Migracode 2 – Empowering youth workers in digital schools for refugees, asylum seeking and migrant youth and preventing drop out Erasmus Project

Project Title

Migracode 2 – Empowering youth workers in digital schools for refugees, asylum seeking and migrant youth and preventing drop out

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 youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; Integration of refugees

Project Summary

Almost four in five (79 %) of the first-time asylum seekers in the EU-28 in 2018 were less than 35 years old with the largest share of applicants being those aged 18–34. The time spent waiting is usually wasted time considering their wasted chances for education and the fact that they have to take a lot of steps to become part of society (e.g. learn the language or prepare themselves for the job market). The experiences all over Europe show that most of the past generations of refugees end up doing jobs far below their potential and this happened due to various reasons, but mainly because they lacked a professional network or they missed chances for education due to lack of information and opportunities. A study from 2018 from the Journal of Youth Studies points out that support for young refugees to make successful transitions into and through the education system is critical to their future lives and longer-term integration outcomes. This support is often neglected by institutions and there is a lack of this kind of support on the whole European level. To provide quality support, youth workers first need to build their capacity and become empowered in terms of teaching this vulnerable group prone to drop out in a non-formal digital environment. The GENERAL objective of the project is, on the one hand, to empower youth workers who work with refugees and migrants in non-formal digital education and, on the other hand, to strengthen the chance of asylum seekers and refugees on the labor market by empowering them to pursue their education in the digital field by providing the best possible conditions for that and preventing drop out through quality youth work with them. This will be done through:

1. Focus group which will be conducted by 3 participating organizations among their previous beneficiaries in order to understand specific needs and challenges refugee youth are facing when it comes to their education in digital schools and to get useful insight for the other activities.
2. Three training sessions:
– Teaching digital skills to refugee youth and young asylum seekers
– Motivational and environmental factors related to the successful non-formal education in refugee youth
– Validation of non-formal digital education and working in demanding environments
3. Pilot courses in digital schools of each participating organization based on outcomes from previous activities

The participants are youth workers working specifically in projects involving digital education of young refugees and asylum seekers. Each organization will select its participants according to their experience, past involvement in similar programs and projects and expertise.

Expected results and impact on the youth workers is the following:
– New and improved processes of recognition and validation of competences gained in non-formal education
– New and improved practices to cater to the needs of disadvantaged groups in terms of their non-formal education
– Development of skills for youth workers in line with individual needs and organizational objectives
– Reinforced cooperation with partners from other countries
– Greater understanding and responsiveness to social, linguistic and cultural diversity
– Improved skills and competencies of youth workers working with refugees and asylum seekers in non-formal digital education – the Increased quality of education and provided youth work for the disadvantaged group of refugees and asylum seekers
– Promotion of best practices learned and obtained in the project

The project will generate physical outputs as well:
– Adjustments and improvements to the curriculum used by youth workers in digital schools – in order to facilitate the learning process for students and upgrade teaching methods of youth workers
– A digital manual addressed to teachers, educators and youth workers, based on the working methods matching the target group needs – in order to prevent drop-out
– 5-day training course based on the working methods addressed to teachers, educators and youth workers, matching the target group needs – in order to prevent drop-out

With this project participating organizations aim to build the capacity of their youth workers, improve the quality of youth work within organizations and lay the foundations to future potential partnerships. All results and findings will be disseminated through many channels in each country and European relevant channels in order to share it with other youth workers to whom they may be helpful in their work. Everybody will benefit from a better understanding of reasons in the background that make refugee youth and young asylum seekers drop out from demanding educational paths and thus provide better conditions in which they’ll get more support and chance to complete the education. In general, they are a marginalized group but, having in mind their life circumstances, their background, reasons and motivation in some way are different from other marginalized groups.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 69446 Eur

Project Coordinator

Bez granica & Country: HR

Project Partners

• Informatici Senza Frontiere ONLUS
• Social Hacker
• Open Cultural Center
• Open Cultural Center