First of September solar e.V. started a 3-year project to develop and testing a new educational tool in the topic-field of migration and inclusion.
The partners of the consortium are:
solar e.V., Deutschland (Koordinator)
Stichting Refugee Company, Niederlande
ASOCIATIA A.R.T. FUSION, Rumanien
SOCIETA’ COOPERATIVA SOCIALE CAMELOT A R.L., Italien
The project is a strategic partneship project in the frame of the educational programme Erasmus+ der Europäischen Kommission.
We will update the infromations on this project frequently.
The international project-website informs as well multilingual about the project.
Context/background:
Migration – and the situation of refugees in particular – is a hot topic in public debates all over Europe. While millions of people are on the move as a result of war, economic deprival, social inequality, climate change and discrimination to look for better opportunities elsewhere, in Europe the hostilities and xenophobia against migrants are rising. As a consortium of dedicated and expertised organisations from different European countries we see the urgent need to inform people about the complexities of the migration process and raise awareness in society about the difficulties migrants and refugees face. Role-play games have proven to be a very effective method in sensitizing people about their prejudices and stereotypes, addressing people’s empathy and provoking reflection and critical thinking. We see the strength of non-formal educational methods and role-play games in particular, but found out that there is no existing role-play game that offers a holistic and accurate picture of the migration process in Europe. For this reason we have decided to join forces and work towards a new and innovative method that embodies the migration process in all its complexities.
Objectives:
With our consortium we want to develop an attractive and high quality educational toolkit, namely a role-play game called “In the footsteps of a migrant”. The game should fulfill the need for a more comprehensive approach on the topic of migration in the non-formal educational sector. The game should raise awareness on the complex reality of asylum procedures, migration policies, border control, the media circus around it and how this influences public opinion and eventually the law. The game will show the (in)human side of what migration entails, it will be an interactive learning experience in which the unimaginable becomes imaginable. We have chosen for a transcultural cooperation to promote a European perspective and approach to connect the topic of migration to the fields of youth an education on an international level. We believe a transnational approach offers deeper insights to the migration situation as a whole and can contribute to a re-integration of the different political viewpoints and realities into a common European perspective.
Number and profile of participants:
Our consortium consists of 4 partner organisations from Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Italy, representing experiences from North, West, South and Eastern Europe. Our development team is formed by 2-3 people per partner that are all experts in the fields of migration and inclusion, youth work and/or education. One of our fundamental aims is to include migrants and their perspectives in this project, of which some are part of our core-team. Our direct target group will be multipliers in the fields of non-formal and formal education that can use the game in their daily work with youth, (young) adults, transnational learners groups etc. Our indirect target group are learners and trainees in (non-)formal adult and youth education that will experience the game as participants.
Description of activities & methodology:
The main activity of this project is aimed at the intellectual output of an innovative and high quality educational toolkit that brings the migration experience to life. The project will therefore focus mainly on the development, try-out, evaluation and dissemination of the method. The division of the tasks to the different partners has been done according to their fields of expertise. In general the project will consist to a large extend of knowledge and good practice exchange, qualitative and quantitative data research, game-design and development of a new method, try-out phases and dissemination events. The whole project will be guided by a constant quality monitoring and evaluation process. All phases of the project are connected by 8 partner meetings in the respective countries.
Results and impact envisaged & long term benefits:
The envisaged impact of this project reaches across multiple levels and touches different target groups. The objective we envisage is to make the situation of refugees and migrants in Europe more noticeable and comprehensible and to impart knowledge on topics such as causes of fleeing, escape routes, bureaucratic obstacles, living conditions, legal status, conflict on values etc. The simulation game is a tool to challenge and fight stereotypes, racism, xenophobia and polarization in European societies and to strengthen democratic values, diversity and respect of human rights. Besides the production of a new high quality non-formal method, the project also fosters good practice exchange and cooperation between our partner organisations, strengthens their networks and transcultural skills, extends their teaching skills and knowledge on methods development and empowers their capacities in raising empathy and awareness for migrants and their realities in Europe.
