EIRENE receives integration award

Stephan Amstad vom Jugendamt Neuwied, Projektleiter Iyad Asfour, Bürgermeister Peter Jung, EIRENE-Geschäftsführer Ali Al-Nasani nehmen den Preis aus den Händen von Integrationsministerin Katharina Binz entgegen.

Press release

Rhineland-Palatinate Integration Award 2025: Neuwied project ‘Strong Neighbours’ honoured as best practice

Mainz/Neuwied, 30 October 2025 – In the category ‘Using skills – creating good examples’ of the Rhineland-Palatinate Integration Award 2025, the International Peace Service EIRENE e.V. was honoured with a best practice award for its ‘Strong Neighbours’ project.

The Rhineland-Palatinate Integration Award is presented by the Ministry for Family, Women, Culture and Integration. It recognises outstanding projects that strengthen cohesion and participation in a diverse society.

With its practical approach, the project, which is funded by the city of Neuwied and the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, combines everyday assistance with empowerment and public visibility. Participants are empowered to actively contribute their experiences and skills and to help shape integration themselves. In this way, diversity in Neuwied and the region is not only lived, but also experienced as a strength.

‘People with refugee experience and a migration background are given an active role as bridge builders in urban society in the Strong Neighbours project,’ the laudatory speech said. ‘Through training, language mediation and concrete participation in community activities, they not only strengthen their own self-efficacy, but also promote social cohesion in the long term. The project makes diversity visible in everyday life and shows that integration is a shared task and an enrichment for everyone.’

‘The award recognises the commitment of the many volunteers and encourages us to further develop the project,’ said project manager Iyad Asfour. Ali Al-Nasani, managing director of EIRENE, added: ‘The project clearly shows that when politics, administration and civil society come together, peaceful conflict resolution and integration can succeed – and that's without any populist slogans.’

Further background information on the Integration Award can be found on the official website of the Ministry for Family, Women, Culture and Integration of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate https://mffki.rlp.de/themen/integration/integrationspreis.

More Information

For a Strong Community in Neuwied

Peaceful coexistence with and among refugees requires dialogue and encounters. The ‘Strong Neighbours’ project brings together people from different backgrounds in and around Neuwied.

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