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Youngmig
Bridging Youth and Young Professionals In a Migrational Context via Digitalization

Programme
Erasmus+
Project number
2020-1-TR01-KA227-YOU-098198
Key Action
Partnerships for cooperation and exchanges of practices
Action Type
Partnerships for Creativity
Topics
Ethics, religion and philosophy (incl. Inter-religious dialogue) | Creativity and culture | New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses
Duration
Start date 01-04-2021
End date 31-05-2023
EU Grant
EUR 143.848,00

About the project

For more than a decade, Türkiye has faced a substantial influx of migrants and refugees, particularly from Syria and also from countries such as Afghanistan and Somalia. This has created a strong need for effective migration management and for young professionals who can work sensitively across linguistic and cultural boundaries.

The COVID-19 period further intensified the vulnerabilities of young migrants, who were severely affected by disrupted health services, loss of jobs and income, interrupted schooling and travel restrictions. Against this background, the project was designed to strengthen communication and interaction between young professionals working in migration-related sectors and young migrants themselves. By combining research, curriculum development and digital learning tools, the project aims to contribute to a more human-centred migration management approach in Türkiye and the partner countries.

Objectives

The project aims to:

  • Identify and document the specific problems experienced by young migrants during the COVID-19 period, and present them in a final report addressing the needs of young migrants and young (pre-)professionals from different sectors (Health, Education, Justice, Civil Society).
  • Develop learning platforms that provide a basic language learning environment and support intercultural dialogue for young professionals dealing with migration issues in the project countries.
  • Launch an e-learning platform with sector-specific modules for Health, Education, Justice and Civil Society, designed to train young professionals and young migrants on language, culture, rights and access to services.

Overall, the project seeks to create a human resource that is sensitive to linguistic and cultural differences and to generate tangible outputs for migration management.

Activities

As coordinating organisation, GAV implemented the key activities as follows:

  • Coordination and kick-off: All partners were informed and guided throughout the preparation and implementation phases. A virtual kick-off meeting in May 2021 was organised due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Research design and data collection: Together with the partners, GAV supported the development of research questions, selection of appropriate methods, and the data collection process in various sectors in Türkiye, Austria, France and the UK.
  • Development and review of intellectual outputs: Draft versions of the Intellectual Outputs were examined, and structured feedback was provided to all partners. The first Intellectual Output covered education in Türkiye, health services in Austria, employment in the UK, justice and law in France, and social services/aid in Türkiye.
  • In-depth national research: GAV conducted a comprehensive study on social services for migrant workers in Türkiye, which formed the basis for the curriculum on language and cultural dialogue. In parallel, Africa and Middle East Foundations carried out targeted research on young migrants from Syria and other countries (e.g. Afghanistan, Somalia) living in Türkiye.
  • Expert workshop and validation: GAV organised a workshop with prominent academics, key experts and social workers active in migrant social services, in order to validate the findings and refine the training content.
  • Promotion and advocacy: GAV actively promoted the work of other partners to attract the attention of decision-makers in different countries, thereby enhancing the visibility, relevance and potential policy impact of the project’s results.

Project partners

  • Migration Research Foundation - 🇹🇷 Türkiye
  • Compass - Beratung, Begleitung und Training gemeinnützige GmbH - 🇦🇹 Austria
  • University Of Lincoln - 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
  • Association Hexagonale De L'innovation Sociale Et De L'education - 🇫🇷 France 
  • Middle East Foundation - 🇹🇷 Türkiye 
  • Africa Foundation - 🇹🇷 Türkiye 
  • Ankara Yildirim Beyazit Universitesi - 🇹🇷 Türkiye 

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Turkish National Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.