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Description
Refugees are a very diverse group due to their country of origin, gender, health, sexual orientation, age, education, or trauma they have experienced. They are little heard: if local integration schemes are adopted, refugees’ role in creating and implementing them is marginal. People in particularly sensitive groups (children, single parents, multichildren families, LGBT+ people, people who have experienced trauma, violence, etc.) need social and integration counselling and a comprehensive action plan to be formed jointly with that person, and then long-term support in implementing it.This project addresses the problem of the low profile of people who experienced forced immigration in particularly vulnerable groups and inadequate access to specialist help for this group.We will provide legal and integration counselling for refugees, and help in finding a place to live and employment, and studying at school and elsewhere. We will select 15-23 interested refugees and give them self-advocacy training. Adults (8 persons) will form a Refugee Council (training, empowerment meetings, and subsequently quarterly meetings). We will invite young people (7-15 people aged 14 – 20) to the Academy for the Future (inspirational and motivational measures, working with a mentor to develop skills, working on three advocacy projects, an occupational or activist internship for eight people).Due to the measures, approximately fifteen people will become active self-advocates, and a minimum of 120 people will receive full support.Socially vulnerable refugees, victims of violence, people raising children single-handedly or in multichildren families, people who are chronically ill, people who experienced detention, and LGBT+ people will participate.The Partner – Association for Legal Intervention - will provide a full range of support for sensitive groups and train adult self-advocates to act.
Summary of project results
The project responds to the problem of low visibility of people with experience of forced migration from vulnerable groups and insufficient availability of specialised support for this group. Refugees are a very diverse group due to their country of origin, gender, health, psycho-sexual orientation, age, education or traumatic experiences. Their voice is rarely heard - refugee participation in the design and implementation of local integration programmes is marginal. Refugee children and young people are an important group. Children face various problems at school, where they are often excluded (linguistically, culturally, educationally, socially). They also need support in their studies, which their parents are often unable to provide. Feelings of exclusion, lack of understanding, lack of belonging and lack of agency lead to isolation and radicalisation.
The project provided multifaceted support to refugee women in self-advocacy. A Refugee Council was formed, which identified a number of the most pressing issues and challenges facing people with refugee experience in Poland. After a series of training sessions on advocacy, effective communication, self-presentation and media appearances, the Council selected key thematic areas for which it developed an advocacy pathway. The results of the work were published and received a lot of attention not only in the refugee community but also in the migrant community. The Council also responded to current events and situations of discrimination against people with refugee or migrant experience. Every month, between 50 and 300 small advices were given on finding accommodation, jobs, visiting authorities and doctors, development opportunities, learning the Polish language, etc. In addition, 148 refugee children were included in the learning support programme. The Girls For Future Academy - an empowerment programme for young refugee women - was also implemented. There were 12 workshops and meetings with a total of 19 female participants. Workshops covered topics such as photography as a communication tool, creating and implementing a business plan, advocacy tools, recognising strengths and creating the future, design thinking, communication and conflict resolution, etc. The programme gave participants a foundation for further development, enabling them to undertake work or activist placements and individual work with mentors. The next stage was for the participants to prepare three different projects - a podcast, an Instagram profile and a photo exhibition.
The project provided legal and integration support to people with refugee and migrant experience. The vast majority of those supported belong to groups at risk of exclusion. The level of knowledge, competence, empowerment and self-determination of refugee and asylum-seeking women increased significantly, and their voices were heard more in public spaces and institutions. Participation in the Girls for Future Academy, on the other hand, enabled participants to develop both as individuals and to initiate and carry out collective self-advocacy activities. The Refugee Council members developed skills in advocacy, self-presentation, public speaking, media speaking and fundraising. They were able to speak out on issues that affected them and act as experts on their own cause.