Adult education as a mechanism of social inclusion and participation of migrant women. Erasmus Project

Project Title

Adult education as a mechanism of social inclusion and participation of migrant women.

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; Gender equality / equal opportunities; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

In recent years, hateful ideologies and radical movements have thrived in an endangered European Union and in a troubled world plunged into crisis after crisis… from the 2015-2016 refugee crisis to the very serious crisis derived from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. All of them, whether health-related, social, or political, end up having a greater impact on the weakest groups, and especially on those who already suffer from great social segregation.
In a state of desperation and great need, these groups are especially susceptible to those simple and demagogue speeches that blame problems on those who are least to blame for it. This means that, from the refugee crisis, but especially as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, groups that advocate hatred and segregation have grown at alarming rates within many member countries. However, fighting these populist, racist, and exclusionary ideologies is not easy and requires innovative and thoughtful strategies that focus their efforts appropriately to achieve the desired impact.

Faced with this situation that worsens year after year (increasingly repressive policies in countries like Hungary or Poland, an increase in violent actions against segregated groups, “Brexit”…) it is essential to put forward, from all social spheres, new proposals to defend the values of tolerance, respect, equality, and diversity of which Europe is a paradigm.

This is why, not only governments, but also social agents and entities must begin to assume that we must also be protagonists of this peaceful and democratic opposition to those who encourage hatred and violence, especially working with the groups most susceptible to these insidious speeches due to their high levels of exclusion, lack of emancipation, and empowerment. This is the case of a large number of women who, subjugated by a patriarchal society, have emerged as a key group in the rise of these movements that go against the values of Europe. In recent years, excluded women have been the protagonists of the growth of radical groups, both islamophobes and jihadists, according to the report of the Spanish Intelligence Center against Terrorism.

So, from September 2018 to August 2021, a network of 6 entities from Spain (FEC), Portugal (CULTRA), France (ESPACES MARX), Austria (TRANSFORM!AT), Greece (NICOS POULANTZAS INSTITUTE), and Slovenia (MARCH 8 INSTITUTE), in line with the work they have been carrying out for more than 13 years, have developed the project “ADULT EDUCATION AS A MECHANISM FOR THE SOCIAL INCLUSION AND PARTICIPATION OF MIGRANT WOMEN”: an initiative that has generated a new way to fight against radical and violent movements and does not limit rights or establish isolationist measures, but turns students into active subjects in their training and the European social reconstruction by promoting inclusion and the European values of justice and equality through participatory education.

In order to achieve this ambitious goal, the creation of “SCHOOLS OF PARTICIPATION AND INCLUSION” has been promoted. These are learning spaces for adult women through formal training (in accordance with the legislation of Lifelong Learning Centers), participation, and inclusion, in dozens of European city councils, plus the creation of two high-quality results that facilitate this process for teachers:
– The “METHODOLOGICAL GUIDE FOR EDUCATION THROUGH PARTICIPATION AND TRAINING TO ACHIEVE INCLUSION” (O1), that promotes a new form of education in EPAS (and homologous centers).
– The innovative training course “UP-WOMEN: TRAINING COURSE THROUGH PARTICIPATION AND INCLUSION” (O2), aimed at creating bilateral processes of participation and training by which adult women not only learn, but are also encouraged to get involved in a process of dialogue with political institutions to change their environment.

Despite the difficulties of confinement and the severe COVID-19 pandemic that harshly impacted many of the partner countries (like Spain or Portugal), during these three years of work we have managed to meet all the proposed objectives, develop high quality results, and carry out all the proposed activities (although virtualizing several of them to make them viable).

In short, we believe that we have developed a great project endorsed by various cities (and their Lifelong Learning Centers) throughout Europe, which is already posing a significant beneficial impact in the fight against hate speech and the empowerment of segregated women.

Project Website

https://lafec.org/index.php/erasmus/educacion-adultos-inclusion-social-participacion-mujeres-migrantes/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 99225 Eur

Project Coordinator

Fundación por la Europa de los Ciudadanos & Country: ES

Project Partners

• TRANSFORM!AT
• Cooperativa Culturas do Trabalho e Socialismo, CRL
• Espaces Marx
• March 8 Institute
• Nicos Poulantzas Institute