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Enabling newcomer citizens of Europe for direct participation
is a project led by two refugee-led organizations: New Women Connectors in the Netherlands, and Unire in Italy with an objective to enhance good practices and new educational approaches for adult migrant & refugee inclusion. With personal experience in situations of displacement, refugees and migrants are best placed to offer practical and sustainable solutions to gaps in services and assistance as well as policy formation.
The aim of the project is to strengthen migrants' and refugees’ competencies to deliver self-advocacy, become agents of change, and play a catalyst role in their communities. Moreover, we aim at creating inclusive, online and offline, spaces for new narratives in migration debates on national and EU levels and provide the opportunity to come together and collaborate on the areas of shared concern.
Program Structure
This project is especially aimed at activists and leaders with refugee, asylum seeker, migrant and stateless backgrounds and members of refugee, migrant and diaspora-led organizations across Europe.
IMAGO LABS
Part of the project is a series of online training called "Imago Labs". The training program will define a capacity-building path for 25 people from migrants and refugee backgrounds, structured to discuss and shape a common understanding of key issues that could increase trainees’ potential for active participation in democratic and policy processes.
In detail, through Imago Labs, 4 online sessions of 2 hours will be organized around the following focus topics:
Narratives on migration | 11 February 2022 5:30-7:30 pm |
Inclusion, intersectionality and gender equality | 1 April 2022 5:30-7:30 pm |
Advocacy and leadership | 8 July 2022 5:30-7:30 pm |
Meaningful participation on policy processes | 7 October 2022 5:30-7:30 pm |
Each training session will be structured in the following way: a theoretical introduction, a keynote speaker, and working in groups through interactive tools to facilitate the exchange among participants.
** Before the training program, an initial survey will be sent to you to assess the proposed contents and add eventually other relevant issues suggested by the interested participants.
Exchange LABS
The second part of the project is a series of in-person training called "Exchange Labs".
Exchange Labs will consist of 2 separate training events in Italy and the Netherlands to share and exchange best practices and innovative educational approaches for migrant and refugee inclusion.
These trainings also give the opportunity to jointly develop tools and solutions for self-advocacy of migrants and refugees in their host societies and on a European level. The Exchange Labs will focus on 2 main elements: Advocacy and Leadership.
Exchange Labs participants will be a selection of those who have participated in our virtual Imago Labs events or members from our local migrant and refugee communities.
They will be selected based on their leading and activist role in different European migrant-led organizations or who have the potential to become local catalysts and role models for the diverse refugee and migrant communities in Europe.
In order to put into practice the build capacities and gained competencies and to tap the huge potential of migrants and refugees to act as self-advocates and agents of change, ADVOC-ACT will be closed with an Exposure Visit to Brussels.
A selected group of 6-8 candidates who joined the Exchange Labs and showed significant potential in leadership and advocacy skills will join a visit to Brussels, allowing them to observe and experience the practical reality of policymaking at a European level.
The visit will include a visit to the departments of the European Commission and multi-stakeholders. The Exposure Visit to Brussels will ensure the visibility of migrant and refugee advocates and allow members to have an effective and sustained voice in policymaking.
Please note: only residents of the 27 EU member states (and Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Turkey, North-Macedonia and Serbia) can apply for these trainings. Visa needs will be discussed at time of selection.
Attending at least 2 Imago Labs sessions is mandatory to qualify for Exchange Labs.
Italy Training | 15-17 June 2022 |
The Netherlands Training | 22-24 September 2022 |
Brussels Exposure Visit | 7-9 December 2022 |
Participation in all trainings is free of cost. Travel, accommodation and food will be refunded. This project is funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union.
