Migration and Inclusion

„Brașov Multicultural Day” (4^th edition) is dedicated to the Romanian community and the migrants living in the city of Brașov, Romania. The purposes of this event are:

– To educate people about immigration and the difference between refugees and other migrants; to educate people about the advantages of having a multicultural society;

– To contribute to the social and cultural integration of migrants in Romania;

– The promotion of a positive multicultural environment for both migrants and the local community;

– Advocate for diversity, tolerance, mutual understanding, cultural exchange, and humanitarian aid.

– Strengthening the cooperation with the local institutions with attributions in managing migration;

– Strengthening the cooperation with local companies and entrepreneurs for a better economic integration of migrants in the city of Brasov, Romania.

The target groups of our event are:

• Refugees and other migrants (third country nationals) living in Romania;
• The local Romanian community;
• The entire Romanian society;
• The local government and local leaders;
• Entrepreneurs, companies, organizations, etc. with a potential to offer work for refugees and other migrants.
• Embassies;

The event will be structured in three moments:

1. Artistic program produced by the foreigners in Brașov (the program will contain traditional dances, poetry, presentations, traditional music, traditional costumes parade etc.)
2. Cultural exhibitions. The cultural exhibitions will be hosted by countries such as: Nigeria, Philippines, Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Japan, Dominican Republic, Korea, Republic of Moldova, China, Albania, Belarus, Ukraine, Brazil, Chile/South America, Benin, Tunisia, Algeria, USA, Canada, Iran, Palestine, Jordan, Australia, Cuba, Germany, Romania etc.
3. Refugee section. In this section there will be:

– A photo exhibition about the refugees’ “trip” from Lesbos to Austria (a photo exhibition done by three Romanian photographers who have followed and photographed a group of refugees in October 2015 from lesbos in Greece to Austria);

– A fashion corner explaining Arabic traditional clothes;

– A relaxation corner where people can see a traditional Syrian room;

– other small activities that draw attention to the today’s refugee plight.

The evaluation will be done before and after the event with the help of local and national media.

TOPIC AND CONTENT:

The project aims at raising awareness on refugee related issues on 17-18 y.o. students leaving in a small town without many opportunities of intercultural exchanges.

Recognizing that Italian youth have a very limited knowledge on refugee related issues, mostly acquired by different kinds of media, but rarely get the chance to meet a refugee and look at each others in the eyes, the project wants to sensitize youth and create meeting opportunities. By facilitating the process of getting-to-know-each-other and sharing information and knowledge, we expect young Italian students to develop a a deeper understanding of problems affecting refugees, as well as acknowledging the similarities connecting people, regardless of their nationality, religion and legal status.

3 classes of about 20 students each are involved in the project, which envisages 4 meetings for every class. The first 2 meetings are designed to provide the students with some basic information about the international refugee crisis and the Italian context. During the last 2 meetings the students have the opportunity to meet a few refugees currently leaving in nearby areas. The students are encouraged to interact with the refugees, asking them questions about their personal life, both in their countries of origin and the receiving countries.

At the end of the meetings the students will collaborate to create a video representing what they have learnt during the workshops and what they want to share with other youth. The video will be indeed posted in social media and be shown at public events.

PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH AND METHOD

Considering the target addressed, the project is based on a non formal education approach and the workshops are conducted in a participatory way, in order to actively involve the young students, especially during the sessions envisaging the participation of refugees.

Several methods including role plays and peer-to-peer discussions will be implemented in order to stimulate a debate and a real learning process. Eventually, we will make use of technological tools and software as a powerful instrument to express and share ideas.

PEDAGOGICAL GOALS

The overall awareness raising goal of the project can be split into several minor objectives. We actually wish Italian students to be able to break the wall separating them from the migrants and go beyond the barriers imposed by society. Getting to know refugees and their backgrounds will open up their perspectives and it will make them change their mind in many different ways. We would also like them to be multipliers of the knowledge acquired in their personal contexts (e.g. family, friends…).

On the other hand, the project will foster social inclusion as it will enable refugees to get in contact with locals. That will make it easier for them to feel part of their new society.

TARGET GROUPS

Target groups of the project are 60 Italian students aged 17-18 and 5-6 refugees.

EVALUATION

After every workshop session there will be time to discuss the methods and the contents and that will provide an immediate feedback from the students.  At the end of the project the teachers will be asked to evaluate the activities with their students.

TIMETABLE AND MILESTONES

May 2016 – 4 meetings for every class, once a week.

June 2016 – video making and editing

Topic and content

Barcelona city is highly attractive travel destination. At the same time it has very international environment including foreign students, migrants from different countries, refugees from Ukraine, expats and many other groups (although it is not accurate to divide them in such a manner). However nowadays the city seem to belong to tourists more than to citizens. Almost no social spaces apart from much-ballyhooed for city guests are explicitly discussed and known. Catalan and Spanish people, students, other migrants, tourists and any other (unfortunately quite separated groups) occupy just certain familiar for them places on the urban landscape.

The idea of the project is to give voice to people who disregard their private sphere forcedly or voluntarily in order to seek for cooperation and solidarity and fight for their human rights which is usually happened on the streets or in some special spaces or for whom it’s just their lifestyle because of the age, circumstances or some kind of tradition. We would like to make these spaces remarkable and reflected not in the service of commerce (as in case of recognized cultural values), but for providing an image of really diverse city with unexpected connections and points and for showing that each person can get a quite diverse ‘big picture’ if he/she doesn’t exclude some places from his/her line of sight. To know and feel the city means to be curious and bold enough to get out of your comfort zone and to enter places where you’ve never been before to refresh your social environment, break borders inside the city and at least be aware of your stereotypes.

We should say that the main focus is adult migrants’ lifestyle, however later it may include teenagers migrants tours, anti-capitalist activist groups’ tours, Gypsies’ ones and others.

Pedagogical approach & method

The idea is still developing however it may be said that the method will be educational and cultural as we will try to explore new city routes in the form of walking tour which is by definition supposed to be educational and cultural activity. It will include preparatory stage of discussing the details of implementation with migrant community and activists who work with them.

Probably in the course of the tours some kind of social map may be designed however such possibility should be properly thought through (for reasons of safety etc.)

Chances are the tours will be video documented.

Pedagogical goals

The goals are bidirectional.

For people with migration background we would like to create a situation in which they will be listened and followed by others, and their personal lifestories and experiences in city spaces (in the city where they are usually invisible or negatively too visible, from where they are excluded) will acquire value for themselves. This feeling they will be encouraged to share.

For all the individuals as citizens and guests of Barcelona we would like to offer a view on the city design as an intersection of people experiences for whom the main activities are carried out outdoors but not in their lovely homes and private lifes whereas being still hardly visible. And actually this is their city more than anyone’s else.

Target group(s)

We will cooperate with migrant community and to organize with them the tours for diverse groups: «locals», tourists, other migrants – for everyone who may be interested in it without any exceptions.

Evaluation

Most probably after each tour there will be a discussion with all the participants and feedback questions.

Local partners

The project will likely be carried out in cooperation with Espacio de Inmigrantes (https://espaciodelinmigrante.wordpress.com/)

Other possible partners:

La Comisión Catalana de Ayuda al Refugiado (http://www.ccar.cat/ccar-2/?lang=es)

Asociación de Orientación Mujeres Migrantes en Cataluňa (http://aomicat.blogspot.com.es/)

Timetable & milestones

1) By the middle of July:

discussing details with collaborators, coming up with the tours topics

2) By the beginning of September:

find people to run tours

develop the route of the excursions

run test tours among organizers in order to reveal challenges (because of the city design, places availability, guide license etc.)

promotion, teasers

3) 1st-3rd weeks of September:

conducting walking tours (at least two — one by migrant man and one by migrant woman)

TOPIC & CONTENT
The recent refugee flux that Greece has been receiving has created increasing needs in social scientists to work in the field. In many cases, the demand is greater than the supply, which practically means that not all social scientists who get a relevant job have already expertise and experience in the field. This creates the need to train the newcomers. Especially in the Guardianship Network for Unaccompanied Minors where I work, since the concept of guardianship is itself new in Greece, the need for training becomes even more important and critical. In this framework, I would like to participate in my NGO’s training for newcomers by contributing material, non-formal education methods as well as facilitation.

PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH & METHOD
I will be a member in the team that designs the training content and schedule. The training will necessarily involve some more “formal” educational parts, as the newcomers need to receive information and knowledge about the relevant laws, legal procedures etc. Apart from that, the general idea will lie greatly on non-formal education methods, such as role-plays, case studies, experiential games and exercises, art projects etc.

PEDAGOGICAL GOALS
The goal is to not only give the newcomers dry knowledge about the work they are going to be involved in, but also experientially raise their awareness on issues they are going to face, such as diversity, conflict, interculturality, etc.

TARGET GROUP(S)
The target group will be around 40 people that are going to be trained as potential new members of the guardianship network.

EVALUATION (HOW TO DO IT?)
After the training is completed, the participants will receive an anonymous evaluation form.

TIMETABLE AND MILESTONES
May – June : Team meetings to discuss and finalize the training schedule and content.
June 21st – 28th : Training
July : Evaluation

Team: Oana, Sisilia, Julia

Place: Berlin

Period: 05. – 10. September

Timeframe: during school semester, afternoon: 14:00 – 18:00/19:00 o’clock

Duration: 6 days

Profile of participants/ 8-10 youngsters between 13-15 years

Target group with and without a refugee background ( ??)

Visitors of the exhibition

local partners: initiative Wedding.hilft; neighborhood center PA58; refugee accommodation in Wedding/ Berlin

Funding: Quartiersmanagement Soldiner Straße (neighborhood management), Jugend-Jury (youth jury)

Description of the project

A suitcase of memories-a suitcase of dreams is an art workshop followed by an work in progress exhibition taking place in Berlin in early september 2016.

Together with eight to ten youngsters of culturally diverse backgrounds, we artistically express and exchange our inner dreams and passions. As a method of doing so, we distribute suitcases to every participant at the beginning of the week and ask them to fill them up with objects representing their hopes, their passion or even objects representing important things from their past.

During the course of five days we use these objects as motors to built an art exhibition open for everybody intrested in getting to know the youngsters and the stories behind objects which now become art pieces.

Background:

The project group consist of youngsters with and without refugee background. They go through a shared and mutual search for similarities in their actual situation, their “here and now” and experiences as young people. Through telling and exchange object-stories they draw near each other and develop a group identity beyond categorizations like origin, language and legal status but rather their identities as youngsters in Berlin looking for future visions. During the workshop, they have the space to exchange their everyday life experiences, wishes for their future and passions as well as for creating a new image of themselves beyond stereotypes.

This group relation is the initial point for their creative work in little groups. There they work with the objects which they decide to introduce and develop a media staging (video, audiotape, photos). Thus they document their relational and working process. In the combination of all result they create something unexpected and forward-looking. In their exhibition they find this visions as connection between their individualities and commonalities.

In the workshop week the youngsters get the chance of learning about the others personal stories, life stories passions and dream. Eventually they are able to connect between each other, see similarities and get the chance to connect between each other.

Pedagogical aproach & methods

The project will make use of the non formal learning approach.

Therefore the learning concept involves peer-to-peer- learning, exchange & interaction between the youngsters in order to get to know each other and in order to create a respectful safe space for every single participant. We will also use an inclusive empowerment approach/ anti bias approach and integrate them during the whole week. Regarding the methods, they will comprise group building methods (especially on the first days), brainstorming on the objects and story telling about them.

For the documentation of the whole process, the youngsters will use media work such as video, photography, audio record & social media work.

Pedagogic goals:

Our goal is to give youngsters the space to express themselves, develop their self-expression as they want, implement their ideas, deal with their personal story. To give them the opportunity and the space to focus and deal with their personal dreams and passions during one week.

It is important that the youngsters learn to work creativly in an heterogeneous group and share their stories and believes in a save space where they feel comfortable and acepted.

In detail our goals are as followed:

• To use art as a tool for self expression
• To motivate the youngsters to exchange stories between each other and share commonalities
• To learn and work creativly in heterogeneous groups
• To empower the youngsters and strengthen their own skills through the realization of their very own art exhibition where we only use as facilitators but not as leaders

Timetable & milestones

The whole process of the workshop is orientated on relationships and the working process, not on the results. That being said, we aren’t looking for the creation of as much as possible of exhibits, but rather for the group building and developing process of the youngsters.

This process includes different phases in the order indicated :

Day one:getting to know each other through games and open exchange- presentation of the project- lunch -hand out of suitcases-

Day two: group building tactivities- presentation of the objects-exchage of object stories and brainstorming Day three : work on objects in groups- documentation workshops ( filming/audio/ foto) in small groups

Day four: coming all together for the installation and work on the creation of the exhibition+ Documentaion workshop

Day five: same as day for – exploring of the neighbourhood

Day six: Final adjustments- exhibition – final feedback

Feedback and evaluation:

At the end of every workshop-day we ask for a short feedback with diverse methods. Through this we can adapt our working methods to the needs of the youngsters and concentrate on their focus. It is important to react on the group atmosphere and the feelings of the youngsters.

After the exhibition we ask for a final and more detailed feedback and also give our feedback as a present for the youngsters.

Team – Sammi, Simina, Elise, Valeria, Antonis, Pascalis, Diana (not 100%sure)

(topic and content/ pedagogical goals)

The idea of this project is to create a compilation of cooking recipes that are proposed and prepared by migrants and refugees from different points of the world and eventually comprise them into a book alongside with the personal stories of the people involved. The main goal of the project is the empowerment of migrants and their self-esteem and the re-humanization of their image in society. Being involved in an activity where one can create something and share his/hers story and skills can efficiently break the frustrating and demotivating idleness of refugee camps in which thousands of people are desperately stuck. The conditions in these camps, and particularly the one at the Greek-Macedonian border, Idomeni, do not allow any fun, educational or entertaining activities and most of its habitants have their days spent in a monotone, boring and emotionally and psychologically exhausting ways. And it is in this idle and miserable situation that the main stream media and press tend to portrait the refugees – a herd of people who do nothing and want to take everything. The cooking book could alleviate both of these symptoms – it will involve people from Idomeni camp, giving them a channel to share their culinary skills and to tell the stories associated with the recipes as well as anything else they would like to share. Hopefully this will have a positive impact on their self-esteem and their general well-being. There is even the possibility of eventually selling the book and thus having some financial revenue which will go back to the people in the camp.  On the other hand the book, once completed, shared and spread through Europe will point to the obvious to its readers – that the people on the other side of the fence are exactly that – people, who cook with love for their families and themselves and people, who have knowledge and skill to share with the rest of us. The goal is to reinforce a positive and a re-humanizing image of refugees.

Alongside refugees from Idomeni, the project will involve refugees and migrants from communities in Italy and Romania and? The main scope is to integrate the migrant community in the local society and to make migrants visible so that tolerance is replaced with inclusion and  opportunities for integration.  The project will also help relatively isolated migrants become involved in a project that values their culture and experience. Making the book, collecting the recipes will also include events where local folks are also invited (e.g. cooking lessons).

The project will also produce video material, that will be used to announce the book or just to contribute to reaching the goals of fostering inclusion and understanding for migrants and refugees.

(pedagogical method)

The method will be direct contact in a horizontal structure which will involve skill sharing in a non-formal way. The method also includes storytelling and personal stories as a way to help people relate and value the experience of migrants and refugees and their culture.

(target groups)

There are two target groups in this project. The first one are the refugees who will collaborate for the creation of the book and the second one are the people who will read the book and participate in the activities

(evaluation)

The project will be carried out on ground at the Greek-Macedonian border in Idomeni with people who are stuck in the local refugee camp and, in migrants and refugee communities in Romania and Italy They will be approached and asked if they would like to collaborate. The process of preparing the meals will be documented with both video and pictures. Once enough material has been collected the digital design of the book can begin and then the eventual print can follow.

(agreements with local and international partners)

The project will be made in collaboration with different activist groups from Europe who have direct contact with migrants and refugees that would like collaborate and to share their stories and recipes, so the material in the book will be collected from different places which will give an even stronger international touch to the project.

(timetable and milestones)

The project will begin in the first week of June 2016 and can be divided in a few milestone points:

1 – Finding the people who would like to participate in it – June – August

2 – Documenting and organizing all the material – September – Octomber

3 – Designing and releasing the actual book – Octomber- November

Ideally, these can be completed as planned, although there are many variable factors in game.

Team (in alphabetical order): Andreea, David, Elektra, Elena, Federica, Hristo, Sameha, Stefan.

TOPIC & CONTENT

The world of non-formal pedagogical methods to raise awareness about diversity is huge and so is the variety of tools that can be used to work in it. During the training course in Berlin, we noticed how many of us already knew the tools used by the organisers, but maybe with slight differences. We agreed on the fact that these differences, even if small and apparently not so meaningful, could be very helpful when the context in which you are working and the target group change.This is how we got the idea of the  IncluKit: a tool for all the “categories” of people working on the issues of diversity through non-formal approaches, in particular in the field of migrations but not only; an “open-book” in constant evolution, through the experiences, contributions and improvements of  whoever feels to have something to share with us on the topic.

PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH & METHOD

We will start our work with a research fase, with the aim of collecting as much tools as we can. We will creat a dropbox folder to share the results of our researches and then start to put all the material together, dividing it into useful chapters, according to a maintopic or a similar target group. We will also create an email address where all the people willing to contribute to the project could send their ideas. When the first version of the open-book will be ready, we will publish it on the blog of Migration and Inclusion, from where whoever will be able to download it for free, as it will be an open source.

PEDAGOGICAL GOALS

The goal of this project is trying to give an opportunity to improve the job of people working on the issues of diversity, in particulat in contexts related to migration, through non-formal pedagogical approaches, in order to strenghten the impact of the tools on their target group.

TARGET GROUP(S)

The target group of our project concerns all the people working in the field of migrations and inclusion, but in a wider perspective, also people working on other forms of diversity as, for example, gender-based issues. In fact, the book will provide an explanation about how the different tools can be used to fight against many forms of stereotypes and prejudices related to various social issues.

EVALUATION (HOW TO DO IT?)

When downloading the IncluKit, people will be kindly asked to fill a short survey that they will automatically receive via email. The form will include questions about the reason why they are downloading the open-book, what they hope to find in it and how they plan to use it.

A second survey will follow after a couple of months to ask if they were satisfied by the IncluKit, how they used it in the end and if they have suggestions to improve it.

TIMETABLE AND MILESTONES

May – July : Research and collection if material

August – September : Selection of material and division into chapters

October : First draft

November : Editing and graphic design