely relieves municipalities by digitizing and centralizing relevant information and the activities local organizations and initiatives offer. By making local information clear and accessible and by bringing parties together, newcomers regain ownership of their own integration process and together, we can accelerate the entire integration chain.

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Why Welcome app for municipalities?

14.000+ users

Over 14.000 people use the app.

Over 350 organizations joined

From language schools to football clubs, a wide range of organizations are connected to the platform.

Most effective way to make local activities and information accessible and clear

A central platform for everyone involved in the reception and integration of newcomers within the municipality.

Accessible opportunity to interact with locals

It is possible for newcomers to ask questions and to talk to locals in their neighbourhood.

Available in 9 different languages

Everything is easily translated into the newcomer’s own language.

Strongly connected civil society

Organizations have access to an overview of activities and organizations in their own municipality and neighborhood and collaborate more easily.

Improving the quality of the integration information

Through cooperation between all parties and insights from newcomers, we improve the quality of the activities anad information within the municipality.

Currently active in

We are currently active in the municipalities of Venlo, Tilburg, Dordrecht, Leiden and Almere. Do you want to start the Welcome app in your municipality?

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Welcome app

More than 14.000 users in the app

FAQ

  • How does Welcome app differ from the guide for social services?

    Welcome app is different from the ‘traditional’ social maps. Social maps are often heavy websites, with a lot of text and a dry overview of projects or organizations. These maps are often not designed with the target audience in mind: information is centralized but not easily accessible (often only in Dutch) or action-oriented. They do not call for participation.

    Welcome app is different because it is designed together with the target group. It is a platform that informs people on an activity level and motivates them to participate. The activities that are displayed are structured in categories (language, sports, kids, culture, etc.), presented in your own language and linked to your location. In addition, Welcome app is more than just an app: we are also a community. We continuously collect feedback from our users and provide demand-driven offerings. In addition, we are available for personal approaches and we are always available for questions via our helpdesk.



  • What is the target audience of Welcome app?

    Welcome app is for newcomers with a refugee background. As a ‘local’ you can also create an account: you can then answer questions from newcomers and get in touch with them, and see the activities that are organized in your city.

  • What is the advantage of the Welcome app for a municipality?

    With Welcome app, all relevant local activities, information and organizations to newcomers come together in one place. Via a user-friendly app that is available in nine different languages, newcomers in your municipalities can easily take control over their integration process. This makes the lives of municipal consultants easier: they spend less time looking for current offerings in the city, receive fewer individual questions from clients and clients find activities and information more easily by themselves.

    An additional advantage is that by using the Welcome app, all local civil society organizations involved can find and visit each other more easily to share information and/or work together.

  • The Welcome app is already available anyway, why do I have to pay as a municipality?

    Welcome app is indeed available for everyone in the Netherlands. That’s because we think it’s important that all newcomers (albeit limited) can benefit from our platform. However, users who do not live in the municipalities Welcome app works with will see a limited version of the app. This way they can ask questions to the helpdesk, find and book national (often online) activities. Therefore, they can’t chat with locals nearby and find local activities and organizations. The Welcome app only makes a real difference if it can bring supply and demand together at a neighborhood level, and we do that by working together with municipalities.



  • Doesn’t it cost our consultants more time to work with the Welcome app?

    The Welcome app is precisely designed to unburden consultants. Because all content is always up to date, a consultant can very efficiently find the right offer and share it with the client. Consultants are not expected to provide or maintain information, this is done by the Welcome app team and the providers themselves.

  • In which municipalities is Welcome app active?

    Welcome app now works with five municipalities: Venlo, Dordrecht, Leiden, Tilburg and Almere. Do you also want to work with us? Send an email to info@welcomeapp.nl for more information.

  • What are the results in the municipalities where Welcome app is active?

    The results are very positive so far. We started this new approach in April 2022 and more than 500 organizations are connected to the platform. We reach more than 1500 users per month.



  • Can Welcome app be used for both Ukrainians and other refugees?

    Yes, Welcome app can be used for both Ukrainians and other refugees.



  • Who is responsible for keeping the content in the app up to date?

    The Welcome app team and the providers of the activities (civil society organizations) are responsible for keeping the content on the app up to date. The municipality therefore has no extra work for this.