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Immigration in Tampere
In recent years since the rise in migration to the city of Tampere, Finland, there has been an increase in health concerns. One of the biggest health problems Tampere has encountered is the spread of Tuberculosis, especially among those who had immigrated from other countries. Doctors who worked testing for TB answered questionnaires which found that there were “771 TB cases… diagnosed in Finland” between 2014 and 2016, and “314 (41%) [of those cases] were foreign-born.”  In another study done previously, between 1995 and 2013, there were 8084 total cases diagnosed in Finland. These studies were done to show the severity of the situation in Finland as a whole and in specific cities such as Tampere which has been one of the most popular cities for immigration in recent years. The studies also aim to illustrate the importance of testing and medical treatment for citizens, especially those immigrating from countries that are known to have many cases of tuberculosis, as to try to decrease the spreading and help citizens as much as possible. Luckily, the city was able to get the word out enough and get many people treated so that as of 2018, there are few cases left compared to the growing number previously. Some of the ways the city is fighting TB is by informing the residents about the disease in many different formats. City of Tampere created documents for students specifically to read about TB and gave detailed explanations of who may be affected, how to get tested, some of the symptoms, a little information about the treatments, and links to provide even more information as well as important information such as hospitals and bus routes. City of Tampere as well as other media sources also offer information specifically for immigrants about the importance of a medical check and services that the city provides. These platforms also inform their foreign neighbors of other helpful services in the city that they may need or want to help ease their transition.

Besides tuberculosis specifically, there has been a slightly higher percentage of immigrants who end up going to the hospital for different issues than with Finnish nationals. For instance, a study done on teenagers in 2001 showed 10% more immigrants than Finnish nationals were brought in to the hospital for infectious or parasitic diseases and mental or behavioral disorders. Many immigrants have had issues with identity and seeing themselves in their new environment and their new identity versus their old environment and their old identity. Having better resources, such as what the City of Tampere made for immigrants to learn more about tuberculosis and the options they have to get treated, helps young residents and adults alike to be more comfortable and live a healthy life while integrating into their new home.

Coming to a new country takes a lot of support and resources that are sometimes hard to come by if the person immigrating does not know where to look. They also may not know anyone in their new environment, which could make them feel out of place, left out, and without any support. In 1996, an article was published which interviewed residents who were Finnish and foreign about their experiences with immigration. There was an agreement amongst those interviewed that the Finnish residents had a long way to go in learning how to live with their new foreign neighbors and that there is a serious disconnect between the cultures, no matter how hard those who have immigrated have tried to fit in. A few years later, in 2011, an article was written discussing the life and treatment of immigrants at that time, especially the older generation. Over the years, residents of Finland, and Tampere specifically, had learned to accept and live normally with immigrated residents and started to become a place of equal and harmonious life between the cultures. During this time, one group still seemed to be left out, and that was the older generation. They tended to have a harder time integrating into society and they generally tended to receive less support and resources from society. Those who have experienced this phenomenon first hand say that as part of an older generation, they find it hard to relearn a whole new language and they can see that it is easier on their younger family members. Tampere started noticing the disconnected and moved to action. They created a plan to take care of their immigrant senior citizens through a new integration program by offering new resources specific to the older generations that were not previously available.

Tampere has been working to involve their foreign residents in their society and personal lives while the city accepts more immigrant families every day. In 2015, a study from University of Tampere came focusing on work environments. It was discovered that in general, the workplace was a very positive environment, though when looking specifically at interactions between Finnish and foreign employees, the link was strongest between them. It was found that positive diverse environments make a healthier and stronger workplace than those that are less diverse or that have fewer positive interactions with their immigrant employees. Foreign employees also had more positive experiences. Many reported having their workplace feel comfortable and accepting and they felt as though they could grow and integrate well while working there. City of Tampere also started an integration program in 2014 that focused on every foreign resident of the city. School programs for children, events to show case the different cultures present in Tampere, new medical services specifically geared towards immigrant families, help with integrating senior citizens, and lower housing costs are just a few programs the city council has been working on in the last five years. At the University of Tampere, they make sure to be inclusive of all cultures. They encourage internationalization and equality amongst their students and their society. There are also programs started by the city commission which work to specifically put immigrants into jobs and not leave them unemployed. There was even an award in recent years given to Tampere for ‘city of the year’ for their integration efforts.

There are still some social issues when it comes to integrating foreign residents into society. Some Finnish nationals still do not treat immigrants with the same level of respect and acceptance as the City of Tampere is pushing for. One issue that is commonly seen is that foreign residents are not portrayed in mainstream media and therefore can only have a chance at voicing their opinions through blogs and other forms of media that they have been pushing for fair expression. This causes problems where those who oppose of immigration have free reign of popular media to express opinion and influence others and immigrants cannot defend themselves, tell their stories, or express their opinions to the same amount of people. Now Foreign residents are working harder to learn Finnish faster, so they have a chance to have a career in media to be able to tell their stories and finally have that opportunity.

In addition to using the media for expressing opinion about politics and their lives, immigrants in Tampere also use media to help them feel more at home. Immigrants were found to use Finnish TV and newspapers as well as other forms of popular media in order to feel part of society and help integrate. In fact, immigrants often feel even more encouraged to integrate into their new society than in any other case when they use local media and pay attention to local news.