CIRI Vol3 - Cooperation for Improved Refugee Integration, Volume 3

From June 24th to 31st 2024, YC Epirus hosted an international training course about refugee, asylum seeker, and displaced people integration. The training was implemented in Ioannina, Greece, under the framework of the Erasmus+ program.

The training course involved 34 participants from 11 partner organisations in different countries - apart from YC Epirus in Greece, other participants came from Eurasia Net (France), Burgerplicht Gent (Belgium), Fundacija Polskie Forum Migracyjne (Poland), On the Road - Associação Humanitária (Portugal), SE.M.I. – Seeds for More Interculture APS (Italy), Club Deportivo Sendeja (Spain), Aydin Adnan Menderes University (Turkiye), UNIT (Ukraine), Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants (BCRM) (Bulgaria), Have a Dream (Egypt) and Jordan Youth Innovation Forum Society (Jordan).

General Context of the Project

The project CIRI Vol3 - Cooperation for Improved Refugee Integration, Volume 3 is part of a process of long term work on refugee, asylum seeker, and displaced people integration in their local communities in sustainable, qualitative, safe, and tailored ways. It was the third time YC Epirus hosted a training course on this subject – CIRI Vol1 was first implemented in 2019 and CIRI Vol2 in 2022 with nice outcomes especially in experience exchange, gain of practical youth work skills and networking. Read about CIRI Vol1 here: https://www.yce.gr/en/activities/ciri/ and CIRI Vol2: https://www.yce.gr/en/activities/ciri-vol2/.

The main theme of this training course was refugee and asylum seeker integration within youth work and volunteering, with a special accent on safety, security, and protection of underage people. The background of the participants was important to reach the aims of the project - they were social workers, youth workers, and volunteers already working with asylum seekers, refugees, and displaced people.

Aims of the Project

The main aim of the project was to improve the quality of young refugee, asylum seeker, and displaced people integration in their new communities. In order to work towards the aim, the specific objectives of the project were:

* To promote youth work and non-formal education as tools for young refugee integration in local societies;

* To promote young refugee dignity and active participation in their integration process;

* To promote quality in the youth work and non-formal educational activities that young refugees participate in;

* To address tailored child protection and safety during youth work and non-formal education activities for young refugees;

* To improve relevant competences of 34 youth workers and other professionals doing youth work with young refugees;

* To promote cooperation and experience exchange among 11 partner organisations and their 34 staff members;

* To define and propose guidelines for qualitative and tailored youth work towards refugees.

Activities of the Training Course

Activities of non-formal educational nature invited participants to join group works, research, debates, discussions, interactive presentations, experience sharing, networking, theater, activities design and guideline development activities. Specific themes covered within activities were: qualitative and effective youth work for young refugees regarding ethics, safety and security, protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, child protection, humanitarian work principles, tailored and needs based non-formal education, consideration of active diversity, inclusivity, empathy, cultural relativism, rites of passage, and others.

As a practical result, participants created a new website dedicated to the CIRI series of projects, with contents regarding the information about CIRI series of training courses, testimonies of participants, and most importantly, developed new resources. The resources include guides, specific activities, informative and creative videos, which all can be used limitless and for free by anyone interested, especially youth workers, educators, social workers, volunteers, care takers, project developers working with and for young asylum seekers. The website: https://www.erasmusciri.jimdofree.com