More information
Description
The project aims to increase the participation of people with migration experience in the social and public life of the city of Wrocław. According to the Office for Foreigners, in the first quarter of 2021, almost 480,000 foreigners had valid residence permits in our country. In reality, the number of migrants in Poland is much higher. Wrocław alone is home to over 100,000 people with migration experience. In the ‘Strategy for the Intercultural Dialogue in Wrocław for years 2018-2022’ the need to intensify integration activities to facilitate the inclusion of migrants in the community was mentioned. The development of civic attitudes and joint responsibility for the local environment is fostered by the participation of residents in participatory programmes. Based on the information provided by municipal entities, it is difficult to estimate the number of people with migration experience participating in these programmes. From the interviews conducted, however, it appears to be negligible. On the other hand, migrants in Wrocław themselves are interested in learning about local participatory programmes. The project "Active Migrants" includes a number of activities which will increase the knowledge about participation and participation programmes among migrants. We will carry out a research diagnosis and networking meetings for the Wrocław community of organisations and institutions that work on civic rights and activation on a daily basis. We will publish a research report. We will carry out a ‘Participatory Migrant Academy’ – a series of workshops dedicated to Wrocław''s participatory programmes, enriched with mentoring hours. The course and results of the project will benefit migrants as well as institutions and NGOs in Wrosław.
Summary of project results
Active Migrants project - was one of the first attempts in Poland to deal with the topic of social participation in the context of contemporary migrations. In the first step, we made a broad diagnosis. We checked whether and how people with migration experience are involved in participation forms in Poland and around the world. We also asked how individual city institutions deal with this topic. Of course, we also asked those interested how they perceive social participation in Wrocław, and above all how we can improve it. The results of our work were included in the report. It was presented during the Participation Practitioners'' Forums (in 2022 and 2023), as well as during many other meetings. The next stage was educational. We trained a group of people with migration experience in various possible forms of involvement in social activities. Based on these meetings, a brochure was created - a short introduction to the issue intended to encourage social activity. We also provided support in getting involved to people who needed it. A very important element of the project was networking. During the implementation, we not only reported on progress, together with Wrocław officials and organizations we wondered how to better implement integration processes - in the area of social participation, but not only. As a result of our actions, we managed to introduce some changes to official practices. There are also planned further activities. We can therefore say that we managed to make the topic of migrant participation not only resonate, but also find an important place in reflection on the development of the city. The outbreak of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia certainly had an impact on the implementation of the problem. This caused some shifts in the schedule, but also made it difficult to engage the project recipients.
As part of the project, a diagnosis was conducted on the topic of migrant participation in Poland and around the world, with a focus on immigrants from Wrocław. This included: a survey addressed to migrants; a survey addressed to institutions and organizations dealing with migrants in the city; focus groups were also conducted among people with migration experience, and 3 research meetings were organized. Working meetings of stakeholders related to the topic of migrants in Wrocław were held. A series of training sessions "Participatory Migrant Academy" was held, 8 workshop meetings, after which visual notes were created, which were also used to create a brochure on possible social activities for migrants in Wrocław. As part of the project, mentoring hours were held for people interested in participatory activities.
12 stakeholders were involved. People with migration experience were trained in the scope of possibilities of getting involved in social matters in Wrocław. Social initiatives of migrants were supported through their participation in 8 meetings as part of the Participatory Migrant Academy. Report - it is the most lasting result, which is already becoming a reference point for further activities and analyses. We know that scientists dealing with this topic are interested in it. Notes/brochure - they are available in digital form and as such are distributed, for example, by Wrocław WroMigrant and Przejście Dialogu - places where new residents of the city gain their first information about its functioning. Further plans include preparing a printed version.
Thanks to the project, we managed to establish and strengthen relationships with non-governmental organizations and institutions dealing with the integration of migrants. These are organizations from Wrocław and all over Poland.
An important result is the next activities, after the project is completed. Currently, together with the Wrocław Social Development Centre and the Lower Silesian Federation of Non-Governmental Organisations, we are continuing the series of meetings “Together about multiculturalism”, which aim to further network organisations and institutions working for an intercultural society. Further projects are planned, aimed at the practical inclusion of people with migration experience. Competences of people with migration experience - people trained by us are already “taking matters into their own hands”, submitting projects in Microgrants and the Wrocław Citizens’ Budget. Procedures and Practices - we have already managed to change some practices in the City Office regarding the promotion of social consultations. A website in foreign languages has been prepared, which is an incentive to participate in consultations. A form of “assistantship” is also being considered, which is a permanent activity of the office, aimed at supporting interested people during social activities.