Through this project, we wanted to equip Adult educators and Community organisers with the attitudes, skills, and tools needed to work effectively and inclusively with migrants and refugees. Our primary objectives were: 1) to respectfully challenge and transform paternalistic approaches, promoting relationships based on equality and collaboration; and 2) to provide innovative, practical methods that facilitate participation across linguistic and cultural differences. By integrating Community Organising, Theatre of the Oppressed, Participatory Pedagogy, and Participatory Video, we aimed to create a set of complementary approaches that educators can adapt to different contexts. These methods were designed to strengthen social inclusion, foster democratic participation, and promote community development. Ultimately, our goal was to enable migrants and refugees to become active citizens, capable of self-organising and advocating for their needs, while enhancing the capacity of Adult Education to contribute to a fairer, more inclusive society.
We applied for this project to address two persistent gaps in Adult Education and Community Organising when working with migrants and refugees. First, we observed that many educators and organisers unintentionally adopt paternalistic attitudes, working “for” rather than “with” the communities they serve, which can undermine empowerment. Second, we identified a lack of practical skills and inclusive tools to engage people with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, particularly those with low proficiency in the national language. These shortcomings limit participation, reinforce stereotypes, and reduce the effectiveness of integration efforts. Our project seeks to challenge these attitudes, overcome skill gaps, and introduce participatory, creative, and culturally sensitive methods that foster equality, ownership, and active citizenship. By doing so, we aim to strengthen educators’ ability to work in partnership with migrants, empowering them to self-organise, engage in democratic life, and contribute to a more inclusive society.