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Description
The needs survey among groups of migrants and refugees in Slovenia conducted by the Association for Intercultural Dialogue and ADRA Slovenia revealed a low level of competence to defend one''s own rights. This project will train refugees and migrants to become skilled advocates for their rights and equal treatment.
Migrants and refugees face unequal treatment, social injustice, stigmatization and discrimination, but lack the knowledge and skills to combat this. This is due to poor language skills and poor knowledge of one''s rights, professional terminology and media tools such as websites, social networks and radio programs.
The project will involve migrants and refugees, volunteers from ADRA Slovenia and the Association for Intercultural Dialogue, and other members of NGOs who want to get trained in advocacy, especially in the field of entering the employment market and social inclusion in general. We will conduct hands-on workshops on what advocacy is and how advocacy campaigns work, and what media and other tools they can use to achieve their goals. We will offer them language learning with a special emphasis on terminology important for advocacy, and we will also focus on the most common mistakes in the use of the Slovenian language.
We will also prepare a workshop to present the Aliens Act and a simple brochure with basic information for a better understanding of the amendments to the act. We will pay special attention to the points that regulate the conditions regarding means of subsistence, language skills, etc.
By taking part in the practical implementation of advocacy campaigns, the participants will acquire the skills for the implementation of such and similar campaigns in the long run and will be able to share their knowledge with their colleagues
Summary of project results
On the basis of an implemented needs assessment (done by MKD and ADRA Slovenia) amongst ethnical communities of migrants and refugees in Slovenia, there is a problem in the area of capability and knowledge to advocate for their own rights. The group wishes to gain competencies to help them fight for equal treatment and social justice for themselves, especially in the area of entering the labour force and ensuring equal conditions in accessing future employments.
Within the project activities advocacy workshops, Slovenian language learning workshops with advocacy themes, Workshop on Understanding the Foreigners Act were organized, brochure prepared and media appearances were present.
The ability and self-confidence of migrants and refugees in Slovenia to engage in advocacy activities has increased. Out of more than 140 recorded participants, we selected and closely monitored 32 individuals, and at the end, we decided to assess the effects on 26 of them. We found that all 26 individuals showed a significant increase in self-confidence regarding advocacy. Out of the more than 140 recorded participants, we selected and closely monitored 32 individuals. In the end, we checked the change in the assertion of rights for 26 individuals and, after analyzing the results, found that only 4 individuals did not show an increase in the assertion of rights by the minimal desired percentage (30%). For 17 individuals, the assertion of rights clearly increased by 30% or more. For 5 individuals, according to our analysis, the assertion of rights increased by 19% to 23%, but these individuals themselves assessed and claimed that their assertion of rights had increased by 30% or more. Through these media, as well as more than 45 posts on social media and the "New Faces of Slovenia" campaign, we ultimately reached and raised awareness in more than 106,850 individuals. The project successfully reached 20 decision-makers.