Open EU
Overcoming Prejudice, Encouraging Narratives for Equality in Europe
Programme
Project number
Key Action
Action Type
Topics
Duration
EU Grant
About the project
OPEN EU is a transformative adult education project designed to combat prejudice, inequality and anti-immigrant fear across Europe. It harnesses the power of inclusive storytelling, communities of practice and informal learning via podcasting to bring to life shared human stories of locals, migrants and displaced persons. By doing so, it creates safe spaces for connection, learning, creative reflection, common values and hope, supporting more inclusive and welcoming communities in Strasbourg (FR), Innsbruck (AT), Roscommon (IE) and Sumy (UA).
Objectives
OPEN EU aims to challenge divisive narratives about migration and replace them with nuanced, human-centred stories that highlight dignity, diversity and shared experiences. The project will upskill at least 20 adult educators/partner staff and 75+ adult learners (locals, migrants and displaced persons) in storytelling, podcasting and intercultural dialogue, strengthening their capacity to work for equality and inclusion. It also seeks to build sustainable Communities of Practice around migration and belonging, and to create open-access resources that can inspire over 1,000 adult education and inclusion practitioners across Europe to adopt similar approaches in their own contexts.
Activities
Across three key work packages, OPEN EU will implement 22 core activities leading to a concrete set of outputs. It will establish OPEN EU Communities of Practice (5) as local hubs for dialogue and collaboration, and produce a Combined Study – “Two Sides to Migration Stories in Europe”, capturing perspectives from both locals and migrants. The project will deliver Community Workshops as its core face-to-face offer, and create the “Narratives for Equality” podcast series (20+ episodes), giving voice to diverse lived experiences. All materials will be hosted on a Digital Storytelling and Learning Hub, ensuring long-term access to tools and stories. In addition, OPEN EU Festivals of Belonging (5) will publicly celebrate inclusion and shared humanity, while a Transferability Guide will support other organisations in adopting and adapting OPEN EU’s inclusive community-building practices, including in post-war cohesion and rebuilding efforts.
Project partners
- European Center for Human Rights - 🇫🇷 France
- Compass - Beratung, Begleitung und Training gemeinnützige GmbH - 🇦🇹 Austria
- Civic Organisation Misto Aktivnyh Gromadan - 🇺🇦 Ukraine
- European E-Learning Institute - 🇩🇰 Denmark
- Momentum Marketing Services Limited - 🇮🇪 Ireland
- Roscommon Integrated Development Co. Ltd T/A Roscommon Leader Partnership - 🇮🇪 Ireland
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 French National Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.