Actions to strengthen the participation of immigrants and integration mechanisms in Crete with the support of the Region of Crete
The first cycle of training and information activities of the European project "EMV-LII - Strengthening the Voices of Migrants for Integration & Social Inclusion at Local Level" organized by Symbios - School of Political Studies of the Council of Europe in Greece, in collaboration with the Heraklion Development Agency and the Regional Observatory for Social Inclusion of the Region of Crete, was successfully completed. The activities were hosted in Heraklion in the first ten days of October 2024 and concerned, on the one hand, strengthening the participation of migrants in the civic and public spheres and, on the other hand, increasing the capacity of local and regional authorities to implement participatory processes in social integration and inclusion policies for migrants. In this direction, the objectives and priorities set by the National and Regional Strategy for Social Inclusion (ESKE, PESKE of Crete) are utilized, following the principles of the European Social Pillar ("Europe 2030"), as well as the current institutional framework and new technologies.
With the participation of both immigrants who have been living in Crete for many years, as well as policymakers, municipal employees and executives of various organizations and institutions, a series of relevant actions were carried out, such as: -Event "Between inclusion and exclusion - Living in Crete" with the screening of the trilogy of short documentaries "Parallels". -Training course for local government bodies on issues of Inclusive Cities and social and political rights of immigrants. –Training Cycle for Immigrants on Integration and Intercultural Skills. -Event “Participating in the City and Neighborhoods Politically & Digitally- DECIDIM” which offers refugees and immigrants the opportunity to actively participate in civic life, strengthening the democratic representation of third-country nationals residing in the municipalities of Crete. –Informing local government representatives and institutional leaders about the possibilities of utilizing the DECIDIM digital platform and the upcoming actions of the EMV-LII program. The EMV-LII project, funded by the European Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, aims to support and strengthen the participation of migrants in the joint design and implementation of local integration policies, as well as to implement and strengthen meaningful and sustainable participation mechanisms for integration at local level, such as migrant councils, e-participation tools and political advocacy. The above transnational project is being implemented in Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Luxembourg from 2024-2017. Local actions continue in Crete with the participation of institutional representatives, agencies and migrants. The actions planned for November 2024 focus on health policies and the mental and social health of migrants.
More information: http://her.decidim.gr
https://symbiosis.org.gr/emv-lii-empowering-migrant-voices-for-local-integration-and-