ARGENTINA

Austria

Belgium

Germany

Greece

Italy

Poland

Portugal

Spain

The Nordics

Mezze

Francisca Gorjão Henriques

The Problem

Due to general ignorance around the culture of the countries where refugees come from, the job integration in Portugal is difficult for coming refugees, especially for women. 

The Solution

Mezze is a leading project for integration in Portugal that serves as a meeting point providing tools for women and youth to help value their work, competencies, and identity. Mezze creates sustainable employment solutions and contributes to inclusion using a model that will be replicated throughout the country. In addition, Mezze organises workshops and debates that help dismantle stereotypes and reduce prejudice.   

MyGrants

Chris Richmond N’zi

The Problem

The social problem addressed is the underemployment and lack of recognition of talents and skills of migrants. Many skilled migrants are all digitally literate and 60% of them can read and write in English or French.  

The Solution

Chris Richmond, a native of the Ivory Coast, came to study in Europe and later worked for the European Commission. Dealing with an influx of migration and seeing the statistics regarding young people arriving on the European coasts, Chris designed an application capable of screening the skills and talents of these individuals through games and quizzes. The MyGrants app provides a six-month training course that prepares young migrants for a professional life. Upon the completion of the course, the candidate is introduced to various companies they could work for. 

The Impact

The MyGrants app provides useful training and support for individuals to enter the job market successfully. Right now, thanks to MyGrants, there are about 25 new hires per week, and since 2017, MyGrants has made 950 placements in total. 

The Problem

Unemployment amongst minority groups is much higher than the national average in Sweden. According to national statistics, the time it takes for newcomers that arrive in Sweden to secure a job is 5 to 7 years. Due to discrimination and the hosting society’s lack of awareness, people with a migration background are being excluded from the labour market. This exclusion creates frustration and segregation, resulting in enormous costs for the society 

The Solution

Mitt Liv works towards an inclusive society and a labour market that values diversity. It does this by connecting Swedish businesses and competent work force with a migration background. Through mentorship programmes, Mitt Liv helps people improve their language skills, increase their knowledge of the labour market and expand their professional networks in Sweden. At the same time, through seminars, training sessions and networking events, companies obtain a greater understanding of strategic challenges and questions around diversity within the organisation.  

The Impact

Every year, Mitt Liv works with approximately 500 people with a migration background. After participating in their mentorship programme, 51% of the participants secure a job that matches their competences within 5 months after finishing the programme (while only 1 out of 20 people achieve the same in the government’s employment agency integration programme).  

Social Bee

Zarah Bruhn

The Problem

500,000 refugees are currently entering the job market in Germany. After fleeing violence and arriving in a new country, refugees face visa and document issues and the fear of deportation, which prevents companies from hiring them for permanent positions. However, people who have undertaken the dangerous migration to Europe have a unique resilience, perspective and an elaborate skillset. These are key assets for any workforce, yet there are few channels to bring them towards engaging work. 

The Solution

Social Bee is Germany’s first integration service provider. It bridges the gap between refugees and companies through a temporary employment model that integrates refugees into the labour market and society. Social Bee absorbs all the bureaucratic hurdles for companies, dealing with the challenging asylum/visa issues that often arise before a person can move seamlessly into work. It gives its employees the opportunity to acquire further qualifications and participate in integration programmes. Social Bee hires refugees and asylum-seekers to work for their organisation as temporary freelancers, after which they are transferred to partner companies. Employees receive socio-pedagogical support, as well as language development and other training. In addition, they receive a regular salary, currently covered by charitable foundations, but to be financed through transfer fees in the near future.  

The Impact

Founded in Munich, Social Bee is a start-up with 50 employees under contract and more than a dozen already successfully placed in permanent positions. Social Bee aims to place 100 employees in permanent positions by the end of this year, reaching a total of 1,000 over the next three years. 

The Sewing Cooperative

Lydia Witt

The Problem

There is an isolation and a lack of integration of migrants into the Italian community. This is accompanied by tourists lacking knowledge about the African continent and migration in general.  

The Solution

The Sewing Cooperative provides an experience path in tailoring, which connects tourists and migrants who work with the cooperative. Facilitating the means for dialogue, tourists can learn about different stories of migrants whilst learning a few basic principles of sewing. Through the Airbnb platform the project has become scalable and adaptable to other cities.  

The Impact

Six tailors from six African countries work with Lydia at the Sewing Cooperative. The Airbnb Experience was purchased by 93 people and customers are about 200 to date. 

Bee My Job

Mara Alacqua

The Problem

There is a lack of skilled workers in some of the work sectors in Italy and a lack of directly applicable technical skills amongst many migrants. It is difficult for unskilled migrants to find a job in their new host country.  

The Solution

Bee My Job is a social project that promotes professional training and job placement for asylum seekers and refugees through beekeeping and organic farming. The programme fosters social inclusion and active citizenship by spreading environmental awareness across Italy’s diverse population. Bee My Job promotes cooperation between citizens as well as the active participation of refugees in local development. Through educational meetings with schools and citizens, the project draw attention to the necessary care and respect for the natural ecosystem that we are all part of.  

The Impact

In 2018, 42 individuals were trained, and a total of 141 people have been trained and employed since 2015. More people are finding a job in this field and there is an increased knowledge about people’s personal role in the environment.  

CATALYSTS

Lisa Cooper

The Problem

Many young people lack the support they need in making important life choices and as a result, are not completing school and are at risk of becoming outsiders in society. The high school dropout rate is 27% in Norway and 33% in Sweden. These rates are even higher for immigrant youth. Only 65% of young people with minority backgrounds are in education or employment, compared to that of 87,8% of the “Norwegian” youth.  

The Solution

Catalysts focuses on increasing young people’s knowledge and awareness of their strengths, abilities and interests. Catalysts has a goal of building relationships, increasing the contact between cultural groups and breaking down the barriers that exist for young professionals and youth with a minority background, who are experiencing challenges when attempting to enter the labour market. They also work to reduce school dropouts in this group. Young people are paired with mentors with whom they have regular one-on-one sessions during a 12-month period. The mentoring and coaching programmes are based on concepts such as diversity management and appreciative inquiry. The mentors, in turn, change their mindset about youth with minority backgrounds. 

The Impact

Catalysts ensure that they include a wide range of youth who are at a risk of dropping-out and facing unemployment. In 2018, they reached 960 youth across 5 regions in Norway and created 126 mentor relations.

The Problem

Belgium currently has the second-largest gap between unemployment of local citizens and non-European migrants. This gap remains in place as a result of discrimination, complicated employment networks that cater to existing Belgian networks, a lack of cultural contexts and institutional frameworks, foreign certifications not being recognised and infrastructural limitations faced by non-EU migrants.  

The Solution

DUO for a JOB is redesigning the traditional structures of mentoring to facilitate support for unemployed migrants in Belgium. The organisation encourages successful Belgian pensioners to become formal coaches for non-European unemployed youth entering the job market. By uniting these two populations, the project unlocks social and cultural capital that can enrich the job market and fosters empathy between local communities and migrants settling in Belgium. This human yet professional approach fosters real empathy between Belgians and migrants and is breaking down prejudice, fear and stereotypes. 

The Impact

Participants have had transformative experiences and the partnerships have resulted in a 74% positive outcome. Over a thousand unemployed youths entered the programme and ended up doing internships, jobs, training and further education. The outcome is twice as successful as those of public employment agencies and is one of the highest in Europe. 

RefuInterim

Farah Laporte

The Problem

Flight migrants face diverse challenges upon arrival in a new country, including learning a new language, finding a place to live and waiting for a positive decision on their refugee status. Additionally, the labour market requires proof of education, a certain level of spoken and written language and other (valid) documents and skills such as a driver’s licence. Such thresholds appear to be great obstacles for those newly arrived in a country.  

The Solution

Refu Interim supports refugees to find a volunteer job, in which they can develop, explore and demonstrate their talents, learn about the different organisations and roles, practice the language and expand their social network. Refu Interim is a social project which aims to enhance social integration and professional self-reliance. The project reaches out to engage people in orientation, after which they are supported in the process of finding work and brought together for different activities. The volunteer work serves as an initial step towards paid opportunities as well as social and cultural integration. 

The Impact

Since 2016, the project has expanded to 4 Belgian cities (Ghent, Ostend, Kortrijk, Sint-Niklaas). The project has supported 1049 refugees to further develop professional and language skills as volunteers within 60 different organisations. 

Conclusio

Johannes Brandl

The Problem

Migrants and other refugees find themselves in new countries with limited access to jobs. Austrian rural communities do not provide an environment for meaningful engagement or employment, thus leading to segregation between newcomers and the local community.  

The Solution

Conclusio employs refugees that lack access to the labour market. They become part of a network that does community work and are paid through a time-sharing system. The project allows individuals to engage in purposeful work within the hosting community, whilst gaining access to German language courses, cooking classes and other activities or encounters provided by members of the community. 

The Impact

Conclusio has reached out to political decision-makers and public authorities to help this project impact communities more widely and on a larger scale.  

Habibi.Works

Founded by Florian Horsch and Mimi Hapig, Represented by Mimi Hapig

The Problem

While waiting for their interviews and the decisions within their asylum cases, thousands of men and women are stuck in a limbo for years, without access to formal education, to the labor market, to psychological support, to the society. The circumstances people have to encounter when living in a refugee camp create countless challenges on a practical and on an emotional level. Families who have been separated can’t function as a system of support, young adults lose the chance to receive a formal education and thus the perspective of living a free and independent future, people who suffer from mental health issues can’t begin to work on their well-being and the lack of income forces hundreds of people into precarious and non-formal working situations. 

The solution

Within a context in which most doors remain closed for refugees and asylum seekers, Habibi.Works offers paltforms for education, empowerment and encounters. In 11 working areas, from a classic carpentry over a textile atelier up to advanced technology in our MediaLab, people living in the refugee camps of Epirus and members of the local community can build whatever it is that is lacking in their daily life, repair things that are broken, share knowledge, gain new skills, break the label of being helpless and take first, important steps of the integration process.

The Impact

Since the beginning of the project, Habibi.Works has accompanied more than 3000 persons (and thus indirectly improved the situation of up to 9000 people) in the period of their first 18 months in Greece. The impact of the project can be observed on the following five levels: Through offering free materials, tools, know-how and space to build or repair items that are needed in the daily life of the target group, Habibi.Works has massively contributed to the improvement of people’s living conditions. On a second level, Habibi.Works offers access to non-formal and informal education for people who are, for various reasons, excluded from or unable to attend formal education in Greece, allowing them to follow up on topics and fields of their interest in which they gain skills that will facilitate their future entry into the labor market. On a third level, Habibi.Works has a huge impact on people’s mental health and well-being. In Habibi.Works, people can get rid of the label of being a refugee, of being reduced to this one aspect of their biography, and be carpenters, IT epxerts, designers, chefs and many other things again. The feeling of achievement on a daily basis and the opportunity to redefine their own identity is a crucial element of empowerment and well-being. On a fourth level, Habibi.Works is a welcoming platform for people from many different countries, bringing together and creating a community among people from different African, European, Asian countries and Greece. Besides these four levels of impact on the ground, Habibi.Works is raising awareness all across Europe for the challenges people in Greece are confronted with, but also for their resilience and their talent and for the fact that they could be an enrichment for our society if we created structures that allowed them to integrate.

Office of Displaced Designers

Founded & Represented by Shareen Elnaschie

Problem

Lesvos has been an important landing point on the European migration route for those escaping war-torn countries and has seen high numbers of new arrivals to the island. The influx of refugees and migrants has put strain on an already struggling economy. There is widespread suspicion surrounding the humanitarian response and their motivations, and multiple levels of resentment. Relations between the two communities are strained, with poor communication and a distinct lack of cultural understanding. There are limited opportunities for employment or connection between communities, and we see that as an opportunity.

Solution

Office of Displaced Designers is a design focused creative integration agency that utilises design to bring diverse people together to share skills, undertake research and co-create a more equitable and inclusive society. Our activities focus on the built environment, protection issues and cultural understanding, which we explore through a variety of design disciplines.

The majority of those we work with are displaced. However, we ensure that our programs are offered equitably to both the displaced and host community. Our studio serves multiple functions for co-working and hosting events and exhibitions. We strive to elevate the work of participants and challenge common perceptions of who a designer or artist may be, and who is a refugee.

Impact

Since establishing in 2016 we have directly engaged more than 1200 individuals through approximately 100 collaborative workshops, trainings and events. Thousands more have enjoyed the works created. Participants are connected to a network of creative professionals and are supported to develop portfolios of work in order to access further education and employment. Improved mental wellbeing and increased confidence are regularly cited as additional benefits.

We have worked with diverse international partners including Danish Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross, metaLAB (at) Harvard, and Oxfam.

REUSABLE DIAPERS AND ECOLOGICAL PRODUCTS

Founder, Mariana Lunova

THE PROBLEM

Do you know how many diapers are used on one child in their first year of life? An average of 3600! This product, although necessary for the baby, is detrimental to the planet. As the climate change gets more and more severe, we need to change our habits and perhaps the conveniences in order to prevent even more serious damage. One way to do that is to offer more easily accessible and cheaper ecological alternatives to everyday single-use products.

In addition to the environmental benefits, this initiative helps deal with the problem of unemployment and illegal employment among migrant women, who often struggle to find fair employment and need a supportive community to help empower each other.

THE SOLUTION

Mariana has founded a solution that deals with these problems. She wants to set up a tailor shop which will sew reusable diapers and hand-made toys from natural fabrics. In addition to reusing waste, reusable diapers are also more economical in the long run. Mariana plans on employing migrant women, giving them stable and fair jobs, and creating a supportive and empowered community among them.

THE IMPACT

This initiative is still in the process of being developed. By doing this she wants to promote ecological choices by making these products cheaper and more accessible. Her goal is to show that being climate-conscious does not have to be a big inconvenience.

DIGITAL INCLUSION POLAND

Founder, Roman Boreńko

THE PROBLEM

Web accessibility is the practice of designing websites in such a way that they are accessible and easy to use for people with all types of disabilities and the elderly, as well as in hard weather conditions such as harsh sunlight. This is important as the internet offers many opportunities for education, growth, employment and entertainment, which people with disabilities often cannot take advantage of because of the design of the websites. There are laws which regulate the obligation of website owners to make them accessible, however they are not always obeyed.

The web accessibility market is a great opportunity for employment for people with disabilities, whose experience and insight are needed to create functioning, practical and accessible websites. Additionally, working in this field can easily be done from home, which may create more opportunities for people with disabilities and those from small cities and villages.

THE SOLUTION

Roman is very passionate about computer science and has his own experience with living with a disability. He wants to create “Digital Inclusion Poland” where he will employ people from small cities, those with disabilities and migrants who will work on spreading the idea of web accessibility. He wants to work for public and private institutions in order to make their websites accessible to everyone. The employees will offer both their expertise in web design as well as their opinion on whether the website is truly functional for people with their kind of disability.

THE IMPACT

This initiative is still in the process of being developed. The web accessibility market is a great opportunity for employment for people with disabilities, whose experience and insight are needed to create well function, truly practical and accessible websites.

MEET MY MAMA

Founders: Donia Amamra, Loubna Ksibi and Youssef Oudahman

THE PROBLEM

In working-class neighbourhoods throughout France, thousands of migrant women face serious barriers to become financially autonomous, which is a key ingredient to full inclusion. The barriers to finding jobs pale when compared to the obstacles for women, and particularly migrant women, to start their own companies (only 30% of entrepreneurs in France are women). 

THE SOLUTION

Meet My Mama is a catering service and training academy that inspires, accompanies, and equips migrant women to become chefs, caterers, and culinary entrepreneurs. Going beyond mere training, Meet My Mama creates a community, provides administrative and legal support to ensure success in completing the program, and also helps many of the students start their own culinary businesses to not only provide for themselves, but also employ others. More than a training or employment school, it is a tight-knit network of women from migrant backgrounds supporting each other to become fully empowered and financially autonomous citizens. 

THE IMPACT

In three years, Meet my Mama built a strong community of over 300 migrant women. Through the Mama’s Academy, they provided 1200 hours of training and coaching in the culinary sector, resulting in more than 50 migrant women becoming financially independent either by developing their own business, becoming chefs or caterers. Their catering service has over 1000 customers which enables them to offer job opportunities to their trainees. 

Konexio

Jean Guo

The Problem

There are currently over 460,000 refugees and asylum seekers in France who have skills and work experience, but due to digital exclusion and disadvantages in the labor market, the unemployment rate among them is more than 37.5%. Training programs for migrants are often long and difficult for migrants to complete without additional income, and they often do not take into consideration significant basic digital literacy gaps that migrants have.

The Solution

Konexio has developed a completely new way of providing job training and upskilling for migrants and refugees to be quickly successful in a diversity of job markets. Through deep and ongoing market studies, they are able to focus on digital skills that are highly in-demand, and get companies with the need to participate in the trainings to both improve the training quality as well as to create potential connections for trainees to land a future job. Aware that many migrants drop out of long-term programs, forced to pursue less qualified (and often informal) job opportunities to bring income, Konexio offers short training modules that start with the immediate skills needed to start making an income (e.g. building a digital curricula, using online “gig -economy” platforms). These modules build on each other up until achieving university-accredited studies, enabling migrants to learn as they work.

The Impact

In its first three years, Konexio has trained over 800 people from 24 countries, 67% of trainees have either secured employment or enrolled in a longer-term credit earning. They have engaged over 200 local and international partners, many of whom are potential employers, and enabled 100 volunteers to give 10,000 hours to the program. This direct impact is key to establish a new way of training as a rule for the sector, where migrants can learn by working. Konexio has also launched a pilot program in a refugee camp in Malawi, successfully showing the model also works in transition situations, for refugees to be able to gain work experience (and income) while waiting for their asylum process to reach a conclusion.

ARGENTINA

Austria

Belgium

Germany

Greece

Italy

Poland

Portugal

Spain

The Nordics

The Problem

Refugees and new migrants are often excluded from the financial structures that allow them to fully integrate into their new community.  

The Solution

ACAF is a cooperative organisation with the goal of fighting financial and social exclusion by creating and supporting self-financing communities. ACAF works with self-sustaining financial groups led by immigrants to promote networking and support their basic financial needs. These communities are small groups in which the partners – normally between 10 and 30 people – can participate through small contributions. ACAF’s proven efficient methodology is Winkomun; a solution that is expanding throughout Spain and to other European countries with low income and migrant population. 

The Impact

Winkomun has expanded to 7 European countries and created a free online platform to allow anyone from around the world to access their methodology and set up a worldwide network of self-funded communities. The methodology is now in use in more than 15 countries in 4 continents, with more than 500 groups benefiting over 9,000 people directly and over 32,000 people indirectly.  

The Problem

Every year, thousands of people are forced to flee their homes, cities, friends and countries to seek refuge in other countries. After a long and often dangerous journey, these men and women apply for the protection of other states. Unfortunately, even though they had no choice but to leave their homeland, they are rarely welcomed in the countries where they settle. The incoming flight migrants are often perceived as a cost to local taxpayers and as a potential source of social tension or unrest. 

The Solution

SINGA is a community of professionals, entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, dancers, singers, students, or in short, a community of human beings. It brings together people who want to get to know and understand each other better and build a better society for themselves.  The project develops a sense of community with migrants and local citizens, and as such helps further integration and change perspectives. The various SINGA programmes across Europe aim to organise and facilitate opportunities to meet others within the SINGA community.  

The Impact

SINGA operates in France, Morocco, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Quebec and recently started in Barcelona. It has connected many people to facilitate change in the perspective of a population that mainly views refugees as a problem. 

Social Hackers Academy

Founded by Damianos Vavanos & Represented by Aggelina Mila

The Problem

It is identified that technology’s tools and capacities tend to dominate our everyday life (personal, professional), due to the digital transformation that Greece is going through. In the context of social inclusion, due to digital skills’ shortage, social vulnerable groups face to a greater extent the risk of not joining this tech revolution and find their place in the tech industry, preventing their exclusion. People that are disadvantaged, physically, mentally and socio-economically, and don’t enjoy the same opportunities as other citizens, are considered as vulnerable groups.

If social vulnerable groups keep falling behind on the digital and technological developments, they will not only be unable to process information and be active citizens, but also they will  be unable to acquire a job that will help them become financially sustainable and integrate in the society.

To sum up, the existence of social vulnerable groups in Athens, along with the high unemployment rates in Greece, the need is identified: to bridge the gap between the general lack of digital skills, the unemployment rates, the increasing rate of the Greek digital economy and the threat of exclusion of vulnerable groups in the Greek Society.

The Solution

Accessing the Market Need, its derived that, the acquisition of digital skills is quite necessary, in order to be an active part of the society. Otherwise social and professional exclusion, will be inevitable. Building on the digital skills and with adequate support to access their rights to employment refugees, migrants and unemployed can not only regain confidence and self-esteem but also integrate into the economic and social fabric of the host society.

In Social Hackers Academy (or SHA), we aim to integrate people that belong to social vulnerable groups (refugees/migrants/unaccompanied minors) in the society. We achieve our mission by educating  these people, through training seminars and workshops in digital skills, as people that remain digital illiterate, are facing the risk of remaining unemployed. Hence, through educational programs, we can empower them to integrate in society, by getting job placement in Greece and abroad. Our goals through this program is to eliminate Digital Illiteracy.

The Impact

Through SHA’s programs, graduates will have gained practical experience & expertise in basic computer skills and in coding and will be able to work as developers, having learnt 7 programming languages (eg. HTML/CSS, JavaScript, React). They will have also developed their soft skills, preferred from tech recruiters. Also, through this course we aim to increase awareness over unemployment rates among refugees & migrants and the potential of reskilling unemployed, in order to integrate in the job market and therefore in the society.

Since, its establishment SHA has educated more than 150 people in IT Skills, while 29 of them have been placed as developers, in the IT Industry. We have built partnerships with 30 NGOs, while we have expanded our educational models in other Greek & EU Cities.

Meet my Mama

Donia Amamra, Loubna Ksibi and Youssef Oudahman

The Problem

In working-class neighbourhoods throughout France, thousands of migrant women face serious barriers to become financially autonomous, which is a key ingredient to full inclusion. The barriers to finding jobs pale when compared to the obstacles for women, and particularly migrant women, to start their own companies (only 30% of entrepreneurs in France are women).

The Solution

Meet My Mama is a catering service and training academy that inspires, accompanies, and equips migrant women to become chefs, caterers, and culinary entrepreneurs. Going beyond mere training, Meet My Mama creates a community, provides administrative and legal support to ensure success in completing the program, and also helps many of the students start their own culinary businesses to not only provide for themselves, but also employ others. More than a training or employment school, it is a tight-knit network of women from migrant backgrounds supporting each other to become fully empowered and financially autonomous citizens.

The Impact

In three years, Meet my Mama built a strong community of over 300 migrant women. Through the Mama’s Academy, they provided 1200 hours of training and coaching in the culinary sector, resulting in more than 50 migrant women becoming financially independent either by developing their own business, becoming chefs or caterers. Their catering service has over 1000 customers which enables them to offer job opportunities to their trainees.

ARGENTINA

Austria

Belgium

Germany

Greece

Italy

Poland

Portugal

Spain

The Nordics

Cuochi a Colori

Donatella Forconi

The Problem

Many of the migrants that come to Italy have great difficulties with finding a regular job. They have little resources and lack connections for inclusion in professional networks. This often leads to a situation of isolation and disparity. 

The Solution

Cuochi a Colori directly translates to cooks in color. The project connects culture and cuisine by offering employment through cooking courses, event catering and meal service. Cuochi a Colori offers ethnic cuisine by a team of immigrant cooks from all over the world. With cooks from Indonesia, Morocco, Egypt, Peru, Sri Lanka, Eritrea, Brazil, Thailand, Iran and many other countries, the project offers a great selection of cuisines and experiences. With quality service of great food and tradition, the food is served in the homes of Milanse people.   

The Impact

The organisation serves as a vessel for knowledge and is committed to conveying the values of dialogue, sharing, and participation, around a table, during convivial and festive occasions. The continued vision is to engage migrants in entrepreneurial activity that brings the possibility to work using one's own cultural background and previous technical knowledge. 

Indovina chi viene a cena?

Antonio Damasco

The Problem

There is a lack of understanding about migration and migrants in Italy. Attitudes are based on stereotypes and clichés about migrants, rather than conversations with those moving to Italy and hoping to integrate into the local population.  

The Solution

This initiative is based on the idea of the film ‘Guess who's coming to dinner?’, which challenges stereotypes and depicts interracial relationships in a positive light. The initiative subverts the idea of hospitality by inviting migrants to open up their homes to local guests to come together for a home-cooked meal. It provides Italians with the opportunity to share a meal with a migrant family. Those who are perceived as guests in the country become the hosts for those that are part of the local population. These meetings help overcome discriminatory behaviours and misunderstandings of those newly arrived in Italy.  

The Impact

This initiative contributes to creating positive relations between different cultures on a local level, but with the aim of a greater impact nationally. Since 2012, 4,000 people of over 120 families have participated in the project. The project has so far been rolled out in 90 municipalities across Italy and can be easily replicated to other countries. 

AZIMA TATAR DELIGHTS BAKERY

Founder, Susanna Izzetdinova

THE PROBLEM

Migrants who don’t know the local language, practice a different religion, or simply come from a different culture face a deal of discrimination, making it difficult to get a job. When you add that to difficult past experiences, a limited support network and having to take care of one’s family, it becomes an incredibly difficult situation. They often miss their home countries, their culture and amily and friends whom they left. By opening up her bakery Susanna wanted to bring a piece of Tatar culture to Poland and create a business which could support her family and families of other migrants by giving them stable jobs.

ThE SOLUTION

Susanna opened “Azima Tatar Delights Bakery” to share Tatar culture and cuisine and create a safe workspace for migrants. As a Muslim she has faced discrimination for covering her hair and has heard many stories from her employees and fellow migrants about the prejudice they have to fight. She wants her bakery to be a welcoming space where everyone can feel accepted and understood. Since opening her bakery, it has been very successful and her customers appreciate the new flavors she has brought to Poland. Now, she plans on opening a second bakery, which will give her to opportunity to expand her business and create more jobs. She wants to employ and support single mothers, as she understands from her own experience how hard it is to support your family in a foreign country. Working in her bakery gives women an opportunity to learn Polish by interacting with customers, which will help them out in starting their new life here. 

THE IMPACT

Susanna opened her bakery in Gdańsk in July 2019. She first worked with just her daughter and now employs 5 workers (including 2 Poles). Her bakery is very highly praised for its delicious and unusual products. Newspapers have written articles about the bakery and Susanna was featured on TV to talk about her work. Susanna bakery is a welcoming and safe space of working for refugees.

“KONICZYNA” (CLOVER) CATERING

Founder, Khava Kagermanova

THE PROBLEM

One of the most serious problems refugees are facing is discrimination in the workplace. They are excluded and treated unfairly. Khava has experienced this first hand after moving to Poland from war-torn Chechnya.

THE SOLUTION

Khava wants to connect her passion for cooking and baking with helping fellow migrants. She wants to set up an online catering company, where migrants will be able to work in a safe and stable environment, while sharing their skills with others. She wants her company to be ecological, focus on minimalizing food waste and provide vegetarian dishes.

THE IMPACT

This initiative is still in the process of being developed.

ARGENTINA

Austria

Belgium

Germany

Greece

Italy

Poland

Portugal

Spain

The Nordics

Cascina Casottello

Modou Gueye

The Problem

Many neighbourhoods are facing problems of degeneration and abandonment, often leading to disadvantaged groups becoming segregated in a city. Due to this and a lack of education in multiculturalism, there are limited opportunities for the integration of migrants into local societies.  

The Solution

At the start of 2016, the Sungal socio-cultural association and the Fate Artigiane cooperative won a public tender for the restructuring and upgrading of Cascina Casottello. This structure was acquired by the Municipality of Milan in 2013 with the aim of starting a territorial and architectural regeneration process. Through the process of this upgrade, the Sunugal association has managed to redevelop the area surrounding Cascina Casottello. Additionally, different people are brought together in activities organised in the building. The centre provides various services to newcomers and has become a meeting point for migrants of diverse backgrounds.  

The Impact

Currently, around 2,000 people are registered at the centre. Cascina Casottello will continue to regenerate abandoned areas and transform these into neighbourhood centres, with the aim to change living conditions and fight segregation.

The Problem

Every year, thousands of people are forced to flee their homes, cities, friends and countries to seek refuge in other countries. After a long and often dangerous journey, these men and women apply for the protection of other states. Unfortunately, even though they had no choice but to leave their homeland, they are rarely welcomed in the countries where they settle. The incoming flight migrants are often perceived as a cost to local taxpayers and as a potential source of social tension or unrest. 

The Solution

SINGA is a community of professionals, entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, dancers, singers, students, or in short, a community of human beings. It brings together people who want to get to know and understand each other better and build a better society for themselves.  The project develops a sense of community with migrants and local citizens, and as such helps further integration and change perspectives. The various SINGA programmes across Europe aim to organise and facilitate opportunities to meet others within the SINGA community.  

The Impact

SINGA operates in France, Morocco, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Quebec and recently started in Barcelona. It has connected many people to facilitate change in the perspective of a population that mainly views refugees as a problem. 

Kiron Higher Education

Markus Kressler and Vincent Zimmer

The Problem

Not everyone has equal rights and access to education. Refugees and other migrants often do not have access to education in their home countries, and therefore struggle to find suitable jobs in their new places of residence.  

The Solution

Kiron Campus is an online learning platform for underserved communities in the Middle East and refugees worldwide. The organisation empowers learners worldwide and equips them with the skills, tools and networks needed for future success. Kiron supports the fourth UN Sustainable Development Goal by enabling access to inclusive and quality education. Additionally, the platform is leading the way to find EdTech solutions for underserved communities. By providing opportunities for education and language learning, Kiron offers students the chance to thrive in their home and/or their host communities. 

The Impact

There are more than 150 partners worldwide and over 6000 students enrolled in courses through Kiron. The platform has developed many digital tools for online learning and has played a large role in the lobby for the official recognition of online education.

The Problem

The recent influx in migration has caused unease and fear amongst long-time residents in communities worldwide. These fears are exploited by right-wing movements and foster a strong anti-migrant sentiment and unwelcome environment, hindering the integration process. Incomplete local integration of newcomers, due to a lack of local, multi-sector planning for demographic change and failure to listen to newcomers for the development of local policies lead to a decline in community cohesion in towns and cities experiencing growth in their immigrant and refugee populations. 

The Solution

Welcoming International helps local communities adjust to and understand the benefits of demographic change. The project focuses on host community engagement; an approach that reduces anxiety and increases empathy among long-term residents in communities experiencing rapid growth in migrant populations. The project helps communities go beyond the typical “seed-focused” approach, and direct significant attention to engaging the native-born population in those communities where refugees and other migrants settle. 

The Impact

Welcoming International, established in 2009 (as Welcoming America), works in over 160 cities and towns across the United States, supporting non-profits and local governments to transform their communities into inclusive places that allow everyone to thrive. A network of non-profit and local government members – currently in 85 US communities and including the US White House – is provided with intensive support as they develop plans, programmes and policies to transform their communities. After finding significant success in the US, Welcoming International is now scaling their approach to other countries, amongst which New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Sweden and the UK.

The University of La Laguna / Juntos en la Misma Dirección

Vicente Manuel Zapata Hernandez

The Problem

The island of Tenerife has a population close to one million, which has diversified significantly in recent decades due to increased mobility of populations. 20% of the island’s residents were born abroad, which presents serious challenges for social coexistence and cohesion, particularly with its high rates of unemployment. Tourism is fundamental to the local economy and this is best fostered in a favourable social environment, in which cultural diversity is not a source of conflict. 

The Solution

The University of La Laguna and the Cabildo de Tenerife promote an island management strategy for cultural diversity called Juntos en la Misma Dirección, or ‘Together in the same direction’. This strategy has been the source of a wide range of activities with an intercultural approach aimed at promoting social coexistence. This strategy began as a project promoting the participatory definition of an insular framework of intercultural coexistence called ‘Tenerife lives Diversity’, and its success has been validated by all the political formations that constitute the Plenary Session of the Cabildo from Tenerife. 

The Impact

Juntos en la Misma Dirección has promoted more than a thousand activities from autonomous work of its working groups between 2009 and 2018. Approximately 8,000 people participated in these activities. This is the greatest mobilisation across the Canary Islands that faces the challenge of social coexistence in an increasingly multicultural territory. Its positive results are endorsed by the Intercultural City Index of the Council of Europe, whose leaders point out that it is “the most extraordinary example of an integrated approach to diversity management”. 

Hestia Hellas

Founded by Lauraine Velez and Dimitris Basoukos

The problem

The majority of asylum seekers experience highly complex trauma in their home country, en route to Greece and while awaiting asylum. Greeks also hold trauma through years of economic crises and more recent natural disasters. In addition, access to Greek public health services is underdeveloped and overburdened. Lauraine Velez and Dimitris Basoukos, Hestia’s founders were working with refugees in Greece and identified gaps in the provision of psychosocial support, livelihoods and integrative services that particularly excluded Greeks. Hestia sought to allow Greeks and asylum seekers access to a safe, supportive and community-focused environment where integration is possible.

The solution

Hestia Hellas is a community-based mental health and psychosocial wellbeing centre that tailors integrative and traditional therapies to vulnerable Greek and asylum-seeking families. Founded in 2017, Hestia Hellas was one of the first NGOs to provide job support in Athens and is currently the only NGO in Greece that serves Greeks and asylum seekers and tailors a range of therapeutic interventions to the individual, focusing on mind-body and creative arts therapies. The goal is to self-empower members by providing tools to manage their symptoms and build community. In addition, Hestia has Child friendly spaces that focus on building social and emotional skill development, self-regulation techniques in safe learning environments and provides family support groups and parenting workshops on positive parenting, nutrition, stress relief, early childhood development, and skill building.

The impact

The success of a mental health intervention is a long-term, sustainable solution with long-term results. The tools provided to community members can be useful throughout their lives. Hestia allows survivors of complex trauma to trust again and bring pieces of themselves back together to lead normal and productive lives. Since 2017, Hestia has helped more than 2000 individuals using traditional therapies. They focus on establishing relationships built on trust where the community is encouraged to actively participate in building a community center that supports their development and emotional health.

InterVolve / Irida Women’s Center

Founded by Chloe Kousoula, Represented by Christina Calbos

The Problem

InterVolve was created in response to the growing needs of refugees and asylum seekers arriving in Greece in unprecedented numbers. After a year of emergency response, InterVolve recognized the necessity to invest in long-term sustainable solutions for a portion of the population being provided with little resources and opportunities: refugee women.

Women represent almost half of the 244 million migrants and half of the 19.6 million refugees worldwide. Displaced women and girls face specific challenges and higher protection risks in transit, including family separation, psychosocial stress and trauma, health complications, Physical harm and injury, and risks of exploitation and gender-based violence. Women also often serve as the main caretakers for children and family members.  While women hold infinite potential and far-reaching impact within their communities, few support systems were in place to empower refugee women in creating community, accessing the labor market, and integrating into local society. Furthermore, there are even fewer initiatives that open their doors to refugee and Greek women alike, creating cross-cultural interactions and multicultural support networks.

The Solution

In January 2018 InterVolve created Irida: a safe, welcoming, participatory space where women have a voice, a sense of ownership, and the opportunity to receive information and support. Irida is also the only women’s community center in Thessaloniki. At Irida, women have a chance to make social connections and build community; to bond, to develop, to thrive - all in an environment of safety, trust, and diversity. Additionally Irida wholistically supports women and their families by providing child support through collaboration with a partner organization: Refugee Trauma Initiative.

The Impact

Since opening, Irida has registered over 350 women from over 12 countries.

Their programming has developed into providing Greek and English language courses, French and Arabic literacy for native speakers, art, movement/fitness, sewing, crafts, beauty/self-care, woodworking, computer classes, life skills, and one-on-one job search and CV writing support. Additionally, they have provided over 20 unique workshops such as photography and massage therapy. Their community has taken part in and hosted community-wide events, as well as visits and excursions to museums and significant landmarks throughout Thessaloniki. Since joining Irida, several of our members have been able to enroll in higher education and receive job offers.

SAM CUTS BARBER SALON

Founder, Segun Akeju

THE PROBLEM

As Poland is a mostly homogenous country many people have a hard time finding make-up, beauty and hair products or services that fit their specific skin color or hair type. Additionally, few hairdressers or barbers are trained in cutting and maintenance of non-European hair types and styles.

Another problem which this initiative deals with in a more informal way is the lack of help for migrants who often work illegally, have trouble legalising their stay, getting work permits and need help with taking care of all the documentation. There are limited resources for migrants to access when they are in such a situation, so they often ask more experienced foreigners for support.

THE SOLUTION

Sam opened his barber shop in the center of Warsaw in 2016 and has been a very successful business since. His clients consist mostly of migrants from countries such as Nigeria (where Sam himself is from), India, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Oman, Iraq and Ukraine, but also Poles. Sam provides a service, which is not easily available in Poland and is known for his great skills and helpful demeanor. His clients often ask him for help with legalising their stay, work and studies as Sam has been through this same experience. He does what he can to create a positive and welcoming environment at his salon and wants to help those who are on the same journey he once was.

Sam would like to expand his barbershop and hire more migrant barbers as well as branch out into selling hair products for non-European hair types which are not easily available in Poland.

THE IMPACT

“Sam Cuts” is located in Śródmieście district, a prime location in the center of Warsaw. Additionally, Sam also provides at home barber services. His salon allows migrant men to easily take care of their appearance by being able to trust someone trained in caring for their hair types. The salon helps close the gap in services catered towards non-European inhabitants of Poland. Such places make migrants feel more welcomed and provide a sense of community. Sam builds a safe space where migrants, mostly men from countries such as Nigeria,  India, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Oman, Iraq and Ukraine, but also Poles can talk together, and feel a sense of community.

Embark Project

Nuha Boğa and Serra Titiz

The Problem

Turkey hosts the world’s largest refugee population with 3.6 million Syrians, who are likely to stay in the country permanently. These refugees, many of whom are young, bring important talents and potential contributions to Turkish society. However, this opportunity is generally lost due to lack of spaces and initiatives to connect refugees with key local stakeholders who can provide support and guidance, while also better understanding and getting excited about the skills they can contribute to their new context.

The Solution

Embark is a unique initiative in Turkey that connects talented Syrian, Turkish and migrant youth with successful business leaders to exchange ideas, develop understanding, increase their employability, and build meaningful connections.

The Impact

Embark project has reached 20 youth mentors, 20 business leaders and more than 50 youth through trainings since 2018. New project editions have been launched with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to increase the employability of Syrian, Turkish, and migrant youth and to boost efforts in economic inclusion, integration, and social cohesion.

ARGENTINA

Austria

Belgium

Germany

Greece

Italy

Poland

Portugal

Spain

The Nordics

Ethnomedizinisches Zentrum

Ramazen Salman

The Problem

Nearly 15 percent of the German population, approximately 12 million people, are immigrants themselves or children of those who immigrated to Germany. There is a direct relation between the integration of migrants into new local communities and their health. 

The Solution

The Ethnomedizinisches Zentrum (ethnomedical centre) was founded by Ramazan Salman in 1990 in Hannover, with at its core a system of nationwide networks called MiMi – migrants for migrants. This serves as a support system that bridges the gap between German healthcare and immigrant communities. In this network, successfully integrated migrants help others to overcome isolation, depression, cultural barriers and mistrust, as well as understand their rights in the German healthcare system. All mediators are linked in a nationwide network to ensure exchange of learning and best practices. Through taught courses, Ramazan provides information and sparks discussion on HIV and aids, children’s healthcare, birth control, pregnancy, vaccination, substance abuse, nutrition, first aid, depression and mental health. 

The Impact

This model has expanded to each of Germany's 24 biggest cities and several states. It has instructed over 1,000 mediators from 50 different nations—almost 80 percent of them female —and has directly reached approximately 60,000 migrants from 70 nationalities. The costs for the materials and mediators for different courses are covered by local governments and Germany’s second largest state health insurance company. 

The Problem

One of the regions in Turkey has a long history of women abuse. There is little support and few resources are available to change this and stop violence against women.  

The Solution

KA-MER is a support and resource centre for women in Turkey. Based on the firm belief that stopping violence against women is the first stop to ending conflict, the project challenges the normalisation of domestic violence. KA-MER increases awareness of women’s rights as citizens, wives and mothers, and provides tools that empower them. At the centre, the women have access to counselling and childcare, and are supported to find employment with the aim to achieve financial independence and gain self-respect. 

The Impact

KA-MER has expanded to 23 centres across many provinces and districts in the South-eastern and Eastern Anatolian regions. Despite initial disregard of the ideas behind the centres, the project is slowly expanding its reach across villages and regional communities. Through this work, KA-MER challenges the poverty, male sovereignty and political turbulence that obstruct democratic ideals in these regions. The project was internationally recognised and continues to affect communities at both a local and global scale. 

The Problem

The 21st century has been identified as the ‘migration century’ due to the increased global movement of people. Since 2015, Europe has experienced a heavy influx of refugees and migrants after which many European cities have become ‘super-diverse’. Places are defined by the differences in ethnicity, religion and culture, but often migrants do not feel like local services – such as support with mental health – are available to them. Additionally, local services are not often equipped to understand and help cope with cultural differences and mental health issues related to migration and (lack of) integration.  
 

The Solution

Solentra stands for solidarity and trauma. The organisation aims to transform the mental healthcare system by training professionals who work closely with refugees and applying its PACCT-Methodology (Psychiatry Assisting the Culturally diverse Community in creating healing Ties) of community-based and culturally sensitive psychology for refugees and other migrants. The method acknowledges the importance of equal and open dialogue. To ensure the support of children in different stages of integration, Solentra mobilises a community of actors involved in their lives. Its method removes cultural and language barriers to make mental healthcare accessible for migrants.  

The Impact

Solentra has reached over 3,000 migrant and refugee children with its PACCT method. The method was awarded the 2016 Maselis prize for innovation and efficiency. It has been appointed one of the top 3 practices across the 27 EU member states by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The organisation’s founder – Geertrui Serneels – has been invited by the Flemish Minister of Welfare to present the PACCT methodology as best practice of community-based approach in the youth sector.

InterVolve / Irida Women’s Center

Founded by Chloe Kousoula, Represented by Christina Calbos

The Problem

InterVolve was created in response to the growing needs of refugees and asylum seekers arriving in Greece in unprecedented numbers. After a year of emergency response, InterVolve recognized the necessity to invest in long-term sustainable solutions for a portion of the population being provided with little resources and opportunities: refugee women.

Women represent almost half of the 244 million migrants and half of the 19.6 million refugees worldwide. Displaced women and girls face specific challenges and higher protection risks in transit, including family separation, psychosocial stress and trauma, health complications, Physical harm and injury, and risks of exploitation and gender-based violence. Women also often serve as the main caretakers for children and family members.  While women hold infinite potential and far-reaching impact within their communities, few support systems were in place to empower refugee women in creating community, accessing the labor market, and integrating into local society. Furthermore, there are even fewer initiatives that open their doors to refugee and Greek women alike, creating cross-cultural interactions and multicultural support networks.

The Solution

In January 2018 InterVolve created Irida: a safe, welcoming, participatory space where women have a voice, a sense of ownership, and the opportunity to receive information and support. Irida is also the only women’s community center in Thessaloniki. At Irida, women have a chance to make social connections and build community; to bond, to develop, to thrive - all in an environment of safety, trust, and diversity. Additionally Irida wholistically supports women and their families by providing child support through collaboration with a partner organization: Refugee Trauma Initiative.

The Impact

Since opening, Irida has registered over 350 women from over 12 countries.

Their programming has developed into providing Greek and English language courses, French and Arabic literacy for native speakers, art, movement/fitness, sewing, crafts, beauty/self-care, woodworking, computer classes, life skills, and one-on-one job search and CV writing support. Additionally, they have provided over 20 unique workshops such as photography and massage therapy. Their community has taken part in and hosted community-wide events, as well as visits and excursions to museums and significant landmarks throughout Thessaloniki. Since joining Irida, several of our members have been able to enroll in higher education and receive job offers.

CENTER FOR AUTISTIC CHILDREN

Founder, Artem Tuliuk

THe PROBLEM

Autism spectrum disorder has become a very important topic in recent years as more and more people are being diagnosed. However, not all countries offer high-level care, rehabilitation and support. Eastern European countries still struggle with providing well-developed and advanced help in this area, which creates a real problem for those with the disorder. Many families are forced to move to a different country in order to have access to specialised care. However, this poses another issue as the language barrier becomes an obstacle for people seeking help outside of their country of origin.

THE SOLUTION

Artem has experienced this problem himself – together with his family he moved out of Ukraine in order to access better care and support for his son. However, he had the advantage of knowing Polish, which many of his fellow migrants do not have. Having a deep understanding of this topic he realised he could support others with the same need and so has begun a journey to start the center for autistic children that provides services in Russian, Ukrainian and Polish. As the number of migrants coming to Poland seeking help for their children is growing, there is a high demand for a service like this.

THE IMPACT

This initiative is still in the process of being developed. Having such a place would allow parents to easily communicate with counselors and pedagogues, and lead to better results as the children would receive treatment in their native language. The center would also provide employment to migrants, as speaking Russian and Ukrainian would be a requirement to work here.

AERIAL DANCE GYM

Founder, Sofia Diduk

THE PROBLEM

In most post-Soviet states, such as Ukraine, rhythmic gymnastics and aerial dance are a very prominent part of the culture and one of the most popular sports. Gymnasts from those countries are among the best in the world. However, not many migrants are able to keep in training after moving away from their home countries, both because of financial barriers and a lack of training centers. Additionally, aerial dance can be a great remedy for problems stemming from a sedentary lifestyle, mental and physical disabilities, reduced mobility due to age, lack of novelty at traditional gyms and being uninspired to move.

THE SOLUTION

Aerial Dance Gym is a place where physical activity meets art. It provides a space for people to not only train and perfect this discipline, but also connect and bond with one another while experiencing a sport so fundamental to Ukrainian culture. Another positive side is that aerial dance can be practiced by virtually anyone – from children and elderly people to those with mental and physical disabilities. It does not pose a big risk of injury and may be used as a form of physiotherapy.

Aerial Dance Gym aims to promote physical activity by offering unique and creative classes, which also provide pain relief and help battle movement disorders.

THE IMPACT

Aerial Dance Gym is in the process of being created. Aerial Dance Gym aims to promote physical activity by offering unique and creative classes, which also provide pain relief and help battle movement disorders. Additionally, the center will provide free classes for people with disabilities as well as migrant families. In the future they plan on expanding the list of classes to yoga, fitness and more.

DIGITAL INCLUSION POLAND

Founder, Roman Boreńko

THE PROBLEM

Web accessibility is the practice of designing websites in such a way that they are accessible and easy to use for people with all types of disabilities and the elderly, as well as in hard weather conditions such as harsh sunlight. This is important as the internet offers many opportunities for education, growth, employment and entertainment, which people with disabilities often cannot take advantage of because of the design of the websites. There are laws which regulate the obligation of website owners to make them accessible, however they are not always obeyed.

The web accessibility market is a great opportunity for employment for people with disabilities, whose experience and insight are needed to create functioning, practical and accessible websites. Additionally, working in this field can easily be done from home, which may create more opportunities for people with disabilities and those from small cities and villages.

THE SOLUTION

Roman is very passionate about computer science and has his own experience with living with a disability. He wants to create “Digital Inclusion Poland” where he will employ people from small cities, those with disabilities and migrants who will work on spreading the idea of web accessibility. He wants to work for public and private institutions in order to make their websites accessible to everyone. The employees will offer both their expertise in web design as well as their opinion on whether the website is truly functional for people with their kind of disability.

THE IMPACT

This initiative is still in the process of being developed. The web accessibility market is a great opportunity for employment for people with disabilities, whose experience and insight are needed to create well function, truly practical and accessible websites.

ARGENTINA

Austria

Belgium

Germany

Greece

Italy

Poland

Portugal

Spain

The Nordics

La Strategia della Lumaca

Massimiliano Giacomello & Matteo Castellani

The Problem

Housing in urban areas is often unaffordable for refugees arriving in European states. Continuous migration to cities from local populations, economic migrants and flight migrants leads to a high demand and limited availability. Real estate agents in these areas are not able to cater to the immediate needs of migrants or use the urgency to find housing to their advantage.  

The Solution

La Strategia della Lumaca builds networks, tools and resources that allow refugees to achieve autonomy in accessing the housing market in their new place of living. The project provides access to sustainable solutions through the involvement of local communities and the optimisation of resources. The empowerment paths help involved migrants to deal with the economic, cultural and relational challenges of navigating the housing market.  

The Impact

La Strategia della Lumanca has supported over 300 migrants to find a house through a network of 50 institutions in and around the city of Milan. Involving local administrations and developing partnerships at various levels will help the organisation to facilitate sustainability of the support network.  

Ragazzi Harraga

Alessandra Sciurba & Veronica Lattuada

The Problem

Unaccompanied minors who arrive in Italy are left to their own devices by many local and national institutions and organisations. Due to the lack of support, minors are exposed to an increased risk of exploitation, abuse and criminal offence.  

The Solution

Ragazzi Harraga protects unaccompanied minors who arrive to Italy by boat. The project supports existing infrastructures of institutions and private actors to coordinate the development individual paths towards social inclusion. Each boy and girl is provided with a ‘social folder’ in which individual sensitive information is collected to allow for better coordination between those in charge of child protection. The social folders are securely accessible by the different parties through a platform.  

The Impact

The use of a shared folder to directly access the needs of minors has proven a highly functional tool. The project has now included 80 children, of which 20 were hired by the organisation to help address more specific needs.  

Barcelona Actua

Laia Serrano

The Problem

Upon arrival, many migrants and refugees in Spain face serious challenges, including learning the language, developing social ties, connecting with formal and informal support networks, in addition to the difficulties in securing dignified housing, employment and fulfilling paperwork requirements. On the other hand, many local citizens (including better established migrants themselves) feel an urge to help and contribute to inclusion, but find few opportunities to use their skills and informal networks, as most support goes through government funded, official agencies that do not provide quality programs for volunteers.

The Solution

BarcelonActua connects vulnerable collectives in need with people who want to help. As early pioneers in corporate and individual volunteer programs, BarcelonaActua realized that they needed to help develop an entire ecosystem that brings together people in need, volunteers and funding partners in a way that is dignifying for all three groups. Responding to increasing numbers of migrant arrivals in 2018, their focus turned significantly towards migrants and refugees. Applying their methodology, they started building healthy communities of migrants and locals interacting through leisure activities, language courses, training and volunteer opportunities (for both groups) to create further social ties and speed up inclusion. Recently they have also built community housing units, called BAC, throughout Barcelona, where locals and migrants interact and develop together, and volunteers participate in key activities. In addition to covering key needs for migrants, these centers are enabling volunteers from many walks of life to change their perceptions regarding migrants and refugees.

The Impact

The BarcelonActua online community has over 13,000 registered users, 1,600 volunteers are recruited every year, and their programs directly reach over 1,200 people from vulnerable collectives every year. In 2019, more than 350 refugees and humanitarian immigrants participated in the BAC housing programs and 500 volunteers, half from corporate programs, contributed, recording a positive change in perception in the process.

ARGENTINA

Austria

Belgium

Germany

Greece

Italy

Poland

Portugal

Spain

The Nordics

Bee My Job

Mara Alacqua

The Problem

There is a lack of skilled workers in some of the work sectors in Italy and a lack of directly applicable technical skills amongst many migrants. It is difficult for unskilled migrants to find a job in their new host country.  

The Solution

Bee My Job is a social project that promotes professional training and job placement for asylum seekers and refugees through beekeeping and organic farming. The programme fosters social inclusion and active citizenship by spreading environmental awareness across Italy’s diverse population. Bee My Job promotes cooperation between citizens as well as the active participation of refugees in local development. Through educational meetings with schools and citizens, the project draw attention to the necessary care and respect for the natural ecosystem that we are all part of.  

The Impact

In 2018, 42 individuals were trained, and a total of 141 people have been trained and employed since 2015. More people are finding a job in this field and there is an increased knowledge about people’s personal role in the environment. 

Kiron Higher Education

Markus Kressler and Vincent Zimmer

The Problem

Not everyone has equal rights and access to education. Refugees and other migrants often do not have access to education in their home countries, and therefore struggle to find suitable jobs in their new places of residence.  

The Solution

Kiron Campus is an online learning platform for underserved communities in the Middle East and refugees worldwide. The organisation empowers learners worldwide and equips them with the skills, tools and networks needed for future success. Kiron supports the fourth UN Sustainable Development Goal by enabling access to inclusive and quality education. Additionally, the platform is leading the way to find EdTech solutions for underserved communities. By providing opportunities for education and language learning, Kiron offers students the chance to thrive in their home and/or their host communities. 

The Impact

There are more than 150 partners worldwide and over 6000 students enrolled in courses through Kiron. The platform has developed many digital tools for online learning and has played a large role in the lobby for the official recognition of online education.

The Problem

There are 258 million international migrants globally. Almost half of non-EU citizens (48.6%) living in the EU are at risk of social exclusion, resulting in difficulties of finding employment, housing and participation in local culture and social life. Local citizens are often informed by stereotypes and prejudice, leaving them to feel unsafe upon the encounter of ‘different’ people. There is a lack of opportunities to integrate, understand and empathise with migrants and this has sparked tensions between migrants and local communities. 

The Solution

SPEAK promotes the organic emergence of communities in which diversity is valued and cultures are shared in a safe space through peer-to-peer meetings. Locals, refugees and other migrants meet through an online platform and are invited to share cultural experiences and develop meaningful bonds. The project brings together locals and newcomers with the aim of creating a sense of belonging. It allows participants to facilitate informal language learning environments and host community events that engage beyond local migrant groups. Through this network, newcomers obtain access to informal recommendations as well as guidance with specific needs and integration challenges.  

The Impact

Up to date, over 5,700 people have participated in SPEAK events and more than 6,100 people have attended language sharing groups. Nearly 50% of the participants were internationals. SPEAK’s latest impact assessment reported a 15% increase in the sense of belonging of participants after 12 weeks. The report also noted that language was seen as less of a barrier in the integration process for 30% of those that took part in events and language groups during this time period. 

Refu Interim

Farah Laporte

The Problem

Flight migrants face diverse challenges upon arrival in a new country, including learning a new language, finding a place to live and waiting for a positive decision on their refugee status. Additionally, the labour market requires proof of education, a certain level of spoken and written language and other (valid) documents and skills such as a driver’s licence. Such thresholds appear to be great obstacles for those newly arrived in a country.  

The Solution

Refu Interim supports refugees to find a volunteer job, in which they can develop, explore and demonstrate their talents, learn about the different organisations and roles, practice the language and expand their social network. Refu Interim is a social project which aims to enhance social integration and professional self-reliance. The project reaches out to engage people in orientation, after which they are supported in the process of finding work and brought together for different activities. The volunteer work serves as an initial step towards paid opportunities as well as social and cultural integration. 

The Impact

Since 2016, the project has expanded to 4 Belgian cities (Ghent, Ostend, Kortrijk, Sint-Niklaas). The project has supported 1049 refugees to further develop professional and language skills as volunteers within 60 different organisations.  

More Than One Perspective

Julian Richter, Nina Poxleitner, Lisa-Maria Sommer

The Problem

Many flight migrants are highly educated professionals, but unable to carry out their profession upon arrival in Austria. Lacking certain skills and connections to local networks, they are not able to find the right employers.  

The Solution

More Than One Perspective supports refugees that have an academic (or similar) background to learn German, find work and establish professional networks. The project aims to demonstrate that refugees are valuable assets for the host countries, if given the opportunity to be employed in their field of expertise.  

The Impact

Currently, More Than One Perspective works with over 80 companies. 70% of the project’s alumni have been able to find work due to the network.  

Hestia Hellas

Founded by Lauraine Velez and Dimitris Basoukos

The problem

The majority of asylum seekers experience highly complex trauma in their home country, en route to Greece and while awaiting asylum. Greeks also hold trauma through years of economic crises and more recent natural disasters. In addition, access to Greek public health services is underdeveloped and overburdened. Lauraine Velez and Dimitris Basoukos, Hestia’s founders were working with refugees in Greece and identified gaps in the provision of psychosocial support, livelihoods and integrative services that particularly excluded Greeks. Hestia sought to allow Greeks and asylum seekers access to a safe, supportive and community-focused environment where integration is possible.

The solution

Hestia Hellas is a community-based mental health and psychosocial wellbeing centre that tailors integrative and traditional therapies to vulnerable Greek and asylum-seeking families. Founded in 2017, Hestia Hellas was one of the first NGOs to provide job support in Athens and is currently the only NGO in Greece that serves Greeks and asylum seekers and tailors a range of therapeutic interventions to the individual, focusing on mind-body and creative arts therapies. The goal is to self-empower members by providing tools to manage their symptoms and build community. In addition, Hestia has Child friendly spaces that focus on building social and emotional skill development, self-regulation techniques in safe learning environments and provides family support groups and parenting workshops on positive parenting, nutrition, stress relief, early childhood development, and skill building.

The impact

The success of a mental health intervention is a long-term, sustainable solution with long-term results. The tools provided to community members can be useful throughout their lives. Hestia allows survivors of complex trauma to trust again and bring pieces of themselves back together to lead normal and productive lives. Since 2017, Hestia has helped more than 2000 individuals using traditional therapies. They focus on establishing relationships built on trust where the community is encouraged to actively participate in building a community center that supports their development and emotional health.

InterVolve / Irida Women’s Center

Founded by Chloe Kousoula, Represented by Christina Calbos

The Problem

InterVolve was created in response to the growing needs of refugees and asylum seekers arriving in Greece in unprecedented numbers. After a year of emergency response, InterVolve recognized the necessity to invest in long-term sustainable solutions for a portion of the population being provided with little resources and opportunities: refugee women.

Women represent almost half of the 244 million migrants and half of the 19.6 million refugees worldwide. Displaced women and girls face specific challenges and higher protection risks in transit, including family separation, psychosocial stress and trauma, health complications, Physical harm and injury, and risks of exploitation and gender-based violence. Women also often serve as the main caretakers for children and family members.  While women hold infinite potential and far-reaching impact within their communities, few support systems were in place to empower refugee women in creating community, accessing the labor market, and integrating into local society. Furthermore, there are even fewer initiatives that open their doors to refugee and Greek women alike, creating cross-cultural interactions and multicultural support networks.

The Solution

In January 2018 InterVolve created Irida: a safe, welcoming, participatory space where women have a voice, a sense of ownership, and the opportunity to receive information and support. Irida is also the only women’s community center in Thessaloniki. At Irida, women have a chance to make social connections and build community; to bond, to develop, to thrive - all in an environment of safety, trust, and diversity. Additionally Irida wholistically supports women and their families by providing child support through collaboration with a partner organization: Refugee Trauma Initiative.

The Impact

Since opening, Irida has registered over 350 women from over 12 countries.

Their programming has developed into providing Greek and English language courses, French and Arabic literacy for native speakers, art, movement/fitness, sewing, crafts, beauty/self-care, woodworking, computer classes, life skills, and one-on-one job search and CV writing support. Additionally, they have provided over 20 unique workshops such as photography and massage therapy. Their community has taken part in and hosted community-wide events, as well as visits and excursions to museums and significant landmarks throughout Thessaloniki. Since joining Irida, several of our members have been able to enroll in higher education and receive job offers.

“ZAWARKA” CLUB

Founders Anastasiia Sergeeva, Anastasiya Grigorash, Maria Charmast

THE PROBLEM

The initiative tackles the problem of integration between migrant and local children in Poland. Often times migrant kids are poorly treated in schools because of their language, different origin, appearance or culture. There are not many places dedicated to closing that gap and simultaneously teaching migrant children about the history and culture of their home countries. The lack of such a place makes it difficult for children to feel comfortable with their own identity while also integrating and adapting to living in a different culture. Adults face a similar issue – they often struggle to find a place where they could get help, share their experience and meet other people of similar backgrounds.

THE SOLUTION

Zawarka is a club in Warsaw for Russian-speaking children and their parents which offers an array of developmental and integrative classes and activities for kids and social meeting for adults. Children who do not speak Russian are also welcomed to join the Club and learn. Zawarka offers language, literature and history classes as well as organising multicultural meetings, concerts and events.

The aim of the Zawarka Club is to help migrant children better integrate with host communities while also feeling comfortable with their own traditions, values and identity, as well as provide a supportive community for adults. The Club is a space for migrants to connect and celebrate their cultures, while promoting shared democratic values.

THE IMPACT

Zawarka Club was founded in Warsaw in 2016 and since then it has offered many classes for migrant children. It has supported the integration of many families in Warsaw. The next step for Zawarka is developing a non-profit social franchise system, which would allow more branches of the Club to be opened in different cities in Poland, where there need is even greater.

Pocket Stories / Roots guide  

Ingeborg Mehus

The Problem

There are many problems in the way migrants are portrayed. Even well-intentioned communicators like journalists and scholars often fall into stereotypes and exoticization of migrants and minorities when talking about them, possibly doing more damage than good. A core issue is a lack of representation of migrants speaking about and for themselves, and to engage in shared conversations that don’t fall into stereotypical “us” and “them” dynamics.

The Solution

Pocket Stories uses the joy of travelling and meeting new people as a strategy to create new spaces for narrative around migration, and give the power of the story-telling to migrants and other unheard voices. On the one hand, through workshops and story-telling spaces, Pocket Stories is providing space and tools for underrepresented voices to share a broader vision of themselves, their culture and their experiences. On the other hand, Pocket Stories compiles these narratives into projects like Roots Guide, an educational tool in the form of an interactive travel guidebook. The Roots Guide serves as a storytelling vehicle designed to increase readers’ understanding and acceptance of people with migration backgrounds in the Netherlands by featuring personal stories and travel tips from local residents with a migrant background. Importantly, migrants retain full ownership of their stories and actively participate in the co-creation process of the Guide

The Impact

Through its Roots Guide project, Pocket Stories is transforming the common narrative around migration by recognizing migrants as legitimately and authentically “local,” and experts in talking about the places where they live and how they contribute to their communities. More than 50 participants with migration experience have contributed and co-created the Roots Guide for readers in the Netherlands (which is yet to be released in it’s final version). Additionally, over 100 people have been involved in creating and testing the guidebook to self-reflect on their role and personal connection to migration. Many of which are becoming changemakers that educate and empower others through their own projects.

ARGENTINA

Austria

Belgium

Germany

Greece

Italy

Poland

Portugal

Spain

The Nordics

ComParte

Maria Minas

The Problem

Migrants and local communities lack support for integration, which often leads to segregation and feelings of isolation. Additionally, decision-makers use language that refers to integration as the sole responsibility of migrants. They have a limited understanding of how to foster integration and this stands in the way of successful integration processes.  

The Solution

ComParte is an initiative that invites citizen participation. It develops participatory methodologies with users of different infrastructures – refugees in the integration system and students in the education system – and brings them together with decision-making entities. ComParte invites refugees in Portugal to reflect on their reception and integration in the Portuguese community and to contribute with proposals and ideas to improve it. It brings refugees together with public and private entities that can take decisions on a larger scale. Through its process, involved communities have a real and direct impact on the existing systems in place.   

The Impact

ComParte has impact on three different levels: the individual, the relational and systemic change. On an individual level, the project has helped refugees gain confidence and improve communication skills. The project fostered better collaboration between communities and decision-makers, emphasising the relevance of a horizontal approach. On a macro-level, the project has gained insight about the situation of refugees and influenced social policies to be more closely aligned with their needs. This has also provided decision-makers with access to innovative solutions of refugees, such as increased support during the transition from the refugee centre to new accommodation.  

The Problem

One of the regions in Turkey has a long history of women abuse. There is little support and few resources are available to change this and stop violence against women.  

The Solution

KA-MER is a support and resource centre for women in Turkey. Based on the firm belief that stopping violence against women is the first stop to ending conflict, the project challenges the normalisation of domestic violence. KA-MER increases awareness of women’s rights as citizens, wives and mothers, and provides tools that empower them. At the centre, the women have access to counselling and childcare, and are supported to find employment with the aim to achieve financial independence and gain self-respect. 

The Impact

KA-MER has expanded to 23 centres across many provinces and districts in the South-eastern and Eastern Anatolian regions. Despite initial disregard of the ideas behind the centres, the project is slowly expanding its reach across villages and regional communities. Through this work, KA-MER challenges the poverty, male sovereignty and political turbulence that obstruct democratic ideals in these regions. The project was internationally recognised and continues to affect communities at both a local and global scale. 

The Problem

Many people feel secluded from politics and powerless in the process of the policymaking. Despite European countries aspiring a democratic model, many people living within the EU are not allowed to vote on local issues or Europe-wide processes that affect them directly.  

The Solution

The Good Lobby is a civic start-up committed to equalizing political power and influence in Europe and beyond. The project fosters bottom-up civic capacity via cross-societal forms of collaboration, such as through skill-sharing and skill-based workshops. The Good Lobby emerged from eLabEurope, which addressed the expanding crises in European citizenship, civil society and social movement. The organisation is devoted to popularising and democratising the various channels of participatory democracy both on a national and an EU level. 

The Impact

Since its foundation in 2015, The Good Lobby has trained thousands of people and developed a community of over 10,000 people across numerous countries. Being the first organisation dedicated to popularising and democratising the different channels of democracy, it provides legal and strategic assistance to a continuously growing number of NGOs and a large network of European citizens. 

ARGENTINA

Austria

Belgium

Germany

Greece

Italy

Poland

Portugal

Spain

The Nordics

The Problem

Religious differences sometimes result in extreme hate and violence. Due to limited conversations between people of different beliefs, these problems are rarely overcome, and misunderstandings easily develop into great conflicts between groups.   

The Solution

The Interfaith Mediation Centre works in areas of peacebuilding with faith-based groups with the goal to limit small and large-scale conflicts and wars. The centre promotes community dialogue amongst conflicted groups through mediation, negotiation, interfaith media dialogue and training from peace advocates across Nigeria and beyond. With dialogue as their main tool, the Interfaith Mediation Centre promotes trust and tolerance between difference religious communities.  

The Impact

Many conflict-prone communities have been addressed by the centre, which has resulted in peace agreements between conflicting groups. In total, the centre has carried out over 200 successful interventions on the local and global level, and they continue to mediation through ongoing projects in Nigeria, Sudan, Kenya and Chad.  

The Problem

An estimated 150 million children and youth grow up in harsh conditions without a safe and caretaking environment. They live and work on the streets of big cities, are on the move from conflict or natural disasters or run away from socio-economic problems at home. For these children, the streets become their main learning environment, where they develop essential survival skills and build their identity. Non-formal education and outreach work are crucial to help them grow into positive contributors to society. 

The Solution

Mobile School has developed an integrated outreach methodology to support street educators worldwide in unlocking the potential of these children in the environment where they feel most comfortable, the streets. Mobile School has developed innovative streetproof tools and methodologies to make education available anywhere. Initiated as part of StreetwiZe, the programme valorises talents and survival skills of street-connected children in 29 countries worldwide. Its pioneering outreach strategy shifts children’s attitudes away from assistance and towards empowerment.  

The Impact

StreetwiZe invests 100% of their profit in Mobile School, co-creates the educational materials and relentlessly supports Mobile School by increasing its social impact. There are currently 56 mobile schools in 29 countries, through which the project has facilitated 76,209 contacts with street-connected children in 2018. That same year, the project reached the number of 190 trained street educators and facilitated a total of 163 workshops. These numbers are only expected to increase further.  

ARGENTINA

Austria

Belgium

Germany

Greece

Italy

Poland

Portugal

Spain

The Nordics

The Problem

Refugees and new migrants are often excluded from the financial structures that allow them to fully integrate into their new community.  

The Solution

ACAF is a cooperative organisation with the goal of fighting financial and social exclusion by creating and supporting self-financing communities. ACAF works with self-sustaining financial groups led by immigrants to promote networking and support their basic financial needs. These communities are small groups in which the partners – normally between 10 and 30 people – can participate through small contributions. ACAF’s proven efficient methodology is Winkomun; a solution that is expanding throughout Spain and to other European countries with low income and migrant population. 

The Impact

Winkomun has expanded to 7 European countries and created a free online platform to allow anyone from around the world to access their methodology and set up a worldwide network of self-funded communities. The methodology is now in use in more than 15 countries in 4 continents, with more than 500 groups benefiting over 9,000 people directly and over 32,000 people indirectly.

The Problem

Due to prominent narratives in political, media and public discourse, local populations are often ill-informed about migrants. The negative stigma against migrants arriving in a new country leads to a hostile and unwelcoming environment.  

The Solution

PorCausa combines research with proposals for new narratives and a network of more than 170 journalists in Spain and worldwide. The project aims to change the way in which people are informed about social issues; it fights against the dissemination of false information; and it holds both the public and private sector accountable for decisions made accordingly. The foundation presents profiles involved in migration, as well as new arguments, data, and innovative narrative materials to influence the different audiences. PorCausa aims not just to grow, but to fight back against the lies about immigrants and refugees through providing quality and accurate information. Through these efforts, the organisation hopes to generate communities that are interested in a better world. 

The Impact

PorCausa has been able to reach over 40 million individuals through its different projects and events. The organisation supports ten projects in the realm of migration and has raised positive awareness for this cause.

The Problem

The media discourse is prominently featuring false information, which is affecting public opinion and connectivities between people in society. Dominant opinions have been endorsed through different media channels, allowing for segregation and disintegration of migrants and local citizens.  

The Solution

Maldita is a media outlet with a focus on fact-checking and data journalism techniques. Maldita provides accurate and reliable information that reassures citizens of thorough research and facts, on which they base their opinions and make informed decisions. Maldita developed innovative formats which focus especially on social media and has developed a community that collaborates on the project. Additionally, Maldita aims to promote media literacy and to build technology that helps citizens become aware of the dangers of false information. 

The Impact

Maldita has over 500,000 followers on social media, through which it creates a strong and committed community which actively participates in reporting misinformation.

The Problem

The right to asylum is a humanitarian cornerstone in Germany. Its implementation, however, reflects the way policymakers perceive asylum seekers and refugees: as costly threats to society. Under current law and bureaucracy, unaccompanied underage asylum seekers who are over 16 years of age are prevented from attending school, learning German and acquiring vocational skills. Such policies have led this group to become disempowered and, often, to confirm negative stereotypes by turning to drugs, crime and prostitution. 

The Solution

Schlau-Schule recognises the systematic discrimination that underage asylum seekers experience and provides a chance for young refugees to access education and integrate into German society, whilst changing the negative public perception towards this group. Young refugees have diverse backgrounds but face a common struggle: a lack of German language skills and previous education. Founded in Munich, this solution addresses the shortfalls of the education system by structuring courses in line with those provided at state schools and by providing first-class student services, such as social-psychological aid and legal assistance.  

The Impact

Schlau-Schule's students have an extraordinarily high success rate at the basic state school exam, which enables them to qualify for vocational studies and a professional career. By bringing these success stories to the attention of politicians, state welfare organizations and the wider public, Schlau-Schule is transforming the perception of young asylum seekers in the eyes of relevant stakeholders. Having successfully established Schlau schools in Munich with 145 students, Schlau-Schule is expanding throughout Bavaria, Germany’s largest state. 

Social Bee

Zarah Bruhn

The Problem

500,000 refugees are currently entering the job market in Germany. After fleeing violence and arriving in a new country, refugees face visa and document issues and the fear of deportation, which prevents companies from hiring them for permanent positions. However, people who have undertaken the dangerous migration to Europe have a unique resilience, perspective and an elaborate skillset. These are key assets for any workforce, yet there are few channels to bring them towards engaging work. 

The Solution

Social Bee is Germany’s first integration service provider. It bridges the gap between refugees and companies through a temporary employment model that integrates refugees into the labour market and society. Social Bee absorbs all the bureaucratic hurdles for companies, dealing with the challenging asylum/visa issues that often arise before a person can move seamlessly into work. It gives its employees the opportunity to acquire further qualifications and participate in integration programmes. Social Bee hires refugees and asylum-seekers to work for their organisation as temporary freelancers, after which they are transfered to partner companies. Employees receive socio-pedagogical support, as well as language development and other training. In addition, they receive a regular salary, currently covered by charitable foundations, but to be financed through transfer fees in the near future.  

The Impact

Founded in Munich, Social Bee is a start-up with 50 employees under contract and more than a dozen already successfully placed in permanent positions. Social Bee aims to place 100 employees in permanent positions by the end of this year, reaching a total of 1,000 over the next three years. 

The Problem

The recent influx in migration has caused unease and fear amongst long-time residents in communities worldwide. These fears are exploited by right-wing movements and foster a strong anti-migrant sentiment and unwelcome environment, hindering the integration process. Incomplete local integration of newcomers, due to a lack of local, multi-sector planning for demographic change and failure to listen to newcomers for the development of local policies lead to a decline in community cohesion in towns and cities experiencing growth in their immigrant and refugee populations. 

The Solution

Welcoming International helps local communities adjust to and understand the benefits of demographic change. The project focuses on host community engagement; an approach that reduces anxiety and increases empathy among long-term residents in communities experiencing rapid growth in migrant populations. The project helps communities go beyond the typical “seed-focused” approach, and direct significant attention to engaging the native-born population in those communities where refugees and other migrants settle. 

The Impact

Welcoming International, established in 2009 (as Welcoming America), works in over 160 cities and towns across the United States, supporting non-profits and local governments to transform their communities into inclusive places that allow everyone to thrive. A network of non-profit and local government members – currently in 85 US communities and including the US White House – is provided with intensive support as they develop plans, programmes and policies to transform their communities. After finding significant success in the US, Welcoming International is now scaling their approach to other countries, amongst which New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Sweden and the UK. 

Muslinked

Illias Marraha

The Problem

Muslims are often discriminated against in education and professional opportunities. Especially in Belgium, the rates of discrimination against minorities are extremely high, which hinders many talented and knowledgeable individuals to become or remain unemployed. Minorities are four times more likely to be unemployed in Belgium.  

The Solution

Muslinked is a network for Muslims with great potential. The organisation brings talents together and draws connections within entrepeneurship, education and social profit. The network stimulates social engagement within all these domains. It hosts networking events within companies to help these diversify their teams. It engages with children in school to presenting different role models and setting up workshops and peer-to-peer-coaching. Through a toolbox, schools will become able to address issues and opportunities themselves. The youth forum of Muslinked provides a platform for discussion of related issues, which eventually may feed back into new proposals and activities provided by the organisation.  

The Impact

Muslinked has successfully guided over 140 people into jobs in companies through their events. Through the organisation’s coaching, several people have felt empowered and equipped to set up their own businesses. Currently, more than 1,300 people are part of the Muslinked network (in Belgium).  

HeterArt

Founded by Anna Vafiadou and Anastasia Karoussi

The problem

There are over 1.000 unaccompanied minors are hosted in shelters in Greece. ‘Gifted underachievers’ aged 16 -18 are unable to perform and develop skills.

There’s a gap in both mainstream education and the integration system regarding alternative practices.

Both local and refugee kids are marginalized and the loss of trust causes fragmentation.

The approaches in place fail to find a common language and ways to bring together these communities in a meaningful way.

The solution

Art, as a social buffer, eliminates shocks and crashes, smooths out the edges and blends paces.

HeterArt re-invents routes of communication, building bridges between people and cultures by using existing affordable resources, flexible and scalable tools, co-designed by youth and based in their common narratives and their need to express without words. 

HeterArt’s educational program awarded at Hack the Camp (Dec.2016):

• Merge science and art perspectives and the transition of the society.

• Suggest innovative methods to help increase soft skills development

• Propose workshops which drive critical thinking, creativity and adaptability

• Identify solutions to ensure equal access and inclusion to quality education

The Impact

Drawing a framework of intercultural communication, HeterArt focuses on strategies used to bring together a diverse range of stakeholders to work on solutions.

• Created Art2Tech, an R&D youth team, 30 case studies and more than 10 workshops Most of the beneficiaries managed to have at least a relevant part time job within three years.

• Launched Lost in Jazz, an audience development project and Piano4all a kin-aesthetic approach of using piano as a communication tool.

• Initiated a Cultural dialogue between Nordic countries and Greece.

• Co-created Small Buddies a CSR-SDGs advocacy game.

Social Hackers Academy

Founded by Damianos Vavanos & Represented by Aggelina Mila

The Problem

It is identified that technology’s tools and capacities tend to dominate our everyday life (personal, professional), due to the digital transformation that Greece is going through. In the context of social inclusion, due to digital skills’ shortage, social vulnerable groups face to a greater extent the risk of not joining this tech revolution and find their place in the tech industry, preventing their exclusion. People that are disadvantaged, physically, mentally and socio-economically, and don’t enjoy the same opportunities as other citizens, are considered as vulnerable groups.

If social vulnerable groups keep falling behind on the digital and technological developments, they will not only be unable to process information and be active citizens, but also they will  be unable to acquire a job that will help them become financially sustainable and integrate in the society.

To sum up, the existence of social vulnerable groups in Athens, along with the high unemployment rates in Greece, the need is identified: to bridge the gap between the general lack of digital skills, the unemployment rates, the increasing rate of the Greek digital economy and the threat of exclusion of vulnerable groups in the Greek Society.

The Solution

Accessing the Market Need, its derived that, the acquisition of digital skills is quite necessary, in order to be an active part of the society. Otherwise social and professional exclusion, will be inevitable. Building on the digital skills and with adequate support to access their rights to employment refugees, migrants and unemployed can not only regain confidence and self-esteem but also integrate into the economic and social fabric of the host society.

In Social Hackers Academy (or SHA), we aim to integrate people that belong to social vulnerable groups (refugees/migrants/unaccompanied minors) in the society. We achieve our mission by educating  these people, through training seminars and workshops in digital skills, as people that remain digital illiterate, are facing the risk of remaining unemployed. Hence, through educational programs, we can empower them to integrate in society, by getting job placement in Greece and abroad. Our goals through this program is to eliminate Digital Illiteracy.

The Impact

Through SHA’s programs, graduates will have gained practical experience & expertise in basic computer skills and in coding and will be able to work as developers, having learnt 7 programming languages (eg. HTML/CSS, JavaScript, React). They will have also developed their soft skills, preferred from tech recruiters. Also, through this course we aim to increase awareness over unemployment rates among refugees & migrants and the potential of reskilling unemployed, in order to integrate in the job market and therefore in the society.

Since, its establishment SHA has educated more than 150 people in IT Skills, while 29 of them have been placed as developers, in the IT Industry. We have built partnerships with 30 NGOs, while we have expanded our educational models in other Greek & EU Cities.

ARGENTINA

Austria

Belgium

Germany

Greece

Italy

Poland

Portugal

Spain

The Nordics

FORENINGEN NYDANSKER

Susie Skov Nørregård & Torben Møller-Hansen

The Problem

Going from being a refugee to becoming a skilled worker is difficult, especially because of extensive language requirements within the vocational training system. In 2025, Denmark will lack 80,000 persons needed with a vocational education. Drop-out rates in vocational education were 51% in 2017, and currently 170,000 youth are not employed or enrolled in education (every 7th person between 15 and 29 years). This adds up to public expenses required for this group being 12-15 billion Danish Crowns per year. 

The Solution

Foreningen Nydansker believes that diversity is a resource and paves the way for newcomers on the labour market in Denmark. The programme offers courses and counselling, provides services for companies and municipalities who wish to employ newcomers, and creates a network of mentors and professionals. This network is available for newcomers, immigrants and young people. 

The Impact

Foreningen Nydansker is actively working throughout Denmark in 52 municipalities. Over 100 private companies and public institutions are a part of the network that promotes diversity in the workplaces. In 2018, the project initiated +600 mentorship courses and 60% of its mentees found employment, an internship or a place in education after completing the mentorship.

The Problem

Flight migrants often arrive in a new country after significant trauma. The extensive asylum procedures and practical and cultural difficulties in their new homes lead to re-traumatisation and stress.  

The Solution

IPSO provides refugees with psychological and social counselling. Through a new methodology, which places high value on individual context and cultural background, IPSO provides support on a personal level without expected assimilation or adaptation from the migrant. The available e-care provides online video face-t0-face counselling for people in transit and those embarrassed or uncomfortable to seek help in person. Additionally, the programme has been training refugees themselves to become peer counsellors, providing immediate recognition and support to those with similar experiences, language and culture.  

The Impact

IPSO was originally developed in Afghanistan in 2008, where it currently supports up to 50,000 people per year. Since then, it has been established in Haiti, Ukraine and Germany, where it provides psychological support to many people that suffer from trauma. 

The Problem

Many people who flee conflict find themselves powerless in unsanitary and often dangerous refugee camps. A displaced person spends an average of twelve years in a refugee camp, originally designed to house people on the move for no more than a year. Current temporary living solutions for flight migrants are inadequate and unsustainable; the housing is often used for much longer than anticipated and does not serve the (long-term) needs of those arriving in the camps.  

The Solution

More Than Shelters involves flight migrants in creating sustainable solutions and dignified spaces through ‘integrated humanitarian design’. The project works with flight migrants to transform shelters into places of opportunity, where they can plan the next, positive phase of their lives. This place of survival turns into a place of living, facilitating to individual needs, safety, security and privacy. More Than Shelters gives flight migrants the chance to actively shape their surroundings, through which they become empowered participants instead of passive victims. Projects are set up within three ‘innovation units’, which are the planning office, humanitarian innovation and products. Through these, the project develops camps and arrival centres based on contemporary urban design methods integrating the needs of the different stakeholders, it implements sector-changing innovations and develops technical innovations with refugee communities, NGOs and universities.  

The Impact

More Than Shelters has worked with flight migrants in Jordan, Greece, Nepal and Germany. The project has produced innovations such as the DOMO Shelter System and a solar lamp in partnership with external organisations. Through innovation planning, the project has developed innovation incubators that promote the talents of its one million participants in Jordan, the MENA region, and Europe.

The Problem

The right to asylum is a humanitarian cornerstone in Germany. Its implementation, however, reflects the way policymakers perceive asylum seekers and refugees: as costly threats to society. Under current law and bureaucracy, unaccompanied underage asylum seekers who are over 16 years of age are prevented from attending school, learning German and acquiring vocational skills. Such policies have led this group to become disempowered and, often, to confirm negative stereotypes by turning to drugs, crime and prostitution. 

The Solution

Schlau-Schule recognises the systematic discrimination that underage asylum seekers experience and provides a chance for young refugees to access education and integrate into German society, whilst changing the negative public perception towards this group. Young refugees have diverse backgrounds but face a common struggle: a lack of German language skills and previous education. Founded in Munich, this solution addresses the shortfalls of the education system by structuring courses in line with those provided at state schools and by providing first-class student services, such as social-psychological aid and legal assistance.  

The Impact

Schlau-Schule's students have an extraordinarily high success rate at the basic state school exam, which enables them to qualify for vocational studies and a professional career. By bringing these success stories to the attention of politicians, state welfare organizations and the wider public, Schlau-Schule is transforming the perception of young asylum seekers in the eyes of relevant stakeholders. Having successfully established Schlau schools in Munich with 145 students, Schlau-Schule is expanding throughout Bavaria, Germany’s largest state.

STARTUP REFUGEES

Elisa Vepsalainen

The Problem

Refugees are unable to utilise their existing professional skills or educational backgrounds. Newcomers of working age end up wasting 3 to 6 years outside of the labour market and therefore on the outskirts of society, leading to passivity and loss of hope. Nordic countries are quickly losing the economic potential of newcomers, whilst labour shortage is growing in several fields and the lack of workforce is preventing the growth of companies.  

The Solution

Startup Refugees seeks to find out the professional skills and experience of refugees and matches these with relevant local network members to create jobs and new businesses. Startup Refugees was founded in Finland and consists of 500 partners, including companies, government officials, NGOs, universities, congregations, research institutes, communities and individuals, that support newcomers to start businesses and enter the Finnish labour market. 

The Impact

Startup Refugees mapped out over 2,300 refugees’ skillsets and professional goals in 11 Finnish cities. The results enabled them to provide employment and entrepreneurship support without causing difficulties for the staff in the reception centres of the Finnish Employment Agency. With the support of their network of over 500 companies, communities and individuals, they have offered 585 jobs, provided 3,500 opportunities in education and skills development (business workshops, courses, profession specific networking events etc.) and supported 60 newcomers to start their own businesses.

The Problem

The 21st century has been identified as the ‘migration century’ due to the increased global movement of people. Since 2015, Europe has experienced a heavy influx of refugees and migrants after which many European cities have become ‘super-diverse’. Places are defined by the differences in ethnicity, religion and culture, but often migrants do not feel like local services – such as support with mental health – are available to them. Additionally, local services are not often equipped to understand and help cope with cultural differences and mental health issues related to migration and (lack of) integration.  

The Solution

Solentra stands for solidarity and trauma. The organisation aims to transform the mental healthcare system by training professionals who work closely with refugees and applying its PACCT-Methodology (Psychiatry Assisting the Culturally diverse Community in creating healing Ties) of community-based and culturally sensitive psychology for refugees and other migrants. The method acknowledges the importance of equal and open dialogue. To ensure the support of children in different stages of integration, Solentra mobilises a community of actors involved in their lives. Its method removes cultural and language barriers to make mental healthcare accessible for migrants.  

The Impact

Solentra has reached over 3,000 migrant and refugee children with its PACCT method. The method was awarded the 2016 Maselis prize for innovation and efficiency. It has been appointed one of the top 3 practices across the 27 EU member states by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The organisation’s founder – Geertrui Serneels – has been invited by the Flemish Minister of Welfare to present the PACCT methodology as best practice of community-based approach in the youth sector. 

The Problem

In Belgium, as most prisons in Europe, prisoners live in poor conditions: cells are overcrowded, infrastructure is dilapidated, and prisoners are mingled with more dangerous inmates or inmates who have psychiatric issues. 

The Solution

Touché is a non-profit organization offering psychological support to all prisoners facing aggression issues. Based on solution-focused therapy, Marjan has developed an arsenal of tools in collaboration with diverse therapists - group sessions, individual therapy, family sessions and exercises. All of them have the same goal: help prisoners set positive goals and develop a specific plan for success outside of the prison walls. 

The Impact

Using a method to re-channel aggression in inmates throughout the Belgium prison system, opportunities are created for inmates to set positive goals, chart a course for a more constructive life outside of prison, and reintegration into society as full citizens. Focusing on transforming destructive and debilitating anger into positive activities, Touché educates a wider public to empathy and creates the conditions for more successful reintegration in society and reduction in recidivism and violence. 

Startup Migrants

Founded by Maria Amelie and Nicolai Strøm-Olsen

Problem:

Integration happens locally. It is here people build networks and gets employed, but most companies also get founded locally. Migrant founders are an important driving force of Europe's economy. However, they struggle with language, bureaucracy, limited network and capital.

Municipalities are crucial in unleashing the potential within migrants. They also need migrants to keep cities innovative and profitable. Unfortunately, there is almost no systemic mapping of innovation and inclusion policies in the Northern Europe.

As a result it is challenging for cities and social entrepreneurs to

learn from each other. Municipalities lack data to take the most effective and responsible decisions for their population. They miss out on new jobs and tax revenue because they don't exchange best practice

Solution:

We are developing an online software as a service tool for employees in municipalities, organizations, social entrepreneurs and businesses in Europe.

On this platform we gather open-source data on the most effective actions for inclusion and economic growth in Europe.

Municipalities can use this data to:

• take informed decisions for short-term and longt erm

• impact

• increase labour participation

• attract skilled labour

• enable and foster migrant entrepreneurship

• get in touch with best practice social entrepreneurs operating in other muncipalites.

This interactive tool will help to accelerate the exchange of data and best practice for inclusion and economic growth. 

ARGENTINA

Austria

Belgium

Germany

Greece

Italy

Poland

Portugal

Spain

The Nordics

The Problem

Religious differences sometimes result in extreme hate and violence. Due to limited conversations between people of different beliefs, these problems are rarely overcome, and misunderstandings easily develop into great conflicts between groups.   

The Solution

The Interfaith Mediation Centre works in areas of peacebuilding with faith-based groups with the goal to limit small and large-scale conflicts and wars. The centre promotes community dialogue amongst conflicted groups through mediation, negotiation, interfaith media dialogue and training from peace advocates across Nigeria and beyond. With dialogue as their main tool, the Interfaith Mediation Centre promotes trust and tolerance between difference religious communities.  

The Impact

Many conflict-prone communities have been addressed by the centre, which has resulted in peace agreements between conflicting groups. In total, the centre has carried out over 200 successful interventions on the local and global level, and they continue to mediation through ongoing projects in Nigeria, Sudan, Kenya and Chad. 

The Problem

An estimated 150 million children and youth grow up in harsh conditions without a safe and caretaking environment. They live and work on the streets of big cities, are on the move from conflict or natural disasters or run away from socio-economic problems at home. For these children, the streets become their main learning environment, where they develop essential survival skills and build their identity. Non-formal education and outreach work are crucial to help them grow into positive contributors to society. 

The Solution

Mobile School has developed an integrated outreach methodology to support street educators worldwide in unlocking the potential of these children in the environment where they feel most comfortable, the streets. Mobile School has developed innovative streetproof tools and methodologies to make education available anywhere. Initiated as part of StreetwiZe, the programme valorises talents and survival skills of street-connected children in 29 countries worldwide. Its pioneering outreach strategy shifts children’s attitudes away from assistance and towards empowerment.  

The Impact

StreetwiZe invests 100% of their profit in Mobile School, co-creates the educational materials and relentlessly supports Mobile School by increasing its social impact. There are currently 56 mobile schools in 29 countries, through which the project has facilitated 76,209 contacts with street-connected children in 2018. That same year, the project reached the number of 190 trained street educators and facilitated a total of 163 workshops. These numbers are only expected to increase further. 

ARGENTINA

Austria

Belgium

Germany

Greece

Italy

Poland

Portugal

Spain

The Nordics

The Problem

There are many social, cultural, and architectural barriers that prevent people with a disability from participating in society. Equal accessibility is not widely considered in new projects or buildings, maintaining the perpetual inequality in opportunities for those who are differently abled.  

The Solution

Dreams Academy provides a continuous programme of multidisciplinary activities, such as sports, painting and arts, for people with a disability. The project was set up in response to the many obstacles faced by people with disabilities in Turkey. Its founder being a scuba-diving instructor, viewed the sea as an Alternative World, which is free of barriers for people with disabilities. An earlier project promoted diving for people with disabilities, but Dreams Academy moves beyond that and offers different activities.  

The Impact

Over 7,000 people with disabilities from 250 local and global organisations and 1,000 volunteers from around the world have been involved in Dreams Academy. Its ‘alternative camp’ has been replicated across Turkey and has become a self-sustaining innovative agent of social change. 

The Problem

Children with a disability do not have access to adequate education and are often deprived from opportunities in sports, therefore lacking team building and missing out on shared experiences with their peers.  

The Solution

Genç Engelliler Gençlik ve Spor Kulübü provides systematic solutions to change access to and understanding of education of children with a disability. The club brings together disabled and non-disabled athletes to engage in sports and develop projects together. The athletes from this club have won medals and are among the top rankings in the major championships such as Athletics World Championship, European Championship, Table Tennis European Championship, and swimming branches.  

The Impact

To date, more than 1,000 children and young people have had the opportunity to do sports and develop projects together. To increase these opportunities, the project shares its experiences with other youth and disability organisations eventually aiming to influence policies at a national level.  

The Problem

In Sweden, more than 40% of children with an immigrant background live in majority immigrant areas while 55% of all children with a Swedish background live in majority native Swedish neighbourhoods. Diverse immigrant communities are increasingly segregated from local citizens; a problem that begins upon arrival of a migrant. This segregation is reflected in the schools and their students. 

The Solution

Idrott utan gränser (IUG) wants to give children the opportunity to shape their own future. Through positive role models and meaningful sports activities, IUG empowers children and young people to be seen and confirmed. The project engages a network of municipalities, schools and sports associations to run sports activities during and after school hours as well as during holidays. The concept is based on seeing, praising and confirming the actions of each child, encouraging them to participate actively, to build social relationships, to fail and to feel free to say ‘no’. 

The Impact

IUG reaches 26,000 children weekly in 97 schools across 6 municipalities in Sweden. After 12 months of participation in the programme, 42% more children dare to speak up when bullying occurs.

AERIAL DANCE GYM

Founder, Sofia Diduk

THE PROBLEM

In most post-Soviet states, such as Ukraine, rhythmic gymnastics and aerial dance are a very prominent part of the culture and one of the most popular sports. Gymnasts from those countries are among the best in the world. However, not many migrants are able to keep in training after moving away from their home countries, both because of financial barriers and a lack of training centers. Additionally, aerial dance can be a great remedy for problems stemming from a sedentary lifestyle, mental and physical disabilities, reduced mobility due to age, lack of novelty at traditional gyms and being uninspired to move.

THE SOLUTION

Aerial Dance Gym is a place where physical activity meets art. It provides a space for people to not only train and perfect this discipline, but also connect and bond with one another while experiencing a sport so fundamental to Ukrainian culture. Another positive side is that aerial dance can be practiced by virtually anyone – from children and elderly people to those with mental and physical disabilities. It does not pose a big risk of injury and may be used as a form of physiotherapy.

Aerial Dance Gym aims to promote physical activity by offering unique and creative classes, which also provide pain relief and help battle movement disorders.

THe IMPACT

Aerial Dance Gym is in the process of being created. Aerial Dance Gym aims to promote physical activity by offering unique and creative classes, which also provide pain relief and help battle movement disorders. Additionally, the center will provide free classes for people with disabilities as well as migrant families. In the future they plan on expanding the list of classes to yoga, fitness and more.