Building Inclusive Societies: exchanging innovative and good practices to empower local NGO’s working with migrants and refugees Erasmus Project

Project Title

Building Inclusive Societies: exchanging innovative and good practices to empower local NGO’s working with migrants and refugees

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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; Migrants’ issues; Integration of refugees

Project Summary

Context/background: Europe has been facing numerous challenges caused by the “refugee crisis” that started in 2015. Common European values have been put to a test, right-wing parties have gained political points by demonizing the fleeing newcomers, and the media’s been often spreading false and dangerous stories. The newest challenge, COVID-19, represents a whole new threat of long-term damage to human rights and refugee rights. “As countries battle to protect their populations and economies, fundamental norms of refugee and human rights law are at risk” (UNHCR). But, the migrations won’t be stopped, they will just become even more challenging. In this critical situation, when newcomers will be perceived as a threat to public health/economy, the actions of NGOs have been more important than ever.
The general objective of this strategic partnership is to create the conditions for the exchange of innovative good practices of partner organizations that will lead to enhancing the social inclusion process of migrants/refugees in their communities. The exchange of good practices will enable partner organizations to implement new knowledge/methodologies while raising awareness of inclusion-related issues in their communities and while working directly with migrants/refugees. Partner organizations will capacitate one another and as a result, undertake a more active role in the process of inclusion of newcomers locally.
Specific objectives are (1) capacity building of partners; (2) exchanging specific theoretical & practical knowledge among participating organizations and (3) raising awareness of the local community about the difficulties/challenges newcomers face and influencing a broader audience to act towards building a more inclusive society (local communities, stakeholders, youth workers, volunteers in partner organizations)
Number/profile of pax: 4 LTTs will be organized during the project, in which a total of 44 pax and 8 accompanying persons will participate. 16 of them will be experienced staff members (in 2 short-term joint staff training events) and 28 will be youngsters (in 2 blended mobility events). 12 more participants will take part in transnational meetings. In short-term joint staff training events, pax are experienced youth workers and trainers from partner organizations. In blended mobility, pax will be youngsters involved with sending organizations either as interns/volunteers/young employees, of which some with fewer opportunities.
The following activities have been planned in the framework of this strategic partnership:
– 2 transnational meetings (kick-off + closing)
– 2 LTT, 4 days each – joint staff training events (C1 – training for staff about data-driven advocacy, FPA, evaluation of the effectiveness; C2 – training on deliberation methodology in the context of refugees/migrants)
– 2 LTT – blended mobility of young people (C3, 5 days, “Youth leaders of change”, where young people will be empowered to take the role of change agents in their communities through improving their social and emotional skills; C4, 8 days, where young people will be introduced practical tools for raising awareness in their local communities when it comes to the refugees/immigrants).
– 12 in-house training events for approx. 60 pax – After each LTT, pax from each partner will organize in-house training for 3-10 people, to transmit the information to their colleagues.
– At least 4 spin-off events – After C4, each organization will get to choose one of the learned techniques/tools and implement an event based on it.
During the activities, the NFE methods will be used, such as workshops, interactive presentations, learning by doing, etc. Especially during C3 and C4 teamwork/simulation games/role plays will also be used. Debriefing is an important part of every activity, as well as self-evaluation and evaluation in pairs or groups.
The main results represent the impact made on partner organizations that will improve the efficiency of their work, enabling them to provide better quality and more diverse services to a higher number of their users. Participants in the activities will gain new valuable knowledge and improve skills/competencies. Youngsters participating will additionally improve their social and emotional competences and learn about different ways of taking action and creating change. The project will also impact migrants/refugees by giving them a voice, and therefore impacting also their local communities whose members will eventually change their attitudes as a result of different actions within the project.
Longer-term benefits: The project offers a clear vision and plans about how partners can use newly learned methodologies/tools/techniques and contributes to their internationalization. After the project, partners are empowered in the long run for undertaking a more active role in their local community, while raising the quality of their work in the area of social inclusion and civic engagement.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 65712 Eur

Project Coordinator

Agoraveiro & Country: PT

Project Partners

• Psychosocial Innovation Network
• Mentor
• Social Science Works gemeinnützige UG