“Growing Together: Immigrants Empowerment as Local Citizens and as Educators” involves 3 European territories, each of them represented by the Municipality and a Public School:– Odemira (PT): Município de Odemira and Agrupamento de Escolas de S. Teotónio– Lleida (ES): Ajuntament de Lleida and Escola Balàfia– Follonica (IT): Comune di Follonica and ISIS FollonicaThese territories share some challenges, namely the assurance of quality services and development conditions to population in equal conditions to all and without discrimination, especially of the disadvantaged, like immigrants that are 13%-20% of the population.The aims are: (1) to contribute to the well being and integration of adult immigrants and their children and (2) to promote a dynamic and intercultural society where immigrants participate actively.The objectives are:– Facilitate non-formal and alternative learning paths for adult immigrants– Raise the skills and understanding of immigrants in school parenting– Develop better immigrants integration strategies and methodologies at municipal level– Consolidate local networks for social cohesion, participation, interculturality and non-discrimination– Multiply local citizens’ initiatives and projects, in particular of immigrantsThe project focus on adults’ education being it improves their own future but also their children’s education, being schools already reference spaces that we want to use also for their integration and development. This project is directed at immigrant adults with children at school living in Odemira, Lleida and Follonica. They are considered as (1) citizens with whom there has to be a strong link from the part of public authorities and school and whose contribution in missing and (2) as educators of future generations.The transnational dimension brings different perspectives, experiences and critical reflection and it allows approaching European issues that have to be answered collectively.This project is innovative because of the approach and the partnership. It builds on existing roles and dynamics; it tackles issues usually seen as separate: immigrants’ participation in school and in society; it foresees impacts in different actors and dimensions; and it is not the result of an individual proposal for a time and space situated intervention.The project main activities, besides the 3 Multiplier Events, are connected to Intellectual Outputs, that are the systematisation of the methodologies proposed:[O1] WORKSHOPS’ GUIDE: LIFE SKILLS FOR IMMIGRANTS’ INTEGRATIONA 28 hours non formal education programme aiming at enhancing social, personal and linguistic skills that favour adult immigrants’ integration. The Guide” will serve as reference and tool for its application with disadvantaged groups by project partners and other schools and municipalities.[O2] CITIZENSHIP PROJECTS MONITORING GUIDE: IMMIGRANTS IN ACTION WITH LOCAL SUPPORT NETWORKSFor immigrants to take action and organise civic/public projects, inequalities need to be compensated. Monitoring sessions will be held to assure learning results; planning and execution; networks, support and resources.The Guide will recall in detail all the process, actions and strategies put in place.[O3] RECOMMENDATIONS: LOCAL ACTORS FOR IMMIGRANTS’ INTEGRATIONRegular visits, debates and exchanges will be done to explain the project, raise awareness, collect feedback, open wide debate, and invite migrants to speak. This output collects this policy intervention methodology in a consistent and reference reflection in immigrant’s integration on local level.The Project Management activities are:[M] Transnational Meetings (4x)[A1] Skype meetings (3x)[A2] Risk, Quality & Evaluation [A3] Reports (inc. Budget Management)[A4] DisseminationFor reaching the objectives, OTHER RELEVANTS STAKEHOLDERS were identified:– Partners’ other staff and departments– School community (inc. all parents and children)– Children of the participating adult immigrants– Local associations/groups– Immigrants’ communities– National institutions and public services– Local employers/companies– Networks and organisations acting in the education and immigrants fieldsThe RESULTS can be grouped under the following themes:– Greater integration of immigrants– Greater support of parents to the school education of their children– Consolidation of local networks and services/supports– Social transformations– European perspective of the potential inclusion capacities of local actorsOn regional and national impacts we highlight the availability of new tools, activities and reflections and the renewed visibility given under a positive perspective of the challenge of immigrants’ integration. This is also an European impact, as all over Europe immigrants and diversity integration and dialogue is causing many problems of social disarray, violence, exclusion, poverty and, hence, of loss of prosperity and competitive advantages.
“Growing Together: Immigrants Empowerment as Local Citizens and as Educators” aimed at contributing to the well being and integration of adult immigrants and their children and promoting a dynamic and intercultural society where immigrants participate actively. It fostered adults’ education to improve their own future but also their children’s, whom they will educate and to whom schools are already reference spaces that the project chose to exploit further. Three European territories were involved: Odemira, Lleida and Follonica. They have common challenges, like assuring quality services and development conditions to all population in equal conditions and without discrimination. Each city was represented by the municipality and a public school: Município de Odemira (coord.), Agrupamento de Escolas de S. Teotónio, Ajuntament de Lleida, Escola Balàfia, Comune di Follonica and ISIS Follonica. The transnational dimension was an added value - it brought different perspectives, experiences and critical reflection and it allowed a shared approach to issues that need collective answers. ‘Growing Together’ was innovative because of its approach and partnership. It chose to build on existing roles and dynamics, to bring private and public actors together in a joint effort and to tackle together issues usually seen as separate: immigrants’ participation in school and in society. It was not the result of an individual proposal limited to a time and space of intervention and impacts were more widespread. Project was successful in the objectives proposed: – Facilitate non-formal and alternative learning paths for adult immigrants – Raise the skills and understanding of immigrants in school parenting – Develop better immigrants’ integration strategies and methodologies at municipal level – Consolidate local networks for social cohesion, participation, interculturality and non-discrimination – Multiply local citizens’ initiatives and projects, in particular of immigrants Three main activities/outputs were developed: 1- WORKSHOPS: LIFE SKILLS FOR IMMIGRANTS’ INTEGRATION To favour adult immigrants’ integration 7 non formal education thematic workshops (28 hours) were implemented to enhance social, personal and linguistic skills. The topics were: Language Labs, Local Services & Supports, Culture and Interculturality, School Support, Leisure/Family Education, Participation and Citizens’ Projects proposal and discussion (bridge to 2nd activity). A total of 42 workshops were made with the participation of 551 persons (many participated in more than 1 workshop, representing around 150 persons). 2- CITIZENSHIP PROJECTS MONITORING: IMMIGRANTS IN ACTION WITH LOCAL SUPPORT NETWORKS Departing from skills and networks built in the 1st activity, immigrants took action and organised civic/public projects. Difficulties were overcome with monitoring sessions held to assure learning results, planning/execution and the needed network/support/resources. A total of 27 local projects were made involving 91 migrants organizing (some in more than 1 project), 959 assisting or benefiting directly from the projects and 66 local institutions/projects/associations. Highlight can be put in training to manipulate food that open job possibilities, the approval of the enlargement of opening hours of kindergarten or the debates that unveiled discrimination and difficulties faced by migrants. 3- RECOMMENDATIONS: LOCAL ACTORS FOR IMMIGRANTS’ INTEGRATION During the transnational meetings, some visits, debates and exchanges were done to open the project to communities, raise awareness, debate/exchange, and invite migrants to speak. In the 3 debates, 15 projects/associations were visited or invited to speak. The outputs were assembled in a book that is available in the project website. It details the activities (strategies, methodology, resources, results and evaluation) becoming a reference and tool for its application by project partners and other schools and municipalities. The results achieved can be grouped under the following themes: – Greater integration of immigrants – Greater support of parents to the school education of their children – Consolidation of local networks and services/supports – Social transformation of society – interculturality, openness, proximity between cultures – European perspective of the possibilities of working for inclusion of local actors. Furthermore, we have to consider that with dissemination activities we estimate to have reached more than 272.000 persons. On regional and national impacts we highlight the availability of new tools, activities and reflections and the renewed visibility given to the challenge of immigrants’ integration but under a positive perspective. This is also an European impact, as all over Europe immigrants and diversity integration and dialogue is causing many problems of social disarray, violence, exclusion, poverty and, hence, of loss of prosperity and competitive advantages.