MYCOMM
Title and acronym: Migrant and Refugee Youth COMMunication and advocacy for equity and inclusion [MYCOMM]
Project type: ERASMUS-YOUTH-2022-YOUTH-TOG
Type of action: ERASMUS Lump Sum Grants
Ref. no.: 101089752
Promoter /Coordinator: ASOCIACION OBSERVATORIO DE LAS RELACIONES UNION EUROPEA-AMERICA LATINA (OBREAL-GLOBAL OBSERVATORY), Spain
Duration: 24 months, from 01/01/2023 to 31/12/2024
Total project grant: 497450 Euro
Total expenditure (grant) for the Group for European Integration (GIE): 43550 Euro
Local coordinator for Group for European Integration (GIE): Dr. Georgeta CHIRLEȘAN
Summary:
MYComm aims at strengthening youth organisations committed to migrant and refugee inclusion by connecting them at EU level and reinforcing their capacities to communicate and influence policies and public perception. It has a specific focus on audio-visual capacity of such organisations and the creative production of collaborative videos which tell powerful and personal narratives of youth migrant/refugees. This is coupled with capacity building for advocacy.
The partnership brings together 8 EU organisations widely spread across Europe that have experience with youth/migration/audiovisual techniques and social inclusion. It is predicated upon the partners’ extensive work in these fields and their complementarity. It includes EU youth organisations that have demonstrable leadership when it comes to advocacy (JEF, VYRE, KOKEN).
MYComm will target the staff of youth organisations, empowering them in social media strategies, creative communications techniques, audiovisual tools and public advocacy skills, which will allow them to better address key policy issues for migrant inclusion and generally raise public awareness. It thus aims at generating organisational capacity to change negative imaginary towards youth migrants/refugees and impact policies. The diverse range of issues to be tackled include discrimination based on migration status, ethnicity or religion; poor working conditions; lack of access to basic social services, lack of social protection and inadequate educational opportunities.
The project entails a training series, youth organisation staff exchanges and co-creation in the form of a makeathon and artistic video production. Selected youth organisations will also be challenged to develop new social media strategies and sharpen their public advocacy on youth migrant and refugee issues. Youth production teams will create artistic video projects that will illustrate the range of migrant and refugee communities and stories across the EU and be widely broadcasted across diverse networks.
Finally, as related to the sustainability of MYCOMM, the project will generate synergies between key youth organisations in this field and consolidate an EU network, which will produce joint policy statements and contribute to effective policy dialogue on youth migrant and refugee inclusion at EU level.
Objectives:
General Objective:
- The project aims to contribute to a more inclusive society in Europe by strengthening the capacity and the role of youth organisations that target migrant and refugees, through communications and audiovisual skills training, social networking and mutual learning that connects such organisations at European level and promotes collective advocacy
Specific Objectives:
- To strengthen the institutionalism and visibility of youth organisations targeting migrant and refugees when it comes to their role in enhancing intercultural dialogue for tolerance, mutual understanding and integration
- To relatedly provide youth organisations targeting migrant and refugees with training opportunities for communications and audio-visual competencies and for public policy advocacy
- To sensitize civil society on youth migrant and refugee struggles and successes, through audio-visual production, narrative techniques and awareness raising for migrant social inclusion.
- To reinforce a sustainable EU network of youth organisations committed to migrants and refugees which can serve as a motor for public advocacy at local, nation and EU level
The project will contribute to European Youth Together as it will ultimately expand and strengthen an EU network for migrant and refugee youth advocacy, linking and building upon existing networks and developing the human resources capacity in communications, social media and audio-visual techniques. The methodology is predicated on youth organisation practice exchange, networking and capacity building. It directly contributes to the EU Youth Goals 3 and 4: ‘Inclusive Societies’, ‘Information and Constructive Dialogue’.
Work packages & Outcomes:
WP1: Building a training framework for youth organisations: Creating a common public advocacy language regarding migrant and refugee issues
Outcomes of WP1:
Dev 1.1 SWOT assessment of migrant youth organisations: public advocacy capacity, communications, social networking and audio-visual capacity (Consisting of a mapping of membership of project partners and establishing a beneficiary list).
- SWOT tool developed
- Beneficiary organisations conduct SWOT analysis to render them eligible to participate in training activities
Dev 1.2 Benchmarking of youth organisations (4 online focus group - beneficiaries are grouped)
Dev 1.3 Report on current capacity in youth organisations targeting migrant and refugees (organisation and representative capacity, modes of networking and outreach, digital competencies, audio-visual competencies and use of social media) and their needs (to be able to strengthen their role in civil society and influence public opinion).
Dev 1.4 Revised training programme and training programme content development
WP2: Training Series: Building communications capacities of youth migrant organisations
Outcomes of WP2:
Dev 2.1, 2.2, 2.3: Organise the three parts of the training series (Participant nomination, online module, 3 virtual workshops).
Dev 1.4: Conduct selection procedure for 20 youth organisation leaders to participate in 1 week internship in one of the partner organisations.
Submit reports evaluating the training and internship experience and its contribution to capacity development in the targeted youth organisations
WP3: Exploiting training: Creating a voice for youth migrant and refugee organisations
Outcomes of WP3:
Dev 3.1: Makeathon: Creative communications solutions for addressing vulnerabilities amongst young migrants and refugees.
Dev 3.2 Promotion Video Production: Creating narratives for youth migrants and refugees
WP4: Youth network reinforcement: Enhancing and links existing networks for youth, migrants and refugees
Outcomes of WP4:
Dev 4.1: Strengthening existing networks: Expanding VYRE membership of migrant youth organisations and youth organisations targeting migrants and refugees.
Dev 4.2: Strengthening the Capacity Building and Empowerment and Diversity Task Forces of JEF
Dev 4.3: One International network meeting.
Dev 4.4: Publication of 3 collective policy papers/statements.
WP5: MYComm Dissemination and Communication
Outcomes of WP5:
Dev 5.1: Development of communications strategy for project
Dev 5.2: Broadcasting and dissemination of communications products of youth organisations: 9 videos of 10 minutes, following a narrative about migrant and refugee inclusion.
Dev 5.3: Organisation of final policy dialogue conference
Dev. 5.4: Dissemination of policy papers and statements
WP6: Quality Assurance
Outcomes of WP6:
Dev 6.1: Quality Assurance Plan
Dev 6.2: External Evaluation
WP7: Management
Outcomes of WP7:
Dev 7.1: Project kick-off meeting (KOM)
Dev 7.2: Project Management Handbook
Dev 7.3: Project management Group (PMG)
Partnership:
- ASOCIACION OBSERVATORIO DE LAS RELACIONES UNION EUROPEA-AMERICA LATINA(OBREAL-GLOBAL OBSERVATORY) (Spain) – coordinator
- Centre for advancement of research and development in educational technology LTD-Cardet (Cyprus)
- JEUNES EUROPEENS FEDERALISTES AISBL (Belgium)
- ASSOCIATION DE PARENTS D'ENFANTS ET JEUNES ADULTES DEFICIENTS VISUELS ET TROUBLES DE LA SANTE (France)
- KIPRIAKOS ORGANISMOS KENTRON NEOTITAS KOKEN LTD (Cyprus)
- THE RURAL HUB COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE (Ireland)
- GRUPUL PENTRU INTEGRARE EUROPEANA (Romania)
- VOIX DES JEUNES REFUGIES EN EUROPE (France)
Interviews by GIE on migrants & refugees’ integration needs and barriers
Omar, Afghan, refugee in Romania
Vlada, Romanian ethnic from Ukraine, refugee in Romania
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