SENCIT: The sensitization of citizens in the field of immigrants' and refugees’ inclusion to the hosting society (Exchange of good practices in adult education)” 2018-1-PL01-KA204-050850
The central aim of the project is to develop and pilot sensitization methods and tools, addressed to the hosting society in the participating countries. Project partners compile and exchange good practices for sensitization of local community as it regards to migrant and refugees’ inclusion process.
Training Migrant, Asylum Seeking & Refugee Women to acquire Facilitators/Mediators skills
The training course was organized in the context of the project “Supporting the Integration of Migrant Women, Refugees and Asylum Seekers – SIMRA”. SIMRA is a transnational project involving 9 partners form 5 EU Member States and is co-financed by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF).
In Cyprus training was carried out by Hypatia Foundation during the period of December 15 2018 to January 19 2019. Fifteen women participated in the 35 hour training course that organized along 7 training modules.
The objective of the training programme was to train women of migrant background, including asylum seeking and refugee women, in facilitator/ mediator skills, allowing them to acquire knowledge and professional experience in supporting members of their communities.
The partnership developed the training material for facilitators/mediators of migrant origin through surveys and analysis of existing training practice and curricula in the partners’ countries. The expected learning outcomes of the training course are grouped under 3 thematic areas: a) Concepts of Migration, b) Understanding journeys and stories of migration, and c) Arriving and moving forward (sign-posting to relevant support and integration services) , which in turn contain the 7 training modules. The aim was that trainees become familiar with the values, philosophy, and practice and support structures of the SIMRA Project. Moreover, the partners developed Common Standard framework for quality implementation of SIMRA training.
The training methodology was typical of non-formal adult education that included enriched ppt presentations, exercises, case studies, role playing, showing videos, and discussion with participants.
In the framework of the project, graduates of the training course are placed for temporary employment at the Migrant and Refugee Centre of KISA to work as mediators/counsellors. Moreover, the graduates of the course are actively organizing a series of cultural / art events in collaboration with HYPATIA and KISA. The events aim at providing a social space where migrant/refugee women can actively promote integration policy through arts and culture as a means to facilitate integration of migrants and refugees into the local community.
Comments received on the training course include:
Sveta: “looking forward to work with you, what we learned in the course will help me implement field work. These kind of courses should be held more often”,
Noor: “organize more training courses for migrant women – thank you for this course”,
Emma Susanna: “continue the work with this group to achieve common approach in service provision and in organizing arts and cultural events”
http://www.hypatia.org.cy
https://www.facebook.com/SIMRA-II-1820229684936915/
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication (communication) reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Project number: 2018-1-PL01-KA204-050850