YC  Epirus is involved with activities regarding asylum seeker and refugee integration since 2016, when an increased influx of asylum seekers started in our region. Firstly, assisting the work of other international organisations, we created non-formal education activity programs for children and younger teenagers. Later on, in 2020, our organisation officially opened Asylum Seeker Integration Department and worked on specific long term projects that provide accommodation, legal, education, medical and other types of support and referrals to asylum seekers and refugees in Ioannina. By taking part in various training activities and projects and, most importantly, managing our own local work, our organisation YC Epirus gathered extensive experience in the field. Therefore, an idea for hosting international training activities and networking within the field appeared. 

It was the second time YC Epirus hosted a training course on this subject – in 2019, CIRI Vol1 was implemented with nice outcomes especially in experience exchange, gain of practical youth work skills and networking. You can read about CIRI Vol1 here: https://www.yce.gr/en/activities/ciri/. This second edition of CIRI training course projects concentrated on continuous cooperation of some of the original partners of the first CIRI edition, with involvement of new organisation working in the field, with larger amount of involved participants and professionals, and with a greater produced outcomes. 

Partner organisations supporting CIRI Vol2 project are: Youth Innovation Forum Society (Jordan), Have a Dream (Egypt), In Motion (Armenia), Together for Success (North Macedonia), MilleniuM (Republic of Moldova), Idee in Movimento (Italy), UNIT (Ukraine), Internationale Arbeidsverenig (The Netherlands), Scout Society (Romania), uMunthu (Lithuania), Aydin Adnan Menderes University (Turkiye), Eurasia NET (France), and Taller d'Art, Cultura i Creació (Spain). 

CIRI Vol2 aimed to improve the quality of asylum seeker and refugee integration process across affected communities in many countries, by improving and multiplying specific competences of youth workers, social workers and volunteers, and by giving space for best practice exchange and innovation. 

Specifically, all objectives of the project are: 

* To increase the quality of refugee (especially young refugee) integration on international level;

* To promote young refugee social inclusion and acceptance in their new communities, as well as empower them and provide better access to opportunities;

* To significantly improve relevant competences (especially on humanitarian work ethics and principles, safety and protection, protection from sexual abuse and exploitation, protection of minors, inclusive work approaches, use of non-formal education and reflection, ect.) to 47 youth workers, volunteers and other professionals socially working with young refugees, and to enable them as multiplyers;

* To promote cooperation and experience exchange between 14 organizations and 47 people working in the field (participants) from 14 countries that work with young refugees;

* To produce and promote a booklet that can serve as a policy suggestion, a supportive guide and a toolbox for youth workers (and other professionals) engaged with young refugees;

* To promote the use of Erasmus+ program as a tool to raise the quality in youth/social work and integration of young refugees.

Here you can download the digital book created by the hosting organisation and participants of the CIRI Vol2 project. The book is meant especially for youth workers, social workers, educators, care takers and other professionals involved in asylum seeker, refugee and displaced people integration field. The book includes guidance and tools for newcomers and professionals looking to improve their quality of work, mostly concentrating on safety and protection, and non-formal education. The book is free to use and share with anyone. If only extracts of the content are used, it should be referenced.