New Narratives for Migrant Education had three specific objectives. The first objective was to create an educational environment where migrants, refugees, and locals together participated in active citizenship and democratic engagement. The second objective was to produce positive migrant-led media to combat the dominant narrative in the local and regional community. The third objective was to tackle isolation and the lack of job prospects in the migrant and refugee adult learning community due to a lack of digital literacy. These three objectives came together to meet La Bolina’s overarching and long-term objective, which was to use migrant-led adult education activities to change the perception of migrant and refugee participation in democratic society from ‘outsider’ to ‘pro-active collaborator.’
La Bolina is a migrant-led sustainability association in Andalucía. We run pioneering adult education at the intersection of social integration, regeneration and sustainability; promoting cooperation and European values. Our team of adult educators, including educators from migrant and refugee backgrounds, run diverse training activities such as permaculture and agroecology, social inclusion, integration and diversity, rural community development, Theatre and Arts for social justice. Our target groups are adult learners from the migrant and refugee community, inhabitants from the local area, and other learners from grassroots and NGOs communities across Spain and at a European level. Our project context responds to an increase in aggressions, misunderstanding and discrimination against people who are seen to be ‘different’. Despite our best efforts as an adult education institution we do not seem to be able to shift some of the outdated narratives about migrants and refugees; this project brings new tools and new approaches.