Language As a Bridge Erasmus Project

Project Title

Language As a Bridge

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Integration of refugees

Project Summary

CONTEXT
The growing flow of refugees to the EU countries makes the process of their social inclusion a high priority. According to the latest figures published by the Eu Commission (March 2017), in 2015 and 2016 the EU received 2.5 million asylum applications.
Knowledge of the language of host country is considered as one of the most crucial elements for successful social inclusion and as the main lever to increase the newly arrived refugees’ level of self-reliance and participation.
Without a good knowledge of the host country language, it is almost impossible to integrate into the local culture, get into the labour market and socialize with members of other communities. Therefore without implementing a proper inclusion policy, it will increase the possibility of having a growing number of marginalized people, excluded from every form of social activities and labour market. Thus eliminating all forms of intercultural dialogue lead to increase in incidents of racial discrimination and intolerance. Besides, this project has been built upon some of the recommendations following the report of the Eu Parliament on “refugees: social inclusion and integration into the labour market” (2015/2321(INI)) with particular focus on “Welcomes solutions providing multilingual information on opportunities involving formal and non-formal education, vocational training, work placement and volunteering for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers; calls, therefore, for such services to be extended”.

OBJECTIVES
Today, according to the 2015/2321(INI) 24.4 % of the total population in the EU live in risk of poverty and social exclusion, and almost 10 % are facing severe material deprivation.
The overall objective of Language As a Bridge “LAB” project, then, was to contribute in reducing this data enhancing the social inclusion of the Newly Arrived People (NAP) by improving their language knowledge.
We aimed at contributing to reaching this overall objective by increasing the skills of 20 adult educators (specific objective) on language education of NAP. The 20 adult educators was trained with an innovative guideline on language education (main project result) that has been developed by the LAB consortium.

NUMBERS AND PROFILES OF THE PARTICIPANTS
The project involved at different level with As said, the training involved 20 adult educators. The participants have been selected considering the following criteria:
1. experience in the field of formal education or non-formal adult education;
2. working directly with refugees and/or with migrants;
3. not consortium member;

METHODOLOGY
As for the methodology, the project followed a combination of methodology. As far the project implementation, the consortium used the traditional project cycle management (PCM) from one side. Then we have had some social science methodology like the one used to carry out the research. Last but not least, some formal and non-formal education methods have been used especially during the short-term training.

PROJECT ACTIVITIES DONE
The project has seen the development of the following activities:
– a research with a questionnaire administered to 119 people;
– a focus group done to 6 groups;
– a short-term training in which 30 people have participated;
– 1 transnational meeting held in Florence (Italy);
– the publication of innovative guideline.

IMPACT ON THE PARTICIPANTS
The goal of LAB project was to improve the social inclusion of Newly Arrived People (NAP) while the specific objectives was to having increased the skills of 20 adult educators on language teaching to NAP.
Going into detail, during the project implementation we observed that:
a) participants of the sample for the research were aware about the project and its aims;
b) participants of the training are now better skilled to teach language education to NAP as well as have now a wider view of the different methodologies used in different context (Norway, Spain, Greece, Italy, Belgium and Portugal).
c) multiplier participants have an idea of the project and its main output, the handbook, that they can consider to use or to spread the voice about when it comes the question of NAP and language education.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 68423,18 Eur

Project Coordinator

EUROPEAN CENTRE FOR ECONOMIC AND POLICY ANALYSIS AND AFFAIRS & Country: BE

Project Partners

• Asociacion Sociocultural GENTES – Colectivo para la dinamización integral del territorio
• CIEP asbl
• Agrupamento de Escolas de Silves
• MULTIKULTURELT INITIATIV OG RESSURSNETTVERK (MIR)
• Solidarietà caritas onlus
• ASTIKI MI KERDOSKOPIKI ETAIREIA KENTRO NEON IPEIROU