Migrant Community Mediators Erasmus Project

Project Title

Migrant Community Mediators

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Migrants’ issues; Inclusion – equity; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy

Project Summary

The Europe 2020 goals for a more inclusive Europe with higher social integration and cohesion are more important than ever. Increasing societal tension, linked to the economic crisis, immigration and increasing multi-ethnicity, cuts in public services etc. are issues widely faced across Europe. In recent years, Sweden has taken in more refugees per capita than any other European country, which as in other EU countries has fueled tensions and caused a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment. Such conflict has significant cost – both to the ongoing development of the individuals involved, but also to the community and wider stakeholders since antisocial behaviour and conflict affects all aspects of wellbeing, education and economic development.

It is evident that new strategies are required to empower newcomers as agents of change in their own lives and in the communities they live in. Two key strategies that are emerging as powerful education/integration tools are 1) community mediation and 2) active inclusion which means enabling every citizen, notably the most disadvantaged, to fully participate in society. A mediator is someone who acts as an arbitrator, negotiator, conciliator, go-between, intermediary, moderator, reconciler, honest broker, and liaison advocate. MCM recognises that educating migrants and refugees in community mediation can play a substantial and positive role in changing social dynamics. Our Migrant and refugee mediators can come from any walk of life but will be trained to act as grassroots brokers and leaders, rather than politicians. Our Migrant Community Mediators will be educated and empowered to provide their communities with a voice and through peer-to-peer mediation and education with their fellow migrants foster inclusion, diversity, equality and intercultural understanding in their new societies. As an additional benefit, the process itself is empowering for the people who take part, as they gain vital knowledge, skills and self-esteem, which are useful for their personal life

The OBJECTIVES of MCM are clear :
• to enable migrants to have more active participation in society; through the community mediation process our Migrant Community Mediators and their migrant communities will be empowered to become agents of change in their own lives and more active participants in their new societies
• to increase self-representation of migrants and refugees to be more visible contributors to civic leadership and media practices – mediators will emerge as informed voices in media debates on the ‘refugee crisis’ and in policy development and resources planning
• to improve the digital competences of migrants and encourage them to engage with adult education opportunities both in the classroom and online online
• to improve the interconnections between formal, non-formal education, adult education, other forms of learning and labour market respectively
• to encourage greater understanding and responsiveness to social, ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity at the policy level.

No issue is more transnational than that of migration and enabling European regions and communities to successfully integrate migrants and refugees is a high priority for the EU; it makes sense that any effort to address these issues should also take place on a transnational basis.and career development.

In terms of impact (IOs, combined with our high impact dissemination and exploitation activities) our expected RESULTS within the project’s lifespan include:
• 40 – 50 stakeholders (10-12 each in Sweden, France, Ireland and the Netherlands) will introduced to the IO1 Migrant Community Mediators Toolkit and will be knowledgeable and committed to contributing to an ongoing ecosystem of support to nurture migrant community mediation through IO2 Migrant Community Mediators Alliances creating 4 action plans (15+ actions) and mechanisms for ongoing collaboration.
– At least 400 downloads of our IO1 Migrant Community Mediators Toolkit by European community leaders, adult educators, public authorities and wider stakeholders across Europe who are interesting and willing to explore the potential of migrant community mediation as a social inclusion tool.
– At least 100 Adult Education Organizations will download the IO3 Migrant Community Mediators Open Education Resources for the benefit of hundreds of migrant learners who will be trained and empowered to become Migrant Community Mediators.
– 15 adult educators from partner organisations will also be participants in our MCM C1 learning activity.
– At least 250 Migrants will join our IO4 MCM Collaborative Learning Platform during the project lifetime.

At NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL level, the project will contribute to systemic improvements in the training of both adult educators and the migrant and refugee community leading to an increase in self-representation of migrants and refugees to be more visible contributors both to civic leadership.

Project Website

https://www.mcmproject.eu

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 212811 Eur

Project Coordinator

FOLKUNIVERSITETET STIFTELSEN VID LUNDS UNIVERSITET & Country: SE

Project Partners

• MOMENTUM MARKETING SERVICES LIMITED
• STICHTING LEARNING HUB FRIESLAND
• CANICE CONSULTING LIMITED
• Roscommon Integrated Development Co. Ltd t/a Roscommon LEADER Partnership
• le LABA