NEW ERA – New Expertises for Workers in European Refugees Assistance Erasmus Project

Project Title

NEW ERA – New Expertises for Workers in European Refugees Assistance

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: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Social dialogue; Integration of refugees

Project Summary

The refugee emergency appeared in the last two years is a new fact that has found unprepared many European countries. The extent of the phenomenon has created an emergency situation that inevitably reflects on the political and social balance between citizens, public institutions and refugee welcoming organizations. In fact, institutional and private actors that deal with this issue, reveal the need to improve the migrant treatment system to provide a professional and quality service, in order to ensure proper integration of refugees into society. From here there was a real and objective need to train adequately the social workers, public and private, that work in direct contact with refugees and local populations. For this reason “NEWERA” project had the aim of creating a European partnership between public and private organizations to enhance the professional skills of those working with forced migrants. Therefore, the project proposed a training program which was developed both through e-learning platform and through mobility periods of the direct participants. During the training online, the participants analyzed topics such as: analysis of the socio-political and cultural contexts of the countries of origin of asylum seekers and refugees; analysis and comparison of European and national policies and standards (project countries) governing the reception of refugees and asylum; analysis of skills and abilities that social workers should strengthen to implement the “integrated reception services”. The e-learning platform – which will remain online and accessible even after the conclusion of the project – was used to collect intellectual materials, statistics, research, best practices of care services and any other type of documentation useful to develop and strengthen skills and professionalism of social workers who deal with the refugee and asylum seekers issues. About the mobility actions, these were implemented through the creation of five moments of exchange during which the direct beneficiaries of the project had the opportunity to learn about best practices activated for the reception of refugees and their integration into local social context. In addition, during the mobility periods, the social workers dealt directly on the strengths and weaknesses that characterize the refugee reception systems, their work, knowing the services enabled at the local level, as well as develop certain issues covered during the online training. The direct beneficiaries of the project were 20 professionals working in the social field (case workers, psychologists, cultural mediators, language mediators, teachers, educators, legal professionals, social and health workers, volunteers) employed by NGO partners of the project, located in Italy, Serbia, Spain, Romania, United Kingdom and Germany. At the end of the project, they had develop practical skills and professional and personal awareness that make them more able to carry out support and aid activities towards asylum seekers and refugees. They became more prepared professionals able to effectively manage reception services and, above all, to support in a professional and structured way the migrants in their path of integration into the host country. Moreover, they empowered transversal and key skills that constitute an added value for the performance of their daily work, such as the ability to: manage conflicts, build a close-knit team, plan and design social services. Beyond that, the social workers enhanced the use and understanding of English language and develop skills in the use of ICT tools. Finally, the participants had the opportunity to test themselves in an international, multicultural and multilingual context which will lead them to understand how important it is to break down barriers and cultural prejudices. Therefore, they are more used in relating to several foreign people and cultures in terms of ways of life, discussing, working, behaving, express ideas and emotions. Above all, they understood what are the obstacles to pass in order to build a European society based on intercultural principles, the promotion of diversity and solidarity.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 113496,8 Eur

Project Coordinator

CENTRO SERVIZI ASSOCIATI – COOPERATIVA SOCIALE ONLUS & Country: IT

Project Partners

• FUNDATIA CONSILIUL NATIONAL ROMAN PENTRU REFUGIATI
• IBIS – Interkulturelle Arbeitsstelle für Forschung, Dokumentation, Bildung und Beratung e.V.
• COMUNE DI TREVISO
• Ja Sam Covek Organization
• Training Vision Ltd
• Association of Human Rights Educators – AHEAD