{"id":1591,"date":"2025-10-10T09:46:18","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T07:46:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arpasaulespieredzi.lv\/?post_type=news&p=1591"},"modified":"2025-10-10T09:57:46","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T07:57:46","slug":"no-majokla-lidz-karjerai-arvalstu-studenti-ar-remigrantu-atbalstu-macas-dzivot-un-stradat-latvija","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/arpasaulespieredzi.lv\/en\/news\/no-majokla-lidz-karjerai-arvalstu-studenti-ar-remigrantu-atbalstu-macas-dzivot-un-stradat-latvija\/","title":{"rendered":"From housing to careers \u2014 returnees help international students learn to live and work in Latvia"},"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","news_category":[6],"class_list":["post-1591","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","news_category-projekti"],"acf":{"content":"

Riga, 10 October 2025<\/em><\/b><\/p>\n

This autumn, the four-part BrainGain Latvia<\/b><\/span> workshop series concluded, helping international students and members of the returnee community meet, share experiences, and learn practical tools for life and careers in Latvia. The series was organised by the association Ar pasaules pieredzi Latvij\u0101<\/b><\/span> (APPLV) in cooperation with the Riga City Municipality<\/b><\/span>. In total, more than 40 students took part, representing countries such as Colombia, Kenya, Turkey, India, Ukraine, Indonesia, Egypt, and others.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

From housing to work and community<\/b><\/h3>\n

In April, the workshop \u201cHow to Find a Home\u201d<\/b><\/span> featured real-estate experts Madara Balode<\/b><\/span> and \u0100dolfs M\u0101rti\u0146\u0161 Krauklis<\/b><\/span> (AVER Real Estate), who explained the specifics of Latvia\u2019s rental market and how to create a trustworthy digital first impression<\/i> for landlords. Participants improved their social media profiles and practised communicating with landlords.<\/p>\n

In May, \u201cHow to Find a Job and Build a Career in Latvia\u201d<\/b><\/span> was led by career coach Dagnija Veide<\/b><\/span> \u2014 students worked on their CVs, LinkedIn strategies, and interview skills, and deliberately expanded their professional networks. The most ambitious received one-to-one consultations.<\/p>\n

In June, \u201cHow to Find Your Place in Society\u201d<\/b><\/span> focused on leadership, participation, and civic engagement with entrepreneur J\u0101nis Kreilis<\/b><\/span> (Hyperscan.ai) and Ance M\u0101lkalna<\/b><\/span> (Civic Alliance\u2013Latvia). Group work explored how involvement in NGOs and initiatives supports career development, strengthens leadership skills, and aids integration into local communities \u2014 and how to build a professional network through purposeful social engagement.<\/p>\n

In September, \u201cWhere to Seek Help When Things Are Hard\u201d<\/b><\/span> addressed mental health. Alise P\u012br\u0101ga<\/b><\/span> (University of Latvia Career Centre) explained how to recognise overload and where to turn for support, while coach Baiba \u017d\u012bga<\/b><\/span> introduced the Territory Mapping<\/i> method \u2014 a practical tool for clarifying personal goals.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Participant experience<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cThese workshops helped me realise I\u2019m not alone on this journey. Beyond practical knowledge about life in Latvia, I gained a sense of support and understanding. I now feel more confident and know where to look for help and opportunities,\u201d says Deepthi Nenavath<\/b><\/span> (India), a computer science student at the University of Latvia.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Students especially valued the safe, inclusive atmosphere where they could ask questions freely. Many said they felt a sense of belonging to Latvia for the first time and want to continue engaging with the local community.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Key insights<\/b><\/h3>\n

The series highlighted three common hurdles: (1) limited practical information about rental culture; (2) uncertainty about how to start a career purposefully while still studying; (3) difficulty finding quality psycho-emotional support in English. These challenges can be addressed through mentor support, structured learning activities, and collaboration with the returnee community.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What\u2019s next \u2014 conference on 25 November<\/b><\/h3>\n

This project was co-funded under the Riga City Social Integration Programme<\/b><\/span>. On 25 November<\/b><\/span>, APPLV, in cooperation with the Society Integration Foundation (SIF)<\/b><\/span>, will host a high-level conference to present the results of a large-scale study and discuss how to strengthen international students\u2019 contribution to Latvia\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/em><\/h3>\n

International students make up nearly 14%<\/span> of all students in Latvia, most of whom study in Riga. They are future engineers, IT specialists, entrepreneurs, and researchers \u2014 people who can significantly strengthen the labour market and innovation ecosystem. Yet only a small share remain in Latvia after graduation, mainly due to complex access to housing, insufficient information about opportunities, and weak networks. The BrainGain approach helps bridge this gap by building a practical, trusted link between locals and newcomers.<\/em><\/p>\n","video_as_thumbnail":"","gallery":[{"ID":1594,"id":1594,"title":"2025-09-30_BrainGain_Mentala-Veseliba_Studenti-ar-savam-teritoriju-kartem","filename":"2025-09-30_BrainGain_Mentala-Veseliba_Studenti-ar-savam-teritoriju-kartem.jpg","filesize":1433355,"url":"https:\/\/arpasaulespieredzi.lv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2025-09-30_BrainGain_Mentala-Veseliba_Studenti-ar-savam-teritoriju-kartem.jpg","link":"https:\/\/arpasaulespieredzi.lv\/en\/news\/no-majokla-lidz-karjerai-arvalstu-studenti-ar-remigrantu-atbalstu-macas-dzivot-un-stradat-latvija\/2025-09-30_braingain_mentala-veseliba_studenti-ar-savam-teritoriju-kartem\/","alt":"","author":"2","description":"","caption":"","name":"2025-09-30_braingain_mentala-veseliba_studenti-ar-savam-teritoriju-kartem","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":1591,"date":"2025-10-10 07:44:52","modified":"2025-10-10 07:44:57","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/arpasaulespieredzi.lv\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":3157,"height":1678,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/arpasaulespieredzi.lv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2025-09-30_BrainGain_Mentala-Veseliba_Studenti-ar-savam-teritoriju-kartem-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/arpasaulespieredzi.lv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2025-09-30_BrainGain_Mentala-Veseliba_Studenti-ar-savam-teritoriju-kartem-300x159.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":159,"medium_large":"https:\/\/arpasaulespieredzi.lv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2025-09-30_BrainGain_Mentala-Veseliba_Studenti-ar-savam-teritoriju-kartem.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":408,"large":"https:\/\/arpasaulespieredzi.lv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2025-09-30_BrainGain_Mentala-Veseliba_Studenti-ar-savam-teritoriju-kartem-1024x544.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":544,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/arpasaulespieredzi.lv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2025-09-30_BrainGain_Mentala-Veseliba_Studenti-ar-savam-teritoriju-kartem.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":816,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/arpasaulespieredzi.lv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2025-09-30_BrainGain_Mentala-Veseliba_Studenti-ar-savam-teritoriju-kartem.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1089}}],"external_gallery_url":"","additional_info":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arpasaulespieredzi.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/1591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arpasaulespieredzi.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arpasaulespieredzi.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/arpasaulespieredzi.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/1591\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1597,"href":"https:\/\/arpasaulespieredzi.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/1591\/revisions\/1597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arpasaulespieredzi.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arpasaulespieredzi.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news_category?post=1591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}