Sabine (Mittwoch, 17 Oktober 2018 12:16)

Die guten Praxisbeispiele sind total interessant. Schade, dass sie nur auf Englisch sind, aber es ist ja gut zu verstehen! Wusste gar nicht, was es hier in Deutschland so an verschiedenen Angeboten gibt! Nachahmenswert finde ich das kroatische Beispiel über Kochen und Essen zu Weiterbildung zu kommen.
Danke für die vielen guten Ideen!

VASILIKI (Donnerstag, 24 Mai 2018 12:32)

Refugee reception and housing practices in Greece. Notes from a workshop on inclusiveness and development planning.
By Carlotta Fontana Valenti, on 23 May 2018

This is a short story from a contested place: the town of Kilkis, located 40 km’s away from the border between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) where, as in other rural areas in Greece, the economic crisis brought unemployment and depopulation. For its crucial location at the crossroads of migration routes, Kilkis has also been at the centre of the tragic events during the so called refugee crisis of 2015. Over a mid-November night that year, Macedonia, Croatia and Serbia decided, almost simultaneously, to close their borders and modify the conditions of entrance to those in transit towards Northern Europe.

Thousands of people found themselves stranded in a small village of 154 inhabitants. This is how Idomeni became the largest unofficial camp in Greece and remained such for more than a year. In the absence of international aid, activist and citizen groups were active in the area since the summer of 2015 providing basic assistance to those living in the camp or in transit. Lately in 2016, with the arrival of international agencies, two military-run camps were formed in the surrounding areas of Kerso and Nea Kavala hosting 4.000 persons each... For more please visit : http://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/dpublog/2018/05/23/refugee-reception-housing-practices-greece-notes-workshop-inclusiveness-development-planning/

Diethard (Montag, 05 März 2018 10:41)

International project meeting on the integration of refugees into vocational training in Croatia


My name is Diethard and I'm new to the `Revot’ project. I have worked for many years in vocational education and training in Germany. Therefore, I was also very curious to find out which concepts are developed and implemented in the partner country Croatia for the social and professional integration of migrants.

I knew that Croatia was on the so-called Balkan Route, where many refugees from Greece try to reach other EU countries such as Austria and Germany. I was also aware that all other Eastern European EU countries as well as all the countries of the former Yugoslavia reject the admission of refugees or handle them very restrictively. And, of course, I also knew that only a few weeks ago Croatia itself had decided to accept refugees under the EU agreement.

How would the country cope with the expected additional influx of refugees?

I was amazed to hear that the Croatian asylum system, though congested and financially very poorly equipped, is far from collapsing. The country even offers refugees relatively generous arrangements to catch up with their families - in the hope that refugees will stay in Croatia long-term and not move on to other EU countries.

Behind this is probably the idea that people who do not have to worry about their families are easier to integrate and qualify.
The "Jesuit Refugee Service - JRS", which we visited in Zagreb, confirmed this assumption. The JRS has no religious goals in its integration work. The work is very successful because the refugees are "holistically" accepted as human beings and not only considered as objects that should be qualified as quickly as possible.

However, there is another reason why asylum policy in Croatia is so different from that of neighboring countries. The economy in Croatia is on a sustained growth path. There are planned additional major investments in infrastructure and tourism in the near future, also agriculture is still an important sector of employment - areas for which a labor shortage is feared, but are also open to less-skilled refugees.
Our local project partner, the Crafts College of the Chamber of Crafts, is therefore planning a vocational training program for refugees with the support of the local economy, which will provide employment.


Against this background, it will be very exciting to observe the future development in Croatia. Our project is well on its way and enriched by the Croatian experience.

Diethard

Renate (Freitag, 05 Januar 2018 09:20)

Happy new Year to all who are interested in the integration of refugees. At the end of November we carried out our 4th meeting in Utrecht. It has perfectly prepared by our Dutch partner, thank you. We had interesting contacts to Dutch NGOs and visited a VET school with an innovative approach to integrate refugees in training and job.
Of course we worked on our products. The context analysis is nearly finalized. And we have a lot of good practices collected in a wide range of fields and approaches. So we have to work on structuring them and revising some ones. But the work is going on smoothly. Next meeting will take place in Zagreb in February. I am looking forward to continue this fruitful work.

Darija Čukelj (Dienstag, 31 Oktober 2017 09:42)

Migrants entrepreneurs
The African Cuisine & Bar opened in Zagreb three weeks ago. It distinguishes itself from the other new venues opening in the capital in three ways:
• Firstly, it’s the only African themed eaterie in town
• Secondly it eschews the popular minimalist modern style in favour of a more cosy, scruffy feel
• And thirdly it is run by Prince Wale Soniyiki, one of the first people to gain asylum in Croatia and one of the few to have permanent work.
Immigrants with asylum protection barely register in the Croatian employment figures. Partly because the state is welcoming fewer and fewer and partly because jobs are hard enough for native Croats to find, let alone newcomers with a basic grasp of the language.
Sitting in a restaurant, among African flavours coming from the kitchen and the rhythm of drums in the background he speaks comfortably in Croatian about the good fortune which set him up in the country.
He arrived from Nigeria in 2011 after losing two brothers in ethnic fighting. His intended destination was Italy but on route from Libya he drifted off course. „I was one of the first to obtain asylum in Croatia. I was, I think, number seven,“ he recalls
After a short spell of work secured by an NGO he featured in short documentary on public television.
Watching was former Croatian army general Ante Gotovina, who, after being acquitted at a war crimes trial in the Hague had started a tuna farming business in Biograd na Moru, a small village on the Adriatic coast.
“He called me on a phone and ask if I would like to come to work for him“, says Prince, who worked there as a fisherman until last year when the migration crisis hit. “I wanted to help with my experience and language knowledge people arriving in Croatia so I quit my job,“ he observes.
For those fortunate enough to gain asylum status, more good luck is required to find a job and even then it is usually low skilled and low paid. Graduates mostly find their qualifications are not recognised.
Prince himself studied business in Nigeria. He wanted to continue his education, but Croatian public universities treat those with asylum status as foreign citizens so they have to pay fees. Prince can’t afford it right now: “I will finish my studies. Even if I will have grey hair at the time I start“, says smiling.

Darija Čukelj (Freitag, 20 Oktober 2017 12:35)

The VOLCANO Project, aims to develop and test a learning pathway for the target groups of indigenous BME, migrants and refugee populations who are economically inactive, and who have second or additional language to the host country for entry into the social care sector within healthcare provision. The project provided language level testing, skills and competencies audits which matched to the sector, combined with vocational language courses and practical work experience. This is a growth sector for Europe as our populations ages; currently there are an anticipated 8.4% (18 million) jobs in the EU in this sector.
Adult education institution Dante, Rijeka, Croatia is one of the partners. As the project is close to the end and has results you can see detailed information:
http://volcano-europe.org as well as learning materials

VASILIKI (Montag, 04 September 2017 14:28)

The LSE project aims to improve basic skills provision in Europe by explaining, further developing and upscaling the life skills approach. The project final beneficiaries are people from a disadvantaged background, refugees and people resistant to ‘foreigners’ and intercultural exchange.

Description

The LSE project will explain, further develop and upscale the life skills approach with the purpose to support three different groups:

People from a disadvantaged background who have few possibilities to escape the low skills trap and often lack the know-how to access social services, proper health care that goes beyond urgencies, and democratic participation.
Refugees who not only need to learn the host language, but also acquire the knowledge on how to make a home in their new countries.
‘Native’ population of Europe that respond aggressively to ‘foreigners’ through xenophobic and violent actions.
In order to support these three groups to access learning and other services, increase their participation in a democratic society and develop greater intercultural understanding; partners invite providers and policy-makers to develop comprehensive learning offers. Those should combine basic and digital skills with problem solving, critical thinking and interaction with other people as well as information and support on how to access health and social services, developing family competences and fostering intercultural dialogue and active citizenship.

Aims and objectives

LSE aims at:

Increasing the participation rates of adults in lifelong learning
Fostering cooperation between agencies and stakeholders dealing with refugees on the one hand and the low-skilled on the other hand
Improving health situations, better school attendance of children, more chances for employment of the life skills learners
Increasing the recognition of the role of non-formal (adult) education in achieving social inclusion in the EU
LSE has the following objectives:

Collecting, comparing and further developing the life skills approach to learning for adults (more comprehensive provision of basic skills)
Provide tools and recommendations that can be used for and with the three target groups
Develop an overarching life skills learning framework and modules that are transferrable across Europe
Concrete proposals how to devise and implement a life skills strategy on the local / regional / national levels as well as a concrete advocacy tool to target regional, national and European policy-makers
Outcomes

The project will produce several concrete outcomes:

a ‘glossary’ of ‘life skills’ based on a survey among adult education organisations, desk research and interviews, to present the different approaches and understandings of life skills across Europe (IO1-a)
a collection of good practices of life skills initiatives across Europe, and an analysis of the practices to help understand what works and how to make it work (IO1-b)
a collection and analysis of tools that are being used across Europe in order to promote and enhance life skills and intercultural understanding (IO1-c)
a provision framework and transferable modules to create anindicative framework for life skills provision, incl. modules on; e.g., language, literacy and numeracy skills; financial, digital, health and civic capabilities (IO2)
an Awareness Raising and Strategy toolkit that will not only provide summaries of the lesson learnt through O1 and O2, but also contain recommendations as well as proposals for life skills strategies at different levels (IO3)

VASILIKI (Montag, 04 September 2017 14:25)

The political priorities that InnoVal addresses are:
Transparency and recognition of skills and qualifications to facilitate learning, employability and labour mobility
Enhancing access to training and education for all through C-VET (continuing education & trainings)
Strengthening the recruitment, selection and induction of Educators
Integration of refugees
The objectives of the project are::
Developing a needs assessment review of Assessment Methods for Validation that complements the CEDEFOP Guidelines & Inventory by being very practical & aimed at practitioners
Developing a deeper understanding of the barriers & enablers to implementing alternative assessments
Shared understanding of quality principles such as validity, reliability, transparency, trustworthiness, dependability, confirmability, transferability & (cost) efficiency for alternative assessments
Exploring the benefits of non-traditional assessment methods for validation for low skilled adults, migrants/refugees
Ensuring inter-reliability between VET & HE for performance-based assessments, so that employers & different educational institutions accept the results
6. Developing & testing a Training Programme organised around Open Educational Material & Toolbox of case studies using the potential of new technologies

VASILIKI (Montag, 04 September 2017 14:22)

Innoval is an ERASMUS+ VET that seeks to reveal the innovative assesement practices and tools for the validation of NFIL . 6 European Insitutions under the coordination of LLL-Platform will meet in Athens on 4th of October in order to critical reflect on practices already on table . The tools and practices in search are totally in line with migrnats and refugees empowerment - and their smooth intergation in the job market with identified competences . For more please visit the website : www.innoval-eu or contact: projects@lllplatform.eu

Renate (Freitag, 18 August 2017 11:18)

INNOVATIVE METHODS IN ADULT EDUCATION FOR REFUGEES
This week I met Arne Schneider from the "Institut Didaktik der Demokratie" at University of Hannover. He is coordinator of a project, which is very intersting for our Revot project:
Out-Side-In – Inclusive adult education with refugees is a three year lasting European project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme.
Out-Side-In is a strategic partnership in the field of adult education. Nine institutions from six countries collaborate in order to develop inclusive, innovative methods in adult education for refugees. The project has started in September 2015 and will last until August 2018.
The main outcome will be a curriculum for inclusive adult education for refugees. A first draft is provided on the website.
www.out-side-in.eu

VASILIKI (Mittwoch, 12 Juli 2017)

OPEN CALL FOR PILOT ACTIVITY
Moving to the next phase of RESTART Project of the Europe for Citizens Programme of the European Union and having gathered more than 440 participants on the activities implemented by the Consortium of Partners in 4 participating countries, we are happy to announce the beginning of the Pilot Activity procedures. During the volunteer Pilot Activity the following procedures will be followed:
– Training of the selected participants at the premises of the Lead Organization in Athens, on how to better interact with refugees and accomplish the maximum of outputs by the end of the activity
– Study Visits at the Camps in Attica region and direct interaction with the respective units’ representatives
– Trainings to the refugees with reference, among others, on their rights in Europe as asylum seekers, on the customs and ethics of the European society, their obligations, the opportunities they can have in the EU
– Interactive Simulation Game, in which young volunteers from the partner countries will participate, aiming to experience directly the decision making process.

Selected volunteers with be granted a career experience and valuable job skills, develop social and relationship skills, self-confidence and a sense of purpose and belonging to a community. Through the pilot activity, the main goal is to promote active citizenship and civic engagement, intercultural understanding, the European Charter on Human rights and the EU venture’ fundamental values.

Most of all, the volunteers will be able to understand the difficulties that the refugees have to face in their daily life, contributing in offering them a better life quality.

The Pilot Activity’ working language will be English.

Fátima (Montag, 03 Juli 2017 11:30)

A group of 184 refugees arrives in Spain, the largest number to date.
A total of 184 refugees arrived in Spain on 30 June,(164 are of Syrian and 20 Iraqi nationality)they have come from Greece in which, to date, is the largest group that has hosted Spain , According to information provided by the Ministry of Interior.
Spain has welcomed 1,488 applicants for international protection, of which 1,070 have been through relocation and 418 via resettlement.
The Spanish system of reception and integration, offers the permanence in a reception center either the Ministry of Employment and Social Security or NGOs (supported by the Government).
The center guarantees, among other necessities, accommodation, maintenance, legal assistance, psychological assistance, social care and advice, accompaniment to schools, health and social centers, etc.
http://www.abc.es/sociedad/abci-llega-espana-grupo-184-refugiados-mas-numeroso-hasta-momento-201706292141_noticia.html

Fátima (Montag, 03 Juli 2017 11:24)

Motril(Granada) a city aware of refugees, a place where immigrants are welcomed.
The Immigration Department, the Regional government Junta de Andalucia, the Commonwealth, the SAMU Foundation and the Immigration Bureau organize, on the occasion of World Refugee Day, the 1st Technical and Awareness Day, a meeting in which professionals and volunteers who work with immigrant and refugee populations have exposed their experiences and talked about the resources that are available. In addition, proposals have been made to improve the care provided.
During the Conference, it has been emphasized that the City of Motril(Granada) is very involved in making Motril a 'City Refuge'. To this end, a working platform was created and seven children from the Syrian conflict were welcomed at the SAMU Children's Protection Center in Motril.
World Refugee Day, celebrated on June 20, pays homage to millions of people who have been forced to leave everything for various reasons: wars, persecutions, etc.

Sara (Donnerstag, 22 Juni 2017 08:41)

THE ASSOCIATION DUO IN CONNECTION WITH THE BELGIANS
The association DUO for a JOB deals with immigrant youth that are actively looking for work with Belgian citizens over the age of 50 who support them in their efforts. With this intergenerational mentorship it’s DUO for a JOB’s ambition to give everyone equal opportunities in their access to employment. Since 2013 already 150 volunteer mentors subscribed to the program and 163 duos have been realized. The thirty percent of our mentees are refugees. After a training of four days, the mentor accompanies a person of non-European origin between 18 and 30 years old for a few hours a week for six months , in his job search.
This association with this method offers an interpersonal experience and source of mutual enrichment: the adolescent benefits from the professional experience and the support of his mentor, practices the local language and expands his network and ,in turn, the mentor engages in a social commitment, remains active by sharing his experience, sharpens his social skills and obtains a new social network and also allows for the creation of intergenerational and intercultural relations, strengthening social cohesion and enhancing the experience of our middle aged and elderly. Also, a professional team guides the duos, offering them a personalized follow-up during the entire mentorship process. DUO for a JOB also organizes training sessions and regular meetings between mentors in which exchanging experiences is central.

http://www.urbangoodpractices.org/goodpractices/index/lang:eng

Sara (Dienstag, 20 Juni 2017 12:30)

REVaLUE – Refugees Empowerment through VET
REVaLUE is a project that aims to improve the inclusion of refugees by promoting and facilitating their access to qualified work. To this end, the project will devise and will validate a tool kit for evaluating recipient skills, two vocational training courses to develop professional skills, key skills and transversal skills, and workplace training laboratories. This project is structured with many activities: 1:Refugees Skills Assessment Toolkit, 2: “Who migrates to Europe? Educational and professional profiles of refugees in EU countries”, 3: “Migrant Services Provider Curriculum Handbook”, 4: “Social Enterprise Manager Curriculum Handbook”, 5: “Toolkit for the Validation and Quality Assurance of the Curriculum” and 6: “Guidelines for the Implementation and Assessment of Work-Based Labs”. ReVaLUE started in the September of the 2016 and its future events in Italy will be in September 2018 (Empowering Refugees through VET in Italy) which has the objective to propagate the results of the organized professional training courses and in April 2019 ( “Who migrates to Europe? Educational and professional profiles of refugees in Europe”) which has the goal to propagate the results of the research. This event will end the 31 August 2019 with the hope that the results will be maintained over time.
http://www.programmaintegra.it/wp/programma-integra/progetti/revalue-refugees-empowerment-through-vet-in-an-inclusive-europe/

Sara (Montag, 19 Juni 2017 08:08)

SPARKS OF POLICY IN ITALY
In Italy in a time that politicians and citizens in our country are wondering how to handle migrant flows, and how to offer humanitarian aid and at same time maintaining internal balance and observe and analyze the reported cases that can offer important policy ideas, there are some factors that determine the success of the projects. Main solutions are: integration between interventions and social services regarding education, home, work and integration in to it, the direct involvement of beneficiaries that there are not only recipients of the services but become an active part of the integration process, the adoption of a more flexible, local perspective and, in particular, the competences of local administrators and operators who are more aware of the resources and needs of the territories, are able to plan and implement targeted and sustainable interventions over time.

http://www.secondowelfare.it/primo-welfare/inclusione-sociale/migranti-buone-pratiche-di-integrazione-.html

Sara (Freitag, 16 Juni 2017 08:22)

GOOD PRACTICES IN EUROPE
In the past some good practices have been developed for the integration of refugees, especially in countries that have a long-standing experience in integrating refugees. For example, distribution policies in Sweden show how to take a account the availability of jobs at the local labor market. Norway has developed an exemplary language training system as well as a national recognition scheme for humanitarian migrants with little or no documentary proof of credentials. In Germany, instead, the PES staff goes out into reception facilities to evaluate competencies of asylum seekers. Other model of state is the UK that is training former refugees to work as mentors, so-called link officers and if we have to talk of how to develop a coordinated infrastructure for the integration in Eastern and Southern EU Member States a model example is the Slovenian and the Portuguese “one-stop shops” .

http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/254352/FINAL-Ukraine-Good-Practice-July-2014-with-covers.pdf

Sara (Dienstag, 13 Juni 2017 14:16)

THE DANISH PROJECT MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS
In Denmark for avoiding social conflict, it’s essential to improve the inclusion in particular of the new generations. This is the purpose of Mind your own business, a Danish program for young people belonging to ethnic minorities aged between 13 and 17 who, through synergy between companies and civil society, try to strengthen the young generation skills, their social relationships and the degree of involvement in the educational system and the labour market. In fact, the program offers to young people targeted trainings to create their own business, produce their own product and sell it to the market. Since 2010, twenty micro-businesses and initiatives have been implemented in various risk areas throughout Denmark and the young people involved have improved their abilities and competences on many fronts (knowledge, work and integration in the web market, trust and social skills).

http://www.secondowelfare.it/primo-welfare/inclusione-sociale/migranti-buone-pratiche-di-integrazione-.html

http://www.housingeurope.eu/resource-629/the-communities-of-our-future

VASILIKI (Donnerstag, 08 Juni 2017 15:44)

Refugee Food Festival in Athens to mark World Refugee Day
07 June 2017

After the success of two previous editions in France in 2016, the Refugee Food Festival is now expanding to 13 European cities, including Athens - from the 18th till the 22nd of June!

The REFUGEE FOOD FESTIVAL is a citizen's initiative. Harnessing the universal power of food, the festival helps change our perceptions on refugees while enjoying delicious meals!

The concept is simple: during the Festival, local restaurants add new dishes to their menus created by chefs, in pairs or duos, and always tasty! The Refugee Food Festival highlights the refugee chefs' skills through high quality menus created with good products to provide a unique culinary experience to its participants.



DISCOVER THE BEST OF SYRIAN, IRANIAN, SOMALI, KURDISH AND AFGHAN CUISINE

IN ATHENS RESTAURANTS:

Sunday June 18

Iranian cuisine by Mahboubeh Tavakoli * Yi Restaurant, Glyfada (dinner)

Monday June 19

Syrian - Kurdish cuisine by Barshnk Haj Younes * Seychelles Restaurant, Kerameikos (dinner)

Tuesday June 20- Wednesday June 21

Somali cuisine by Hassan Hassan * Vassilenas Restaurant, Hilton (dinner)

Wednesday June 21

Syrian cuisine by Abdulrahman Al Hallak * 7 Food Sins Restaurant, Plaka (dinner)

Thursday June 22

Afghan cuisine by Reza Golami * IT Restaurant, Kolonaki (dinner)



All the chefs taking part in the REFUGEE FOOD FESTIVAL are qualified professionals and are using food as a gateway to their integration in their new homeland.



THE FESTIVAL'S OBJECTIVES

CHANGING perceptions on refugees
Behind each refugee there is a man or a woman with unique skills and special talent.

FACILITATE the professional integration of chefs from different countries
By putting refugee chefs in touch with committed restaurateurs, the Refugee Food Festival is a key platform for those who have decided to use their culinary skills to facilitate their professional and social integration.

EATING WELL, differently
The Festival showcases the best of world cuisines thanks to high quality menus and unique sharing experiences!

"Because it is the last bulwark against barbarism, loneliness, troubles. Food is life, love, family and friends" Luc Debanchet



THE ORGANISERS OF THE FESTIVAL IN ATHENS: A CITIZEN'S EVENT

Thanks to the methodological toolkit and the support of the founding team and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, each edition of the Refugee Food Festival can be organised by citizens wishing to harness the culinary potential of their city (restaurants, local actors and public services). In Athens, the Festival is made possible by the commitment, enthusiasm and energy of the Athens Insider team.

Athens Insider has been publishing lifestyle and general interest magazines and guides catering to international residents living and working in Greece and to travellers visiting the country for business and leisure since 2001.
www.insider-publications.com

The Festival in Athens is also supported by the Greek Refugee Forum, Solidarity Now and Melissa Network of Migrant Women in Greece.



FOOD SWEET FOOD, THE ASSOCIATION BEHIND THE REFUGEE FOOD FESTIVAL

Food Sweet Food designs projects by using food as a gateway to others and to the world. Having shared the food of dozens of men and women across the globe on their various home food world tours, Marine Mandrila and Louis Martin realised that sharing food is an incredible way to create bonds and discover other cultures. They designed the Refugee Food Festival together with other citizens, with the aim to remind the public that food breaks barriers and overcomes misconceptions. Sharing food is sharing something both singular and universal: it is an open door to the other. Marine and Louis are also behind the documentary TV series Very Food Trip. The second series aired on the 12th of May on Planète+. They also published the book Very Food Trip with French publisher 'Éditions de la Martinière'. foodsweetfood.org



THE PARTNERSHIP WITH UNHCR AND ITS EXPERTISE

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. UNHCR safeguards the rights and well-being of refugees and stateless people. In more than six decades, the agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. UNHCR is on the front lines of the world's major humanitarian crises, including Syria, Iraq, Central African Republic, Afghanistan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and countless other emergencies.

VASILIKI (Mittwoch, 07 Juni 2017 18:03)

CYCLISIS an NGO affiliated to DAFNI KEK , partner of REVOT project implemetned a theatrical event in its premices where the persons invited to attend were refugees from PRAKSIS institution.In our establishments on the 17 of March 2015. The focus was the play of the Patras Municipal and Regional Theatre , «Lost in Paradise» of the “ Theatre valise” in the context
of “Out of Stage Theatre”. The actual scenario of the play has been altered by the ex cultural manager of the Patras M.a.R.Theodoros Ampazis. Our beneficiaries watched the act and in their majority were amazed by it. After the main core of the act followed an extensive conversation concerning
the themes of it, as well as a small series of theatrical games in order
to transfer the idea of unity, coordinated by the actors Eleni Kalantzopoulou and Dionisios Voultsos. About the action which is indicated one of the most brilliant way on finding an intercultural language for communication between natives and refugees , you can visit the Newsletter of the project PRATOAPOKOINOU (as the context of such actions to get flourished):http://pratoapokinou.cyclisis.gr/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/newsletter.pdf

VASILIKI (Mittwoch, 07 Juni 2017 17:45)

The Helleninc Open University ( HOU) as part of its awareness campaigns and support actions for refugees, and in the frame of PRESS (Provision of Refugee Education and Support Scheme, Hellenic Open University) invites artists of refugee and other origin who live in Greece, to contribute to the art exhibition “Find Refuge In Art (FRIA)”. The exhibition will be held in autumn 2017 in Athens. The focal point of the exhibition will be the works created by the partnership of five already selected pairs of artists (refugee/non-refugee). We also invite individual artists to submit individual projects that contribute to the artistic reflection on refugee experience.

The main objectives of the exhibition are:

• artistic intercultural dialogue between refugees and local artists;

• artistic depiction of the refugee experience;

• awareness of the general public on the refugee phenomenon.

Artists are free to use any means of expression they wish (Photo, Video, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Digital storytelling, digital poetry /literature, Performance and others not mentioned here).

Submission: May 2nd - July 31st , 2017

Contact: ellivelliou14@gmail.com, annapostolidou@eap.gr

If you work is selected, the organization will be able to undertake the following:

Travel and accommodation expenses for participating in the exhibition in Athens (for a limited number of artists who cannot afford the travel costs themselves).
To express your interest to participate, please complete the online form (here).https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1PgDHdLfyheFwo1sBb5l0i0qUdx5p3Q5EPJWyLJBmgJU/viewform?edit_requested=true

Renate (Mittwoch, 10 Mai 2017 11:41)

2nd meeting took place in Graz
On 26th/27th April we carried out our second meeting. In this meeting our “new” partner from Croatia presented themselves. They take part in the project instead of the Swedish partner who withdrew his participation! Welcome Zagreb!
Besides of all needed discussions and information, Spain and Italy presented first identified good practices. One of the highlights of the meeting has definitely been the visit of ZEBRA:
ZEBRA, presented by Mag. Alexandra Köck, managing director, offers a wide range of support for migrants and refugees: psychotherapy for traumatized refugees, advisory service on legal framework regarding asylum and recognition and the requirements for entering the job-market. Furthermore they provide information or support to communities and entities which have to deal with integration of migrants and refugees. All partners have been impressed of the quality of ZEBRA’s work. Especially the centralized structure “all in one hand” and the good relationship to the employment agency in order to avoid needless friction impressed us.
The second highlight has been the exchange with students from The Fachhochschule Joanneum. After a short introduction about the situation and legal framework of refugees in Austria, we met students of social work (6th semester), who had have been given the task to collect Austrian wide good practices of integration programs for refugees. The students presented the results on posters, each program on one poster, and presented it individual to the project partners. All partners had lively discussion with the students. It gave a good survey on the wide spread offer for refugees in Austria.
Thank you to Helga Moser and Josef Hödl from the FHJ for this fruitful and well organized meeting.
Pictures are to be seen in the Gallery!

Fátima (Montag, 24 April 2017 09:36)

Good practice in Spain:Promotion of social and labor integration and networking. This is a project developed by CEAR (Spanish Commission for Refugee Assistance). This program focuses on the development of individualized itineraries of social and labor insertion adapted to the characteristics and situation of each applicant and beneficiary of international protection.

The itineraries are designed as a system of work on an individual basis, in which CEAR professionals carry out specific training and social work orientation to enhance the labor and social skills of the participants. These actions are aimed at strengthening their inclusion and achieving a professional career.

The itinerary process is supported by the network work carried out within the framework of RED ARIADNA (formed by CEAR, ACCEM, Spanish Red Cross and the four refugee shelters belonging to the Ministry of Employment and Social Security) where it is intended Support the technical staff of the Network through training at the national level and exchange of good practices, joint awareness raising actions and transnational meetings.

Renate (Dienstag, 21 Februar 2017 15:05)

Good practice in Germany: PONTE
PONTE is a project of “Kirchliche Dienste in der Arbeitswelt – KDA” which is part of the “Evangelisch-Lutherischen Landeskirche Hannover”. In PONTE volunteers support refugees in a kind of sponsorship.
One sponsor is responsible for one refugee for a time-period of one year.
That means: They have a personal meeting every 2 weeks minimum and keep in contact by other media. Every 6 – 8 weeks a big event with all refugees and sponsor happens for clarifying any doubts, intercultural training, communicating with the others and getting to know them.
25 refugees are supported per year by 22-25 volonteers.
The volunteers have very different backgrounds: e.g. pensioners, people in responsible positions in enterprises, teacher. They exercise the German language with their protégé, assess their experiences and competences, clarify their expectations towards their professional future, support the development of application documents, bring them in contact to providers of training, of internships, help them to carry out administrative tasks, explain them the German culture by understanding the culture of the refugee. Very important for the success of these sponsorships are the networks of sponsors which enriching the possibilities to start an internship, an apprenticeship, training or a job.
The aim of the project is, to empower the refugees to get on with the next steps to develop their professional career in a way which meet their competences and expectations. That could be a preparation for studying, an internship, further education or a job. The approach of PONTE is to find sustainable solutions and not short time employment.
Last week we enjoyed our visit there and found: Very interesting and exemplary!