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You can Youth Migrant Dropout Tackling: Capacity Building Free consultant About the project YOUCAN (YOUth with migrant dropout tackling: CApacity buildiNg) was a KA2 European Project aimed at contributing to the modernization and strengthening of the response of education, training systems, and youth policies, considering the main challenges posed by the dropout of migrant youth from schools and their social exclusion. This was achieved by building the capacity of the consortium to work transnationally and adopt a cross-sector approach.. Objectives The implementation of the project led to the following achievements: Established synergies and enhanced cooperation with local organizations/partners active in…

Way

Way “Whole-school Approach for Youth with migrant background” Free consultant CONTEXT/BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT The current European societies are experiencing an unprecedented crisis when it comes to social inclusion in general and the social inclusion of disadvantaged groups in particular. Asmany newspapers show, the same ongoing COVID-19 pandemic does not produce the same effects on the student population since, for example, only considering the use of onlinetraining, students of migrant origin have more problems if, only, because some of them may complain of the lack of personal computers at home.Many studies point the finger at the growing social exclusion of…

S.h.i.p.

S.h.i.p. Project Free consultant CONTEX The current numbers of Early School Leaving (ESL) are striking as far the EU’s 27 countries and non-EU countries are concerned. According to the Final Report “Reducing early school leaving: key messages and policy supports” (Nov. 2013), there was rate of 22.8% for the former and a 26.7% one for the latter, whose native born Early School Leaving data is at 11.6%. Particularly with the ESL percentages of non-EU born students in the partners countries, they are as it follows: Belgium (26%); France (22,7%); Italy (40,5%); Portugal (19,4 %); Norway (15,3%). According to these data, the consortium decided to develop the SHIP project. OBJECTIVES The principal objective…

Scayp

Scayp Streangthen Cooperation Among Young People Free consultant Context: Streangthen Cooperation Among Young People. The increasing influx of asylum seekers to European countries has made it more important than ever to take action in increasing the possibility of their integration within the society. This is also one of the priorities of the European Commission, particularly with regards to the inclusion of young newly-arrived immigrants. The main objective of this project was to facilitate the integration of migrants and refugees through the participation in Erasmus+ programmes and to establish new strategies to enhance the communication between young people from different cultures…

R.e.a.c.t.

R.e.a.c.t. Reactivating European Citizenship Free consultant This project means developing a network of cities from different EU countries in order to construct shared approaches on integration of migrants and combat every form of stigmatization supporting the new “European Agenda on migration” (2015). The project activities aim at encouraging intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding through the civic participation of nationals from EU countries and of third-country nationals legally residing in the EU. The selected theme is particularly relevant for the young people that will be involved, both native and foreign-born (non-EU), mainly high school students, but also academics, workers, members of associations, and local groups. The groups at the local level will…

Mooc4

Mooc4 Massive Open Online Course Free consultant L’Union européenne est un territoire de grande diversité dont les populations sont d’origines ethniques et religieuses très variées. Dans le contexte européen actuel, suite aux attentats de Paris, Copenhague et ruxelles, les tensions entre les communautés rendent plus que jamais nécessaire le dialogue interculturel et la mise en place d’outils permettant de renforcer le « vivre ensemble ». Pour cela, ce projet a our objectif général de développer le dialogue interculturel et citoyen sur le futur de l’Europe (vu par les minorités ethniques et religieuses qui habitent cet espace). Ce projet créera la…

Meet

Meet Project Free consultant Several actual and former interns of the participant organizations manifested different problems related to the effectiveness and the real impact of their traineeship/internship. At the same time policy-makers, responsible to shape youth policies, need more informations about the extent and the dimension of these problems. MEET seeks to create a link between them in order to discuss about these issues and find potential solutions to improve interns’ conditions. Thanks to the large number of interns hosted and placed by the partner organizations, the consortium develepod the following steps, so as to make possible the dialogue between…

M.a.y.w.p.

M.a.y.w.p. Migrants: A Youth Worker Perspective Free consultant CONTEXT: “Migrants: A Youth Worker Perspective (MAYWP)” is an Erasmus + KA1 youth worker mobility project. The idea of this project was shaped taking into account ECEPAA’s working experience in the field of youth and migration, as well as the direct contact with youth workers activities involving young migrants of its local community. Considering a broader context outside Belgium, the project takes also into account the migration crisis that Europe is facing. MAYWP intent is to stress youth workers’ essential role in this context, through their organizations’ activities which support and assist young migrants at the local level. OBJECTIVE: MAYWP aims at connecting youth workers with young migrants. The training, main activity of the project, will focus on a better understanding of young migrants’ needs. It has the purpose of enhancing youth workers’ skills by attracting young migrants to more tailored activities organized by the participanting organizations. The general objective of MAYWP is, therefore, to contribute to a more active participation of young migrants in social life. PARTICIPANTS: MAYWP target group are youth workers that have or are willing to have a direct working experience with young migrants. Youth workers have a key role for reaching MAYWP overall objective. However, they should be provided with more adapted skills for understating young migrants’ needs, in order to facilitate their social inclusion. ACTIVITIES: The main MAYWP activity was a 5-day training hosted in “De Waterman” hostel in Brussels. During the training, there were external speakers that would foster discussions and open debates about migrants, young worker’s role, and migration itself in Europe. In addition, participants took part in one of the daily activities with young migrants organized by one of the Belgian project partner organizations, in order to encourage a direct contact with hosting organizations’ local community. At the end of the training, participants would plan and design an event based on their common ideas on the best ways of action to address young migrants’ necessities METHODOLOGY: The training was characterized by non-formal and informal learning methods. There were practical insights on the Belgian environment given by external speakers focused on migration and youth workers that would be able to raise critical skills…

Lab

Lab Language As a Bridge Free consultant PROJECT CONTEXT The growing flow of refugees to the EU countries makes the process of their social inclusion a high priority. According to the latest figures published by the European Commission (March 2017), in 2015 and 2016 the EU received 2.5 million asylum applications. Knowledge of the language of host country is considered as one of the most crucial elements for successful social inclusion and as the main lever to increase the newly arrived refugees’ level of self-reliance and participation. Without a good knowledge of the host country language, it is almost impossible to integrate into the local culture, get into the labor market and socialize with members of other communities. Therefore, without implementing a proper inclusion policy, it will increase the possibility of having…

I.y.w.e.

I.y.w.e. Intercultural Youth Work Encounters Free consultant CONTEXT One of the major issues most EU countries are currently dealing with is that of social integration of newly arrived migrants, who often experience practical and cultural difficulties in their European host countries. Such problem is at the core of the general debate on both EU principles and policies as it concerns, on the one hand, the need and opportunity of cooperation amongst countries, and, on the other, the threat of their non-compliance and isolation. To help dealing with this issue, the Intercultural Youth Work Encounters (IYWE) Erasmus + KA1 youth work mobility project aims…

Impact

Impact Project: Financial Inclusion Free consultant Project Description The project addresses the priority of “Environment and fight against climate change” by building capacity and raising awareness about the impact of climate change on migration. By doing so, the project seeks to increase interest and engagement with the topic of climate change as a driver of migration both at organization and community levels. This will contribute to broader efforts to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. The project also addresses the priority of “Supporting teachers, school leaders and other teaching professions” by building capacity thanks to the developing…

Ihavet

IHAVET Project Learn more Data on youth with migrant education dropout is dramatic. The Sirius Network and the Migration Policy Institute have long studied this problem. What came out (2015) is the “early school leaving (ESL) rate of young people born outside of the European Union was, on average, more than double that of natives (25.4 percent compared to 11.5 percent)”. Thus, in line with the general policy of the Erasmus+ Programme, the aim of this proposal is to having Youth with migrant background education high dropout rate reduced (General Objective). As for the specific objective, we want to develop a…

Fin

Fin Project: Financial Inclusion Free consultant Overall goal: contributing to improve financial inclusion, both at the social and the working level, of migrants in Emilia Romagna, Marche e Abruzzo, by developing a collaboration between public and private actors. Main objectives: Improving the access to existing financial products and services to migrants (i.e. access to credit services, savings, assurances, payments, funds transfers and remittances) in order to enhance the possibility of socio-economic inclusion of newly arrived foreigners (humanitarian permits holders and asylum-seekers included) and of those who find themselves in situations of economic fragility. This is the reason income source activities,…

Feel

Feel Project Free consultant Project objectives The project aims to achieve the following objectives: 1. To contribute to increased cooperation and innovation in promoting inclusion and diversity at organization level and policies in the field of education and training; 2. To promote the exchange of practice on how foster refugees inclusion in the participating organizations and the local educational community levels in order to tackle learning disadvantage; 3. International and local workshops to share the result. Activities to implement 1. Review the whole-school approach in order to focus on refugee needs; 2. desk research on potential best practices already identified…

Do-it

Do-it Digital competence to teach youth with migrant background Free consultant DO-IT PROJECT CONTEXT/BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT The effects and consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted in the last six months require immediate action, especially for the most disadvantaged people. The lockdown made compulsory by the government’s indications has very different effects depending on the income, which poses huge problems in terms on how to ensure access, equity and inclusion in the learning environment. The OECD the 19th of October 2020 in its “What is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigrants and their children?” states that “The school…

Communication

Projects By admin 14 October 2024

Communication We maximize your business growth Free consultant YOUTH ENGAGEMENT FOR COMMUNICATING THE EU OBJECTIVES The lack of adequate knowledge and the spread of disinformation about topics concerning the European Union are both major causes of the rise of Euroscepticism and disaffection towards the EU institutions and values. The project is built upon these two core objectives: a general one, which aims to foster European citizenship and to improve conditions for civic and democratic participation at EU level; a specific one, based on the encouragement of democratic and civic participation of citizens at EU level, by developing citizens’ understanding of the EU…

B.es.t.

BEST Good pratcices, Exchange of experiences and training for interculture. Contact us BEST- Good pratcices, Exchange of experiences and training for interculture. The project aims at developing and promoting the social empowerment of young people with migratory background, their participation in the public debate on policies issues that concern them, and at giving them the possibility to share their needs and proposals. This will be done through the creation and implementation of a collaboration network between third sector realities operating in Italy and in Europe, in order to facilitate and promote the centrality of young people and the development of intercultural competences of the…

FEEL project and the local workshop in Fayt-Les-Manage: Enhancing Refugee Integration Strategies

Migration By admin 26 May 2024 Leave a comment

On May 23, 2024, ECEPAA had the pleasure of hosting a local workshop at Le Val-Fayt in Fayt-Les-Manage. This event, conducted in both English and French, focused on fostering refugee inclusion through the Whole School Approach (WSA). The workshop aimed to equip educators, administrators, and community members with the skills needed to formulate more effective integration strategies, especially for individuals from Ukraine. The evening began with a warm welcome as participants arrived and registered. This was followed by a brief introduction session where everyone introduced themselves, creating a collaborative and inclusive atmosphere right from the start. We then moved on…

BRIDGING BORDERS: DEI AND IMMIGRANT INCLUSION IN LATVIAN HIGHER EDUCATION

Migration By admin 15 May 2024 Leave a comment

In the preceding articles, an analysis was conducted on the advancement of policies related to inclusion, equality and diversity for migrants in European higher education, focusing in the last post on their implementation in Turkey. The latter had recently experienced an increase in young immigrants, which led to the implementation of additional frameworks by universities to enhance the inclusion of newcomers. In continuation of this discourse, our focus today shifts to Latvia, where a comparable scenario has unfolded. Indeed, Latvia has experienced a notable increase in migrant arrivals, partly attributed to the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine. Within this context we…

ETHIOPIA STUDY VISIT: March 12-15, 2024

Migration By admin 13 May 2024 Leave a comment

What is this all about? In Africa, mainly in Ethiopia, there are several forms of migration that affect the quality of life of the population. One, if not the most disastrous, is directly related to climate. How is climate a factor that explains migration in large part? Why is migration in Ethiopia constantly increasing? Why migration plunges Ethiopia into critical situations for its future? These are broad issues for which different institutional meetings are necessary in order to find answers that make sense. If Europe wants to be able to represent accurately the reality on the ground, it must compare points…

Bridging Borders: DEI and Immigrant Inclusion in Turkish Higher Education

Migration By admin 9 April 2024 Leave a comment

The previous post introduced the imperative of immigrant integration policies in university settings, outlining progress in Europe and areas for improvement. This article focuses on Turkey, which has faced challenges in implementing effective Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) frameworks in its institutions. Therefore, there will be an analysis of the complexities of immigrant integration in Turkish higher education, highlighting the necessity for policy interventions that align with social realities. First of all, to get an overall picture of the urgent situation in Turkey, it is important to show that there has been a notable increase in immigrants and refugees, primarily…

Rakovník’s Workshop on Refugee Integration

Migration By admin 8 April 2024 Leave a comment

In the historical town of Rakovník, Czech Republic, a pivotal gathering is on the horizon. The FEEL project (Fostering refugEEs incLusion) proudly announces its international workshop slated for April 22nd to 26th, 2024, targeting the seamless integration of refugees, with a spotlight on educational integration. The FEEL workshop represents a significant stride towards redefining refugee education and integration methodologies. Centered around the Whole School Approach (WSA), this event is tailored to provide educators, policy advisors, and integration specialists with advanced insights and methodologies to cultivate a nurturing and inclusive environment for refugees, with a special emphasis on the recent Ukrainian…

Bridging Borders: Examining DEI Policies in European Higher Education for Immigrant Inclusion

Migration By admin 26 February 2024 Leave a comment

In recent years, the discourse surrounding immigrant integration has permeated discussions not only at the European Union level but also within the educational systems of individual member states. Since around 2016, significant migration flows and demographic shifts have prompted integration to the forefront of policy agendas across Europe. This is particularly evident in the field of higher education, as, according to the Eurydice[1], 52% of migrants fall within the age range of 18 to 34 typically associated with university studies. However, they are twice as likely as natives to have a low level of education due to limited access to…

Kickoff Meeting IMPACT project

Migration By admin 19 January 2024 Leave a comment

First Online Meeting and Communication First Online Meeting and Communication with partners for the Erasmus+ project “Increasing Migration and climate change Public Awareness through Collaboration and Teaching” with number: 2023-1-BE01-KA220-SCH-000166907 On Tuesday 05/12/2023, the first online meeting was made with Microsoft Teams – video chat with all partners of the European IMPACT project. Essentially, there was a first introduction, a brief presentation and description of each organization or school unit as well as the role that each partner will assume in the course of the project. The project coordinator Gabriele Sospiro of Ecepaa analyzed the project objectives, activities and the…

European Solidarity in Action: the response to the Ukraine crisis in Italy, Greece, the Czech Republic and Belgium

Migration By admin 15 December 2023 Leave a comment

Russian aggression in Ukraine has unleashed an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, putting European solidarity to the test. Italy, Greece, the Czech Republic and Belgium responded with significant commitment, demonstrating the flexibility and diversity of responses within the European Union. In Italy and Greece, the integration of displaced Ukrainians has become a priority, with government bodies and non-governmental organizations implementing targeted initiatives. In Italy, projects such as “School and Emergency Ukraine” by the Mosaico Servizi cooperative and “Druzi” by Save The Children Italia focus on the treatment of childhood trauma and integration through personalized educational support. In Sicily, the Istituto Comprensivo G.…

Promoting Refugee Inclusion in the Education System: The FEEL Project

Migration By admin 17 November 2023 Leave a comment

The FEEL project (Fostering refugEEs incLusion) represents an ambitious initiative aimed at promoting organizational inclusion and diversity, with a particular focus on policies in the education and training sector. This commitment materializes through a holistic approach that encompasses various targeted activities. Firstly, a comprehensive review of the approach of the involved schools is planned, with the goal of focusing on the specific needs of refugees. This review will be guided by thorough research on best practices already identified for refugee integration, with particular attention to the situation of Ukrainians at the European level. A crucial element of the project involves…

The Evolution of the European Union’s immigration strategy: The EU-Africa Immigration Odyssey

Migration By admin 10 November 2023 Leave a comment

As mentioned in the previous post, to conclude this series of articles dedicated to the New Pact on Immigration and Asylum, we will focus on the relationship that has been defined over the years between the EU and third countries, particularly African ones. The goal that the European Union has set itself is to create a relationship between equals who share interests and responsibilities, between neighbors. Navigating the Immigration Landscape The need for a broad and structured dialogue stems from the fact that the European Union is not only the closest neighbor but also a big foreign investor in Africa,…

The evolution of the European Union’s Immigration strategy: the Voluntary Solidarity Mechanism

Migration By admin 26 October 2023 Leave a comment

In the previous post, we made an introduction to the New Pact on Immigration and Asylum explaining that the main objective is to make reception procedures more effective with new border controls and procedures and the reform of the Schengen system. In today’s post, we will discuss the theme of solidarity, while our next post we will focus on the relationship between the EU and third countries, with a particular emphasis on African nations. Our main objective in both posts is to explain the various phases that the EU has gone through in trying to understand the current situation. As…

Empowering Inclusion: FEEL Project meeting in Turin

Migration By admin 16 October 2023 Leave a comment

From October 2 to 5, 2023, Turin, Italy hosted the first transnational meeting of the Erasmus+ project, “Fostering RefugEEs inclusion – FEEL”. The project (feel-project.eu) is geared towards equipping educators, school leaders, and youth/migrant organization professionals, with enhanced tools to seamlessly integrate individuals, particularly Ukrainians, into both the educational system and the broader local community. The event commenced with an engaging introduction of the participating organizations (E.K. Katerinis – Greece, Ecepaa – Belgium, AMECE – Italy, Spsek – Czech Republic), setting the stage for an action-packed agenda. Project coordinator Gabriele Sospiro from Belgium provided invaluable insights into FEEL’s core objectives,…

The evolution of the European Union’s immigration strategy: from Schengen to the New Pact of 2023

Migration By admin 13 October 2023 Leave a comment

In September 2023 the European Union presented a new strategy to address the immigration issue that has been increasingly present in the European public debate in recent months. The pact is a set of regulations and policies which aims to define an European approach to the migration phenomenon, in particular on how to manage migration in Southern Europe. The document was presented in September 2023 by president Ursula von der Leyen, but is still under revision. Last week in Granada presidents of Member States met to discuss a number of points of the Pact, in particular on the mechanisms of…

FEEL project: kick off meeting

Migration By admin 27 July 2023 Leave a comment

First Online Meeting and Communication with partners for the Erasmus+ project “Fostering RefugEEs inclusion (FEEL)” with number: 2022-2-BE01-KA220-SCH-000100260. On 19/04/2023, the project consortium held its kick off meeting via Microsoft Teams – video chat with all partners of the European FEEL project. Essentially, there was a first introduction, a brief presentation and description of each organization or school unit as well as the role that each partner will assume in the course of the project. The project coordinator Gabriele Sospiro of Ecepaa analyzed the project objectives, the deliverables to be implemented, the memorandum of cooperation – agreement (IPA) and a…

United In Diversity: An Intersectional Fight Against Discrimination

Migration By admin 26 July 2023 Leave a comment

A comprehensive recap of racism and discrimination in Europe Giovanni Dal Prà As explained in the previous articles of this series, racism and discrimination persist as challenging issues within the European Union. Despite the EU’s commitment to upholding human rights, equality, and social cohesion, instances of racism and discrimination continue to undermine these principles. Discrimination episodes affect peoples’ lives every day, and they are especially persistent in the education fields, employment and job-seeking, housing, and in the access to public services[1]. Episodes of discrimination might be based on race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, and other factors persists in various forms, including…

United in Diversity: An Intersectional Fight against Discrimination

Migration By admin 13 July 2023 Leave a comment

Afrophobia in Europe Laura Maschio As was thoroughly explained in the previous articles of this series, discrimination is unfortunately still a persistent reality in Europe up to this date. One of the most racialized and marginalized groups in European societies are people of African descent and black Europeans, that every day face systemic discrimination and racial bias in various aspects of their lives. This article, the sixth and second-to-last of the series, will focus on Afrophobia, a specific form of racism that leads to the exclusion and dehumanization of people of African descent. Clay Banks / Unsplash Today, there are an…

United in diversity: An intersectional fight against discrimination

Migration By admin 5 June 2023 Leave a comment

Antigypsyism: a persisting stigma in Europe Giammarco Frattoli Every day, the 10 to 12 million estimated Roma people in Europe are denied basic human rights and are victims of widespread discrimination, racist attacks, hate speech and public stigmatisation under the derogatory term of “gypsies”. Therefore, this article, the fifth of the series, proposes to focus on Antigypsyism in Europe, which is the persisting structural and institutional racism against Roma: Europe’s largest ethnic minority.[1] via Unsplash / Gwengoat The reference to ‘Roma’, as an umbrella term, includes a wide range of different people of Romani origin such as Roma, Sinti, Kale, Romanichels,…

United in diversity: An intersectional fight against discrimination

Migration By admin 29 May 2023 Leave a comment

Muslims are not extremists: Stop Islamophobia Alessia Rollo After an overview of the first two articles on discrimination in general in Europe and the strategies put in place to tackle it, the previous article analysed specifically the ethnic and racial discrimination with which the Asian community in Europe live. On the same subject, this article will discuss the discrimination suffered by another community widely present in the European Union: The Muslim community. Muslims represent the second largest religious group in the European Union. The Pew Research Center has estimated that around 20 million Muslims live in the EU and they…

YouCan Final Training in Cáceres

Migration By admin 26 May 2023 Leave a comment

You Can Final Training in Cáceres The YOUCAN project is a KA2 European Project aimed at modernizing and reinforcing education, training systems, and youth policies to address the challenges faced by migrant youth school dropouts and social exclusion. From the 8th to the 12th of May the Final Training for the YouCan project was held in Cáceres (Spain), where the participants from each organisation of the consortium have been hosted by the Cáceres Chamber of Commerce. The YOUCAN project partners, including 2o Epaggelmatiko Lykeio Katerinis (Greece), Camera Oficial…

United in diversity: An intersectional fight against discrimination

Migration By admin 22 May 2023 Leave a comment

The discrimination suffered by the Asian community in Europe Giovanni Dal Prà Ethnic origin discrimination is still a widespread social issue in Europe. According to the 2019 “Discrimination in the European Union” survey conducted by Eurobarometer, which focuses on people’s perceptions, attitudes, and opinions on discrimination based on ethnic origin, skin colour, sexual orientation, gender, age, disability, religion, and beliefs, 59% of the respondents believe that ethnic origin discrimination is widespread in their country, even though results are different among countries. The Netherlands, France, Belgium, and Sweden seem like to have the highest proportion of respondents thinking that this type…

Facing Migrations together in the European Union

Migration By admin 19 May 2023 Leave a comment

Facing Migrations together in the European Union Giovanni Dal Prà Migration is a controversial topic that has been tackled at national, European, and international levels. There are many economic and non-economic determinants of it and the consequences are relevant both in departure and arrival countries, and indeed the phenomenon needs to be analysed from different perspectives. Social and economic integration of migrants is a challenge for the host country and for migrants themselves ince it may not be immediate. However, it represents an opportunity because new people bring new knowledge, ideas, and resources, which can benefit society and the job…

Facing Migrations together in the European Union

Migration By admin 16 May 2023 Leave a comment

Facing Migrations together in the European Union Giovanni Dal Prà Migration is one of the toughest challenges EU has been facing over the years. The phenomenon leads to changes in society and job market, and it might be seen as threats by member States government whose population is struggling to face crisis due to COVID-19 pandemic and the inflation caused by the Russia-Ukraine war. Moreover, immigrants’ social and economic integration might be difficult because of factors as language, adaptation, cultural differences, and psychological issues which play a crucial role and local governments might struggle in developing a correct understanding of…

United in diversity: An intersectional fight against discrimination

Migration By admin 8 May 2023 Leave a comment

Talk to Act: EU strategies against racism and intolerance Giammarco Frattoli As stated by the President of the European Commission von der Leyen on the 17th of June of 2020, «we need to talk about racism. And we need to act. It is always possible to change direction if there is a will to do so. I am glad to live in a society that condemns racism. But we should not stop there. […] », because to build a European community really «united in diversity» the hardest task is to «live up to those words and fulfil their meaning». The…

United in diversity: An intersectional fight against discrimination

Migration By admin 28 April 2023 Leave a comment

What does discrimination look like in Europe? Alessia Rollo via Unsplash / Bittani Burns According to the words of the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the motto of our European Union is “United in Diversity” and claims to be happy to live in a society that condemns racism.[1] In fact, according to Article 6 of the Treaty on European Union, the rights and principles expressed by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union are recognized [2], and in particular, on non-discrimination, Article 21 states that: “Any discrimination based on any ground such as sex,…

Unsettled: The Human Toll of Climate Change in the Sahel

Migration By admin 22 April 2023 Leave a comment

Climate Mobility in the Sahel Laura Maschio via Unsplash / Annie Spratt As has been thoroughly explained before, climate change can act as a multiplier of threats, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities and making it difficult for people to survive where they are. In order to fully grasp the potential for massive climate migration in the Sahel, it is first and foremost necessary to understand the long history of migration in West Africa. Migration as a Strategy for Survival and Security Migration is indeed extremely common in the region, where many people live as semi-nomads, farming and feeding cattle in the north…

YOUCAN project: third transnational project meeting in Brussel

Migration By admin 11 April 2023 Leave a comment

The YOUCAN project is a KA2 European Project aimed at modernizing and reinforcing education, training systems, and youth policies to address the challenges faced by migrant youth school dropouts and social exclusion. As part of this project, a transnational meeting was held on the 3rd and 4th of April in Brussels, organized by the European Centre for Economic and Policy Analysis and Affairs (ECEPAA). The meeting brought together partners from different countries to discuss the progress made in the project and to plan the next steps. One of the main goals of the meeting was to build the capacity of…

YOUCAN project: multiplier event in Brussels

Migration By admin 31 March 2023 Leave a comment

We are thrilled to announce that the YOUCAN project, coordinated by the European Centre for Economic and Policy Analysis and Affairs (ECEPAA), has successfully held yesterday its multiplier event in Brussels! On March 30th, in fact, we disseminated our best practice publication on migrant youth school drop-out and social exclusion. The YOUCAN project, funded by the Erasmus+ programme, aims to modernize and reinforce education, training systems, and youth policies to address the main challenges facing migrant youth. Our cross-sector approach builds the capacity of our consortium to work transnationally, creating a more inclusive society for all. …

Unsettled: The Human Toll of Climate Change in the Sahel

Migration By admin 20 March 2023 Leave a comment

The Sahel: A Climate Change Hotspot Laura Maschio Recent literature has defined climate change hotspots as regions where climate signals combine with high human vulnerability. As a consequence, these regions are the most likely to be impacted by climate change, but the least likely to successfully adapt to its negative effects. The Mediterranean region, with its rising temperatures, erratic weather patterns, decline in precipitations, heat waves, sea level rise, and droughts, is a full-fledged climate change hotspot. In August 2021, a new record for the highest temperature ever recorded was set both in Europe and across the Strait of Sicily…

Unsettled: The Human Toll of Climate Change in the Sahel

Migration By admin 6 March 2023 Leave a comment

Does Climate Change Drive Migration? Laura Maschio The mission statement of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal 13 (SDG 13) is to “take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.” In the last decades, climate change has gradually been pushed at the forefront of public debate, thanks to the relentless environmental campaigns aimed at raising awareness on the issue. Almost simultaneously, policymakers and media sources have started depicting climate as a security issue, acknowledging the link between environmental degradation and forced displacements. This article is the first in a series of three posts aimed at researching the…

Youth participation into practice

Migration By admin 3 March 2023 Leave a comment

Giammarco Frattoli As proved by the series of articles dedicated to the path ahead the 2024 European Parliament elections, there is a wide variety of aspects to consider while analysing the last elections turnout and the levels of democratic participation in general. Therefore, this last article aims to highlight the main European strategies and programmes that are being implemented or developed to foster youth participation and active citizenship. Framework and strategies «Youth participation in democratic life is about individual young people and groups of young people having the right, the means, the space, the opportunity and, where necessary, the support…

Participation & young migrants

Migration By admin 16 February 2023 Leave a comment

Giammarco Frattoli The 2015 EU Youth Report identified young people with migrant background as «1 of the 2 groups most at risk of poverty and social exclusion», making it harder for them to succeed in the integration process and take an active part in community life.[1] Therefore, this article, the third of the series, aims to consider the relation between democratic participation and people with a migrant history to point out relevant aspects intertwined with the political involvement of young Europeans. In this regard, the OECD elaborated two indicators that, even though incomplete, show the percentage of foreign-born and non-EU-born…

Youth votes matter

Youth Partecipation By admin 3 February 2023 Leave a comment

Giammarco Frattoli It is often said that young European citizens do not participate enough in the EU’s democratic and political life. As stated in the previous article, post-election Eurobarometer surveys up to 2014 showed, in fact, that the greatest abstainers at the elections were people aged under 25.[1] However, the last European Parliament elections in 2019 tell a different story. Four years ago, something began to change, as the overall turnout of 50.66% was the highest in the latest 25 years. What is more, younger voters had a particular impact on the overall turnout: +14 percentage points among citizens aged…

Road to 2024 European Parliament elections

Youth By admin 19 January 2023 Leave a comment

Giammarco Frattoli In the run-up to the European Parliament elections in 2024, it is inevitable to try elaborating new strategies and good practices aimed to encourage more and more people to participate. First of all, it is fundamental to take into account the past elections results and observe how European citizens’ voting behaviour has changed over the years. This article, the first in a series of 3 posts scheduled every fifteen days, represents the firs step of a desk research aimed to analyse the voting process and to consider the possibility of stimulating a new positive voting trend, especially among…

YOUCAN | Second Transnational Partner Meeting in Italy

Migration By admin 14 December 2022 Leave a comment

From 5th to 6th of October, 2022 the consortium of the YOUCAN project has met in Milan (Italy) for the second Transnational Partner Meeting (TPM). The consortium of the YOUCAN project is formed by the following partners: YOUCAN (Youth with migrant drop-out tackling: capacity building) is a KA2 Erasmus project co-funded by the European Union, and its aim is to contribute to triggering the modernisation and to reinforcing the response of education, training systems and youth policies considering the main challenges provided by the migrant youth school drop-out and social exclusion, by building the capacity of the consortium to work transnationally and with a cross-sector approach.…

Italy’s unwavering support for Ukraine

Migration By admin 7 December 2022 Leave a comment

Elena Di Martino To begin with, Italy condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, which is a blatant violation of international law and humanitarian principles.So far, out of the 8 million people who fled from Ukraine more than 120 000 people have arrived in Italy. Almost 94 000 have applied for a residence permit with the Police Headquarters. Almost all applicants have requested temporary protection on the grounds of Directive 2001/55/EC, activated specifically to cope with the Ukraine emergency. In the EU framework, Italy constantly supported the decision of the Commission to release a…

The hidden cost of food delivery: how migrant exploitation explains platform economy gains

Migration By admin 30 November 2022 Leave a comment

Martina Monti 1. EU regulations lethargy At the national level, judicial authorities had already started establishing a regulatory framework on platform economy before it did at the supranational one. As a matter of fact, the European Union (EU) lapsed into a substantial institutional inertia prior to developing a unitary set of rules. The question of platform work gained true momentum only in 2015, when the bloc acknowledged this emerging type of employment for the first time. Thanks to a series of research papers compiled by the Eurofound, it finally gave this phenomenon a name: “crowd employment” [i]. Gig economy taxonomy…

Project WAY- Whole School Approach for Youth with Migrant Background

Migration By admin 22 November 2022 Leave a comment

My name is Elena Di Martino and I’ve participated to the short-term training held in Silves (Portugal) at the beginning of September.During the first week of September, NGOs and school boards gathered from Italy, Poland, Portugal,Spain and Belgium in the area of Silves, Portugal in a short-term training to discuss how and whythe ethnic, religious or socioeconomic differences in health behaviors are important when itcomes to deal with complex and heterogeneous environment: schools. This is my first workexperience and I was very impressed by the organization and punctuality the professionalsshowed during the training, I felt very welcomed in the host…

How the heart of Europe has managed one of the darkest moments since World War II?

Migration By admin 18 November 2022 Leave a comment

Nicoletta Carotenuto The war against Ukraine that Vladimir Putin started is already having considerable economic and social consequences in his country and in all Europe. Indeed, on one side, Russia’s economy is expected to shrink by at least 15% this year and the EU must face the third asymmetric shock, as economists call it, experienced in the last two decades. On the other side, it has led to a massive influx of refugees into the European Union and it has also raised the broader question of the renewal of our common policy on asylum and migration to build more solidarity.…

The forgotten role of migration in platform economy

Migration By admin 26 October 2022 Leave a comment

Martina Monti 1. DEFINITION AND OPERATIVE MODE OF PLATFORM ECONOMY The digital revolution has drastically changed the pace at which information is exchanged. This shift in paradigm has been the breeding ground for new ways to think about work in our age, for mainstream economics had to familiarize with terms such as platform economy, digital labour and on-demand work. It followed that arriving at a common definition of this emerging vocabulary topped policy makers’ agenda. In the European Union (EU) context, the need for consensus on gig economy terminology has been a relatively recent phenomenon. It started in 2015 with…

Did Ukraine refugee crisis expose EU to double standards?

Migration By admin 13 October 2022 Leave a comment

By Martina Monti Assessing Ukrainian refugee wave in numbers On 24 February 2022, Russia forces stormed Ukraine, carrying out attacks in the north and south-eastern part of the country[1]. Inevitably this brought about two subsequent effects; on one side, it launched an all-out military offensive in a supposedly post-conflict continent. This was accompanied with the strong rhetoric of “war returning to Europe”[2] after World War II. On the other side, it produced a severe refugee crisis, with millions of Ukrainians leaving the country and turning to Europe. During the first month of the invasion, around 150 00 Ukrainians would border…

EU Support to Ukrainian Students, Young People, Teachers and Educators

Migration By admin 27 July 2022 Leave a comment

EU Support to Ukrainian Students, Young People, Teachers and Educators Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, has announced EU measures to support Ukrainian students, young people, teachers and educators in these extremely challenging times. How is the European Union supporting Ukrainian pupils, teachers and people fleeing from Ukraine? Let’s have a look at the initiatives. The Cohesion’s Action for Refugees in Europe (CARE) The Cohesion’s Action for Refugees in Europe (CARE) allows Member States and regions to provide emergency support to people fleeing from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as it: Swifts reallocation of available funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the…

New Call | Transnational Cooperation Between Universities in Europe

Migration By admin 27 July 2022 Leave a comment

Transnational Cooperation Between Universities in Europe Interested organisations can now apply for a new Erasmus Plus call to pilot a joint European degree label and test institutionalised EU cooperation instruments, such as a possible European legal status for alliances of higher education institutions, in the perspective of facilitating deeper transnational cooperation between universities in Europe. Topic 1: Pilot a joint European degree label The label would recognise the value of innovative transnational learning experiences increase the visibility, attractiveness and reputation, both in Europe and beyond, of such joint programmes provided by alliances of European higher education institutions be issued as a complementary certificate to the qualifications…

ESC2LEARN | Online Training Platform to Support Volunteers

The partners of the “ESC-2-Learn” strategic partnership (AMSED (France), Solidarity Tracks (Greece) and ATA (Romania)) have been welcoming young volunteers for a long time, and on the basis of that, they faced various difficult situations such as lack of initiative of the volunteer to set up an activity, lack of specific skills to carry out the tasks of volunteering or to manage situations of conflict during their service and stressful situations in the face of uncertainty after the period of volunteering. According to it, e-learning shows up as an effective and economical additional means, that provides training and support to volunteers. It is an ideal tool for the dissemination…

European Alliance for Apprenticeships | EAfA Podcast

Work in the field of apprenticeships and VET? Interested in creating quality and effective apprenticeships? The European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA) presents the EAfA Podcast, a four-episode series that explores themes and topics related to EAfA priorities and key objectives: supply, quality, image, and mobility. European Alliance for Apprenticeships The European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA) unites governments and key stakeholders with the aim of strengthening the quality, supply and overall image of apprenticeships across Europe, while also promoting the mobility of apprentices. These aims are promoted through national commitments and voluntary pledges from stakeholders. In July 2020, the European Commission launched the renewed EAfA as part of the…

ESSENCE | Improve Employability Opportunities for HE Students

The ESSENCE project intends to improve employability opportunities for High-Education students by stimulating soft-skills development. The Project objective is to maximise their engagement in the labour market through offering professional development paths that go beyond formal HE trainings. In order to meet the expectations of entrepreneurs and recruiters connected with the most desirable soft-skills, the courses that the project offer are based on the demand-driven employers’ perspective. Background According to ground-breaking research published by World Economic Forum in 2016, in the era of digital automation and AI, career success factors are facing times of significant changes especially in industry sectors at high technological coefficient (but not…

How To | Sustainable and Environmentally Friendly Projects

Developing sustainable and environmentally friendly projects is a key priority of the Erasmus plus programme. The youth sector has been at the forefront of developing good practice in the area of sustainability and this is not a trend that is new to the sector; it is something that has been developing for many years, but it is true that in recent years there’s has been much more of a policy focus and, following that increased funding. As the EU-CoE Youth Partnership Exploratory Study: Sustainability in Learning Mobility points out: “The youth sector has been active in the sustainability field for many years. There are numerous…

European Youth Conference Report 2022

The European Youth Conference brought together more than 300 young people and decision makers from all over Europe to discuss the commitment of young people for a sustainable and inclusive Europe. It was an opportunity to give young people a voice on these issues that are close to their hearts. European Youth Conference Organised by the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, in collaboration with the National Youth Council – CNAJEP – and with the support of the European Commission, the European Youth Conference took place online on 24-26th January 2022. The event brought together more than 300 participants, including…

Turin Meeting (TPM)

From 7th to 8th of April the consortium of the YOUCAN project met in Turin (Italy) for the first Transnational Partner Meeting (TPM). The consortium of the YOUCAN project is formed by the following partners: ● Associazione di promozione sociale Joint (Italy) ● AMECE (Italy) ● AidLean (Portugal) ● Ecepaa (Belgium) ● Caceres Chamber of Commerce (Spain) YOUCAN (Youth with migrant drop-out tackling: capacity building) is a KA2 Erasmus project co-funded by the European Union, and its aim is to contribute to triggering the modernisation and to reinforcing the response of education, training systems and youth policies considering the main…

Valladolid Meeting, Spain (TPM)

MIGRATION VALLADOLID MEETING (TPM) The meeting of the European Erasmus + project entitled “Whole-school Approach for Youth with migrant background – WAY” took place in Valladolid, Spain from 19-22 October 2021. The meeting was attended by the organization “Ecepaa” from Belgium, which is also the coordinator of the project, the organization “Fundacion Red Incola” from Spain, the University “Università Degli Studi Di Milano-Bicocca” from Italy, the school complex ” Agrupamento de Escolas de Silves “from Portugal, the organization” The Autokreacja Foundation “from Poland, the 2nd EPAL of Katerini from Greece and the school unit” IIS Laeng Meucci “from Italy. The…

9th online coordinators meeting of WAY project

9th online coordinators meeting of WAY project Another online meeting of the European WAY project took place on 20/04/2022 at 13.30 CEST, where important decisions were taken regarding the progress of the project’s tasks as well as the TPM in Poland. More specifically it was decided:

Bicocca Research Publication about WAY

Bicocca Research Publication about WAY In May 2022 Issue the magazine “Bicocca Research” published an article describing the Erasmus+ projects in which the University is involved, dedicating a paragraph to our WAY Project. “Bicocca Research” is a monthly magazine published by Bicocca University, which includes the main information about research projects carried out by the University, to disseminate, promote collaboration between research groups and share knowledge. In the next months another article entirely dedicated to the WAY Project and its activities will be released. Read the Publication here

Warsaw Meeting, Poland (TPM)

The second meeting (TPM) of the European Erasmus + program entitled “Whole-school Approach for Youth with migrant background – WAY” hosted in Warsaw, Poland from 16-20 May 2022. The partners that participated, each with two participants (teachers, researchers, etc.) were the organization “Ecepaa” from Belgium, which is also the coordinator of the project, the organization “Fundacion Red Incola” from Spain, the University “Università Degli Studi Di Milano-Bicocca” from Italy, the school complex ” Agrupamento de Escolas de Silves “from Portugal, the organization” The Autokreacja Foundation “from Poland, the 2nd EPAL of Katerini from Greece and the school unit” IIS Laeng…

Tunisia: democracy hanging by a thread

By Sofia Pegoraro, 25th July 2022 Twelve years after the Jasmine Revolution democratic stability in Tunisia is under threat after president Kais Saied removed government and suspended parliament in July 2021. After almost one year of suspended democracy, the virtuous example of democratic transition that Tunisia represented after the Arab Springs is at risk of being just a memory. For experts making predictions in foreign policy can be a hard task, and many did not foresaw the current situation in Tunisia. However, many tensions were spreading. Before the strong acts of July 2021, president Said in December 2021 promised a…

10th online coordinators meeting of WAY project

10th online coordinators meeting of WAY project Another online meeting of the European WAY project took place on 24/06/2022 at 16.30 CEST, where important decisions were taken regarding the progress of the project’s tasks as well as the Training in Slives, Portugal. More specifically it was decided:

Migration And Pandemics – Spaces of Solidarity and Spaces of Exception

Migration and Pandemics – Spaces of Solidarity and Spaces of Exception is a research work by Anna Triandafyllidou about the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on migration. Anna Triandafyllidou holds the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration at Ryerson University, Toronto, as of August 2019. She was previ- ously Robert Schuman Chair at the Global Governance Programme of the European University Institute (Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, 2012–2019) where she directed the Cultural Pluralism Research Area. Covid-19 and borders Border closures and selective openings have raised important questions about the notion of membership, solidarity, and responsibility, asking whether this pandemic opens…

DO IT – Education and Covid-19 in Greece

A research by the 2nd Vocational School of Katerini (partner of the DO-IT project) The reality of the new Covid-19 coronavirus and the effects of the pandemic on international level form an unprecedented setting for citizens and organized societies. International education systems were called upon to take on the responsibility of moving to a new one in the shortest possible time emergency home learning support environment. According to UNESCO data updated on 27 April 2020, the 91.3% of pupils/students in 188 countries around the world do not go to school / university (UNESCO, 2020). What happened in Greece?It is very…

EPRS online policy roundtable | Well-being in the pandemic: Living with the coronavirus crisis

On the 22nd of February, the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) organised the online policy roundtable aiming at presenting and disseminating the OECD’s recently published report “Well-being and Covid-19: Life in the pandemic”. Online Policy Roundtable The event, introduced and moderated by Jutta Schulze-Hollmén, Director for Resources of the EPRS, was broadly focused on the implications of the coronavirus crisis for people’s lives and how it affected their jobs, incomes, health, social connectedness and the work-life balance. The floor was then taken by Michal Sinecka, Slovak MEP and current Vice-President of the Parliament, who highlighted how important is to learn from the crises…

DO-IT KEY CHALLENGES

Outcome of the Lost in Migration Conference Local Hubs 2021 As a result of local hubs organised in the context of the Lost in Migration conference, run by Missing Children Europe and The Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, the participants have come up with a Paper on the Key Challenges faced by children in migration. The conference brought together young newcomers, professionals, and European policy makers to discuss migration-related issues that affect children and young people. Seven local hubs took place across Europe where young people had the opportunity to share their stories and challenges. The Project Under the input of young…

DO-IT SECOND MEETING

Transnational Partner Meeting The TPM was hosted by Red Incola, a non-profit organisation, built as an association in 2006, and as a Foundation in 2011. The general board is composed of nine religious entities, connected in a collective network to carry out a joint mission: supporting the immigrant population in risk situations of exclusion, in the promotion and defence of their rights so that they can have a dignified life. As an organisation, Red Incola wishes to contribute to this effort, offering their reflections and work as an integrated response to the challenges presented by the issues of migration; they…

DO-IT First transnational meeting