MILAR Modelli Inclusione Lavoro Rifugiati Erasmus Project

Project Title

MILAR Modelli Inclusione Lavoro Rifugiati

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 vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Integration of refugees; Inclusion – equity; Enterprise, industry and SMEs (incl. entrepreneurship)

Project Summary

Milar perceived the objective to analyse and test new European paths aiming to promote the inclusion of refugees.
The italian communities of Bologna, Forlì and Milan togheter with the london district of Ealing (UK) and the municipalities of Kristianstadt (Sweden) and Hannover (Germany), within Milar Initiative, tested on the field the opportunity to promote Community Social Enterprises (CSE) able to include refugees and promote the access to the labour market.
The aim of the project was to demonstrate that for a real local develop there is the need to include and integrate socially and professionaly people looking for asylum, both in Italy as well as in Europe. This will allow to these person to make themselves useful and, to local communities, to plan togheter a fundamental part of our future.
To face with such challenge, some key steps have been implemented during the biennium 2017/2018. Such steps were closeli linked and functional to each other.
• the first step was to draft a Transnational Research Framework aiming to identify practices/methodologies, the welfare and the CSE experiences within parter countries.
• Given this, we organised a transnational training event (short training week – duration 5 days) managed by the partnership and aiming to: analyse the data emerged by the Research Framework; exchange significative experiences; exchange with relevant stakeholders and witnesses; debate; identify and share the key elements leading to a CSE able to include refugees.
• After the short training week, a first draft of Guidelines was realized useful to support the subsequent steps related to pilots and provide some usefult tips and suggestions to those intending to start an initiative of this kind within his/her community.
The following activities have been then implemented:
• Pilot in each involved Country (Italy (Bologna-Forlì-Milan), Germany, United Kingdom and Sweden) 1. co-creating from the bottom, with local communities (local authorities, neighborhoods, citizens and refugees, association, profit and no profit enterprises, foundations and so on) a project/proposal inspired to CSE. 2. providing an ad hoc training to a group of refugees to asses the transversal and professional skills needed to be included in a CSE.
• last but not the least, Guidelines have been revised and integrated in light of local pilot outcomes in each involved country and shared with the general public and European authorities.
Guidelines (IO2) are the key output of the project as we think it could be an useful tool to promote similar experiences within the European context.
The partnership of the project was composed as follow:
• Consorzio Open (IT): project coordinator. The consortium worked in close cooperation with its associates operating in the field of vocational training in 11 italian regions with specific focus on: training and support to job search for migrants/refugees; training targeted to social operators; promotion of local networks and promotion new startup related to social enterprises.
• Emilia Romagna region (IT): project partner participating throught the Department for funding refugees’ training and the promotion of worlkfare active policies. the cultural and normative approach adopted is oriented to employability in close connection with economical and productive economic and production development policy.
• Ealing Equality Council (UK): humanitarian organisation of the London Borough of Ealing operating on a permanent basis with the West London University and 13 association of/addressed to foreigners with the aim to face with the social change and build positive relation with ethnic minorities. It promotes integrated services targeted to refugees/migrants such as accompainment to job search, socio-educational animation, housing and legal counselling.
• Folkuniversitetet (SE): Swedish association emanation of the University strongly present on the whole national territory providing training paths targeted to adults and migrants. During the years, it matured strong experiences in the field of mentoring, coaching, skills validation, job shadowing (learning by working) and active orientation. It cooperates closely with migrant associations, Immigration offices and employment offices and so on (networking).
• VHS Hannover (DE): training centre of the Municipality of Hannover, it represents an added value and an excellence in the field of research of innovative methodologies aiming to develop social entrepreneurship and employability. It adopts an holistic approach in order to improve the efficacy of the training offer and the skills enhancement of refugees/migrants. It implement validated intervention related to Business Training supporting the management and social entrepreneurs.
As regards the impact on involved territories, Milar allowed to take a first step towards the definition and regulation of a Community Social Enterprise (CSE) despite still undefined also at European level.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 324498,5 Eur

Project Coordinator

CONSORZIO O.P.E.N. : OFFENDERS PATHWAYS TO EMPLOYMENT NATIONAL NETWORK & Country: IT

Project Partners

• FOLKUNIVERSITETET STIFTELSEN VID LUNDS UNIVERSITET
• Volkshochschule Hannover
• Ealing Equality Council
• REGIONE EMILIA ROMAGNA