We, Integrationslyftet, decided to gather Swedish and immigrants before Christmas to bake something very typical Swedish – namely “Lussebullar”, which we always eat during Christmas time. This was one of the mingling experiences organised by Integrationslyftet.
Firstly, we prepared everything, decorated the facility with a Christmas tree and Christmas decorations. We bought everything needed for the baking. The people in the mingling were immigrants from different countries, some of them were very new in Sweden and others lived here for some years. The Swedish people were also mixed, there were younger people but also families with children. When the participants arrived, they started to prepare the dough and meanwhile, we had mingel with something also very typical Swedish in Christmas time, a hot drink called “glögg”. When it was time to bake, everyone started to work together.
In this way, the participants got to experience a really typical activity for Swedish people around Christmas time. We created a nice atmosphere for the participants to get to know each other and have a nice time together.
The aim was to create a mingling experience with locals and immigrants where they could interact in a natural way, through a fun and creative activity like baking. Through this, social integration can be fostered and cultural exchanges be made.
The objectives were to gather and bake together, partly to create a meeting point and an opportunity to create contacts- both for Swedish people to meet immigrants and for immigrants to meet Swedish people for the social integration in society. Contacts in Sweden are very important in many aspects and this was a good chance to get Swedish contacts. It was also a good opportunity for the immigrants to speak and practice their Swedish.
Main actors were TCN:s and locals, but also staff from Integrationslyftet.
Min: 5
Max: 30
4 – 6 hours
This best practice demands some time because of the activity itself of baking. 4-6 hours would be recommended. However, if there is a small group of people, it could be shorter, or a large number of people, it could be even longer.
The resources needed is firstly a facility with oven and a good space for baking. You also need the necessary tools for baking and the ingredients. There is a need for one or two people who are in charge of the process and can delegate tasks and see that everything is working.
The strength in the best practice is to gather around the creative activity of baking, which most people enjoy. Furthermore, in this case, it is something very typical Swedish connected to our Christmas-celebration and an experience to remember. Not to mention the very nice cakes that comes as the result.
The weakness could be that it requires a lot to go through with the activity. You have to remember to buy everything and it may be difficult to find a big space with oven. However, with good planning it should not be any problems.
Make sure you are enough people to share the responsibilities, to make everything go smoothly. Prepare for some drinks or snacks while waiting for the cakes to be ready.