This year, newspapers are littered with ominous headlines such as ‘Latvia, a disappearing nation’ (from Politico) highlighting the massive emigration that has seen the nation lose almost 20% of its population in under two decades.

The Greeks have a deep-rooted tradition of ‘Philoxenia’, taking pride in showing hospitality to strangers. Indeed, one of the great challenges for Athens in dealing with the current influx of migrants is coordinating the plethora of Greek groups and organisations that have sprung up to welcome the new population.

Two core principals have boosted the success of migrant integration in Utrecht: beginning before the beginning and inclusion for all. But what does it mean to begin before the beginning?