The project objectives were based on a Needs Analysis Map developed by all partners using participatory methods and tools during the proposal phase. These objectives aimed to respond to real needs identified across different local contexts while fostering cooperation and innovation in vocational education. Key objectives included: - Conducting research and analysis of European social enterprises engaged in intercultural craft and circular economy practices, in order to map existing experiences and identify transferable models; - Developing and testing an innovative training method designed to enhance the creative potential and existing skills of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in the craft sector, within VET frameworks; - Promoting inclusion and mutual exchange between newcomers and local professionals with traditional craft knowledge, fostering intercultural dialogue through hands-on collaboration; - Strengthening the competencies of social enterprise staff working with migrants at the local level, to better support integration pathways; - Creating a digital tool to facilitate knowledge sharing, online learning, and the visibility and dissemination of intercultural craft results.
The INTERCULTURAL CRAFT project was born with the aim of building a partnership network among universities, business clusters, and third-sector organizations engaged in intercultural craftsmanship, circular economy practices, and the socio-labor inclusion of migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees. The project concept stems from a twofold consideration: - Most migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees who arrive in Italy and other European countries involved in the project, even if they manage to find employment, rarely succeed in leveraging their artisanal skills - On the other hand, many of the artisanal networks and activities in the European countries involved suffer from a lack of intergenerational transition, with the consequent risk of dispersion and loss of millennia-old skills passed down from generation to generation through hands-on experience and manual craftsmanship. The project aims to develop and test innovative training pathways designed to propose new practices of cooperation and social inclusion of migrants in host territories, selecting craftsmanship as a key production sector for the transmission of acquired knowledge and the creation of new shared knowledge.