LokU 2.0
Local support networks for young new immigrants – change and opportunities in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic
Project Manager
Duration: 1 February 2023 – 30 April 2026
Project number: 01UP2227
Project partners:
- German Association for Public and Private Welfare e.V.
- The City of Munich, together with the Department for Education and Sport and the Department for Social Affairs
- Munich Job Centre
- MORGEN e.V. – Network of Munich-based Migrant Organisations
- Munich Self-Help Centre
Research interests
We are interested in local support networks and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the post-pandemic period on training- and labour market-related voluntary work for young new immigrants.
The systematic assessment of the implications and potential for social support networks that assist with integration into training and work is carried out by addressing the following questions:
- How have the activities of civil society organisations changed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic?
- What impact did it have on cooperative relationships with local authorities and educational and training institutions?
- What kind of (public) support is needed to revitalise civil society structures, and how can social innovations be secured in the long term?
We are looking at local networks in major cities across the German-speaking world (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).
New arrivals find it very difficult to make the transition to training and work
The social integration of new arrivals depends to a large extent on successful integration into the labour market, which enables them to lead a self-determined life independent of state support. Young people from migrant or refugee backgrounds are regarded as a severely disadvantaged group within the (vocational) education and training system. These disadvantages affect their educational and training pathways, leading to a particular need for support during the transition from school to vocational education and training, and from there into the labour market.
Volunteering can support educational aspirations
Volunteering related to training and the labour market provides vital support that can take many different forms, ranging from one-off job application workshops to years of support through mentoring.
Support networks based on professional and voluntary work are important at a local level
A functioning society of migration relies on structures that facilitate integration processes. Civil society engagement by and for new immigrants plays a key role in this. For us, a local perspective is crucial, as social support networks usually operate at a local level and are sustained by an active neighbourhood or urban community. Promoting the target group’s participation in the labour market is significant from the perspective of society as a whole and the welfare state. From a human rights perspective, new immigrants have a right to education. Supporting the target group in their career goals and educational ambitions cannot be achieved through state structures and support measures alone.
A mixed-methods approach has been adopted to ensure a systematic analysis of local support networks during the COVID-19 pandemic and the post-pandemic period, as well as the impact on training- and labour market-related voluntary work for newly arrived adolescents and young adults, taking into account appropriate data collection tools.
Interviews and in-depth discussions with network stakeholders
. During the measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, key forms of participation by civil society actors could not be maintained, and there was a risk of losing volunteers. Now that the COVID-19 measures have been lifted, organisations face the task of reactivating voluntary engagement. During the COVID-19 pandemic, new forms of participation and collaboration may have emerged which could continue even after the pandemic has ended and bring about lasting change in the sector. The qualitative interviews will explore the experiences gained, the challenges faced and new forms of collaboration and cooperation, and these will be assessed by the interviewees.
Delphi survey with network stakeholders
We view a crisis – such as the COVID-19 crisis – as a catalyst for social innovation, amongst other things. Our aim is to map developments and trends in cooperation and collaboration within local support networks, as well as in the integration of voluntary work. This will enable us to highlight the medium- and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. At two different points in time, key nodes within the local network in the area of ‘integration of young, newly arrived migrants into education and work’ will be surveyed using quantitative methods. The third round will take a qualitative approach. Ninety major cities in German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) are eligible for the Delphi method. This significant expansion of the scope of the study allows for a supra-regional assessment of the pandemic’s consequences and enables comparative analysis. It also highlights how the potential of new forms of collaboration is assessed. Forms and formats of participation deemed promising have the potential to bring about lasting change in practice. A comparison of cities reveals how individual cities are positioned and how they fare in comparison.
Qualitative interviews with volunteer
coordinators. The interviews focus on evaluating and reflecting on experiences gained during the COVID-19 pandemic and the period that followed. They provide an opportunity to examine, in a comparative manner, both the challenges faced and the potential opportunities that may have arisen in relation to people’s willingness to volunteer, as well as the recruitment and participation of volunteers.
Focus groups
: The measures taken to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular the restrictions on social contact, had a direct impact on volunteers and young, newly arrived migrants in the process of transitioning into training and work. Focus groups with volunteers are being held to gather their perspectives on work-related volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the post-pandemic period. The focus groups with newly arrived adolescents and young adults will focus more on the various forms of support provided by volunteers and on the perspectives of particularly disadvantaged sub-groups, such as young mothers.
events
[7 May 2026]
Expert Committee on Social Policy, Social Security and Social Assistance of the DV (German Association for Public and Private Welfare)
[23 March 2026]
Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences: Discussion of project findings with representatives from the local jobcentre, the university and independent organisations in the region.
[23 January 2026]
Online meeting between the LokU 2.0 team and practice partners
[6–7 November 2025]
Closing conference organised by the BMFTR on ‘The Social Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic – Research for Integration, Participation and Renewal’, featuring all funded projects. The presentation is available here.
[4 November 2025]
10th BBE Conference (Federal Network for Civic Engagement). The presentation is available here.
[8 April 2025]
Online exchange between the LAG JSA Bavaria and universities of social work
[1 April 2025]
Online meeting between the LokU 2.0 team and practice partners. The presentation is available here.
[6–7 March 2025]
2nd ZEFFF Conference (Civil Society Engagement and Voluntary Services in the Spotlight of Research): In the panel ‘Engagement in the Context of Life Stories, Learning and Education’, project findings from the qualitative surveys will be presented. The presentation is available here.
[16–18 September 2024]
5th Conference of the Refugee Research Network: In the panel discussion ‘The local practice of integrating young refugees into the vocational training system’, initial project findings from our qualitative and quantitative surveys will be presented. The presentation is available here.
[10 January 2024]
Online meeting between the LokU 2.0 team and practice partners: Initial project findings from the in-depth discussions with hubs in local support chains were discussed. With a view to the upcoming Delphi survey, agreements were reached regarding the pre-tests to be carried out and the distribution of the survey within the practice partners’ networks.
[16–17 November 2023]
Kick-off event organised by the project management organisation DLR, bringing together all BMBF-funded projects under the funding programme ‘Societal Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic – Research for Integration, Participation and Renewal’ in Bonn.
Poster and project presentation by LokU 2.0:
The 18 research projects were presented and discussed in short presentations organised around thematic sessions. The LokU 2.0 project was presented in Session 5, ‘Administrative Action, Political and Civil Society Participation, and Processes of Division’, by Prof. Dr. Nicole Pötter of Hochschule München. In her remarks, she made it clear that young migrants, who are already disadvantaged, suffered greatly from the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic during their transition from school to work. School and vocational education and training programmes were suspended; refugees in collective accommodation lacked access to the internet; and in many places there was a shortage of technical equipment and suitable learning environments. Furthermore, access to support services within the local support network was hampered, and volunteers were also unable to provide support as usual during the contact restrictions. Ms Pötter explained that the LokU 2.0 project is investigating how collaborations within the support network in this area of action have changed, what digital and social innovations are emerging, and how volunteers can be better integrated into supporting young immigrants.
[12 June 2023]
26th video conference in the ‘Coronavirus Crisis and Education’ series organised by the Weinheim Initiative, on the topic: ‘Transitioning to working life and adulthood: youth social work as a determined local and municipal partner?’
Article by Theresa Grüner: Are vocational schools a ‘game-changer’ for young new immigrants? Available here
Publications
Project leaflet
Poster
Book chapters
Scholze, B., Grüner, T. & Pötter, N. (2025) Developments and trends in work-related volunteering for young immigrants in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In: A. Walter, B. Haas, A. Kewes, K. Mangold, J. Schlicht (eds.), Upheaval, Pressure, Transformation? The Present and Future of Civic Engagement. Conference proceedings for ZEFFF 2025 (pp. 125–136). Nomos-Verlag. Available here
Journal articles
Grüner, T. (2024) ‘Migration? No, thank you!’ Activists sense a critical mood. neue caritas, 125 (17), pp. 32–33. Available here
Grüner, T. and Scholze, B. (2023) Challenges and potential of labour market-related support pathways for young new immigrants in the post-pandemic period. In: Nachrichtendienst des Deutschen Vereins für öffentliche und private Fürsorge e.V., 103 (10), pp. 458–464.
Policy Briefs
Policy brief for local support networks working to assist young migrants in their transition to further education and employment (civil society, public authorities, business stakeholders) and on local integration policy. Available here
Position paper on the ‘Social Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic’ funding programme run by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), in collaboration with the other funded projects. Available here
Working Papers
Scholze, B. and Grüner, T. (2025) Third working paper on the LokU 2.0 research project: Qualitative interviews with volunteer programme coordinators. Available here
Scholze, B. and Grüner, T. (2024) Second working paper on the LokU 2.0 research project: Delphi survey of network actors in local support chains. Available here
Scholze, B. and Grüner, T. (2024) First working paper on the LokU 2.0 research project: Local support networks for young new immigrants – change and potential in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Available here
Final Report
Pötter, N., Scholze, B. and Grüner, T. (2026) Final report of the research project ‘Local support networks for young new immigrants – Change and potential in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic (LokU 2.0)’
Lectures
Pötter, N. and Grüner, T. (2025) Local support networks for young new immigrants. Closing conference of the BMFTR’s ‘Social Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic – Research for Integration, Participation and Renewal’. Berlin, 6–7 November. Available here
Grüner, T. and Pötter, N. (2025) The COVID-19 pandemic as a turning point for volunteering in the field of career support for young immigrants. 10th BBE Conference (Federal Network for Civic Engagement). Berlin, 4 November. Available here
Pötter, N. and Scholze, B. (2024) Local support networks for young immigrants with personal experience of migration in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. 5th Conference of the Refugee Research Network. Bonn, 18 September. Available here
Grüner, T. (2023) Vocational schools as ‘game-changers’ for young new immigrants? 26th video conference of the Weinheim Initiative as part of the series ‘The Covid-19 Crisis and Education’. Online, 12 June.
Blog
Grüner, T., Scholze, B. & Pötter, N. (25 September 2024). The COVID-19 pandemic – addressing the severe consequences for young immigrants. Social Work Working Group blog. Hochschule München. Available here
Grüner, T., Scholze, B. & Pötter, N. (4 November 2024). The COVID-19 pandemic – don’t stop the review! Don’t forget the impact on young immigrants! DGSA blog. Available here or on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook: @dieDGSA
Publications relating to the previous LokU project
The previous research project, LokU, focused on civil society actors, in particular migrant organisations. This is because support for refugees from volunteers is of great importance in helping them find their way into training and work.
Pötter, N.; Grüner, T. and Jost, K. (2022) Final Report on the LokU Project. Munich: Hochschule München.
Grüner, T. and Pötter, N. (2022) The interaction between professionals and volunteers: a key factor in the successful integration of young refugees. In: Social Work, 71(12), pp. 442–449. https://doi.org/10.5771/0490-1606-2022-12-442
Grüner, T.; Jost, K. and Pötter, N. (2021) The contribution of volunteers to the labour market integration of young refugees. In: Hammerschmidt, P.; Pötter, N. and Stecklina, G. (eds.) ‘The Long Summer of Migration’. Refugees’ Opportunities for Participation and the Practice of Social Work. (pp. 89–106). Weinheim, Basel: Beltz Juventa.
Pötter, N.; Hilkert, B. and Grüner, T. (2021) Integrating young refugees into vocational training and employment. Online specialist event organised in collaboration with the Department of Education and Sport and the Department of Social Affairs of the City of Munich. Online, 25 March.
Pötter, N.; Grüner, T.; Jost, K. and Loncarek, I. (2021) Local support networks for young refugees. The involvement of volunteers in training and labour market initiatives. Poster presented at the Tri-national Conference of the DGSA, OGSA and SGSA. Online, 23–24 April.
Grüner, T.; Pötter, N. and Jost, K. (2020) The contribution of migrant organisations to the labour market integration of young refugees. In: ARCHIV für Wissenschaft und Praxis der sozialen Arbeit (3), pp. 60–64.
Grüner, T. and Jost, K. (2020) Civil society engagement in the area of ‘vocational integration’. Initial findings from the quantitative survey conducted as part of the LokU research project. Presentation at the expert workshop for the LokU project. Munich, 6 March.
framework programme
LokU 2.0 is one of 18 research projects funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR, formerly BMBF) under the framework programme for the humanities and social sciences ‘Understanding Society – Shaping the Future’ (2019 to 2025) under the call for proposals ‘Societal Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic – Research for Integration, Participation and Renewal’ dated 12 March 2021
You can find an overview of all the funded projects here.
Funding body
