COCAGNE is a project which brings together 6 European associations working with migrants - whether they have left their country for asylum, medical or economic reasons - or with European and third country populations experiencing different forms of social and economic exclusion. The title of the project was chosen for the symbolism of the Land of Cockaine, a country that offers abundance to its inhabitants. This is the aim of the organisations participating in the project, offering through their actions an opportunity for the accompanied people to live with dignity. The aim of this project is to develop the partners' skills and equip them to improve the quality of services offered to people living in situations of exclusion. To meet this objective, the project partners will analyse their good practices using various tools, identify the reasons for the success of these practices and define whether they can be duplicated in other contexts. This analysis of good practices will also feed into a reflection on how to improve the internal practices of each partner. The participants in the project are 20 members from the partner associations, be they salaried employees, volunteers or administrators. They are involved in the definition of strategy or the implementation of actions aimed at populations living in situations of exclusion and therefore have various professions: lawyers, town planners, architects, social workers, professional integration officers, language teachers, sociologists, project coordinators, advocacy officers, etc. The 6 associations are based in France, Italy, Romania, Poland and Germany (two associations). A field mission led by the project leader will take place in each of the 4 partner countries (Italy, Germany, Romania, Poland) in order to identify the good practices of the partners and to understand their context of intervention. Afterwards, all the partners will meet in France to present in a workshop their respective good practices which will have been detailed in a good practice sheet and according to a jointly defined methodology. A good practice guide will be written from the good practice sheets of each partner. This guide will present at least 24 good practices on the 3 key areas of the partner structures: - Asylum and access to fundamental rights - Vocational and linguistic integration - Support to inhabitants' organisations for the improvement of their habitat Four cross-cutting areas will also be the subject of descriptions of good practices: - Participatory approaches - Gender and equity - Youth - Advocacy This good practice guide will function both as a methodological guide and as a tool for reflection on what constitutes good practice in the field of combating exclusion and integrating migrants. The expected results are a better understanding of the European issues at stake in the field of migration and poverty alleviation and of existing procedures, the identification of internal good practices and the analysis of success factors, the identification of areas for improvement of internal professional practices. In terms of impact, the project aims at changing the strategic thinking of partner organisations and improving the quality of services provided to excluded populations, taking into account their specificities, vulnerabilities and aspirations for greater autonomy.
We proposed this project in order to gain a better understanding of the legislative context in certain countries concerning the fight against inadequate housing and the reception and integration of refugees, to gain a better understanding of the migration patterns of asylum seekers within the European Union and the difficulties they encounter, and to draw inspiration from innovative projects or those that have proved their worth. The aim of the project was to develop the skills of the partners and equip them with the tools they need to improve the actions offered to migrants and people in precarious situations.
Habitat-Cité and its partners support migrants, the vast majority of whom are asylum seekers, who transit through other European countries. They also work with third-country nationals who have come to settle in another European country to take advantage of better economic opportunities. In order to understand where these populations come from, why they did not stay in the first European country where they arrived, and what difficulties they encounter, the partners need to better understand the legislative context specific to each country. Observing how each European organisation responds to the needs of people experiencing exclusion and refugees is also a source of inspiration for reflecting on its own practices. The needs that have been identified and which the project aims to meet are : - Understanding the differences in legislation from one European country to another - Analysing and developing professional practices - Reflecting on areas for improvement in professional practice