BuIldIng SoCIal BRIdgeS by aRtIStIC InItIatIveS

We applied for this project in order to promote the European way of life with an inclusive approach. Teachers had found themselves struggling to deal with the culturally diverse classroom. Althoug...

This project, BRICS aimed to improve the social inclusion of immigrants by developing and enhancing their competences (social, cultural, values, organizational, educational, etc.). The consortium's goals presented a significant strategic challenge, as it was tasked with developing innovative digital products, fostering learning, initiating joint efforts, and exchanging experiences. In each of the consortium's countries, diverse policies were applied and various inclusion resources existed. The partnership acknowledged that migration was a phenomenon deeply woven into European history and the cities of the consortium. The project viewed social integration as a crucial component and as a continuous, multidirectional process of creating a new shared platform for living together. BRICS aimed to invest in this objective in tandem with the sustainability of the project results. BRICS highlighted the need to modify and adapt all types of public services, such as housing, labor market admission, and educational programs to suit the needs of the immigrants.The heterogeneity that migrations brought forth, coupled with the diversity of reception contexts, created the need for realistic social inclusion strategies.

For this project to be in parallel with the project’s research and development activities and throughout the project implementation period, a set of horizontal activities was supported from the grant for Project Management & Implementation: A1. Project and Quality Management The aim of Project and Quality Management activities was to ensure the smooth and timely implementation of the project in terms of financing, administration, production, and coordination. This included the following activities: project planning; communication; monitoring; fine-tuning; organizing partner meetings; drafting meeting minutes; coordinating, collecting, and reviewing progress reports; defining qualitative and quantitative success criteria; monitoring and evaluation; developing executive quality reports; reporting any significant deviation to the partnership and initiating a contingency plan; communicating with the National Agency, etc. A1.1. Development of Project Work Plan (PWP) A1.2 Organization of partner meetings & conference calls M1: Kick-off meeting M2: 2nd Transnational meeting M3: Final Meeting A1.3 Two Progress Reports A1.4 Elaboration of QMP A1.5 Two Executive quality reports A1.6 Design and Development project website A2. Dissemination & Exploitation Strategy The Dissemination & Exploitation Leader, P2, prepared a comprehensive Dissemination & Strategy focused on clarifying the dissemination and communication scope, aims, and timing; Identification and classification of the target groups and stakeholders; Elaboration of stakeholders’ engagement plan; Identification of the particular messages to be communicated throughout the project; Definition of dissemination, communication, and exploitation means, methods, and tools at the national and European level (social networks, press releases, events, etc.), including effective ways to collect feedback; Definition of success indicators; Clarification of IPR issues; Detailed action plan and reporting templates of the partners’ dissemination activities. P1 undertook to develop the project website; however, the Dissemination Leader (P2) regularly updated the BRICS website. A2.1 Development of the Dissemination & Exploitation Strategy A2.2 Design of internal and external communication templates A2.3 Design of leaflets, posters, and roll-up banners A2.4 Monitoring of dissemination and exploitation activities and events. All partners participated and provided input to the above activities and deliverables; Made explicit their commitment to provide resources that guarantee the sustainability of the project’s outcomes once it is over; Used various project and own resources to disseminate project results and activities at local/regional/national and European levels; Engaged the target group and raised awareness of the project and its value to relevant local/regional/national and European stakeholders and multipliers; Translated press releases, leaflets text, and other relevant material into their national language; Were actively involved in the exploitation and sustainability efforts from the beginning of the project; and Reported implemented dissemination and exploitation actions, using the templates provided by the Dissemination & Exploitation Leader.

Results: The BRICS project aimed to reinforce cooperation between the world of education and formal and informal training and the professional domain, promote the linguistic diversity of the EU, and raise awareness towards interculturality in community educational centers. The project's results were also expected to offer the opportunity for people of migrant backgrounds to know and further identify with European traditions, cultural values, and heritage while gaining practical knowledge of their immediate daily surroundings and cultural environment. The main results of BRICS were as follows: An In-Service Training Program on using Art as an inclusive Educational Tool was developed to ensure that professionals working with migrants were fully trained to harness the potential of the BRICS educational resources. The Digitalized Creativity Boost Training for Migrants was created for use during training courses for people with a migrant background, providing support and awareness of policies, processes, and practices that met relevant international standards in the field of migrant integration. During the partnership, the project delivered the following additional results: A concrete management plan was developed, outlining all the necessary steps and procedures for the smooth implementation of the project, including the structure, tasks per partner and responsibilities, project milestones, communication arrangements, and reporting. Additionally, a stakeholders database was established. Minutes from partners meetings were documented. A quality assurance strategy, accompanied by a contingency plan, was reviewed and approved by the partnership to ensure the successful implementation of activities based on the agreed quality standards. An interim and a final evaluation report were compiled, providing an overview of the qualitative and quantitative objectives reached. A dissemination plan, including tools and activities necessary to reach the target groups, was created, and a final dissemination activities report was prepared at the end of the project. An Impact Assessment Plan and an Exploitation Strategy were developed. A Transnational Training Activity Programme/Report was created. Participants' lists and feedback questionnaires from members of the target group who were involved in the local events and training/pilot testing phase were collected. A Project Website and logo were designed. A final conference was held to present the results and exploitation plans for the project. Material for the dissemination of the project was created and distributed at events and trainings. Four Newsletters with information about important project milestones were prepared and translated into all partner languages (English, German, Greek, Italian, Spanish, Slovenian), distributed to relevant stakeholders, and uploaded on partners' websites. Five Multiplier Events were organized. BRICS was designed to have a strong long-term impact on the future of ongoing education for migrant adults in the partner countries of the EU in several ways: It improved the migrants' knowledge of their host cities and fostered a sense of familiarity and belonging. It enabled understanding of EU cultural diversity and values. It promoted personal development and improved mental well-being. It enhanced the position of adult migrants in the labor market and education. It increased awareness of the importance of community center migrant communication in social integration. It improved learning resources and guidance for migrants. Result 1: An In-Service Training Program on using Art as an inclusive Educational Tool R2: The Digitalized Creativity Boost Training for Migrants Link to Interactive videos Greek https://youtu.be/qdh4cDX5C5Q Spanish: https://youtu.be/01FNVe_cLOE Polish : https://youtu.be/jT4tVONX7YQ Slovak: https://youtu.be/9AL_Y3bNUf4 English : https://youtu.be/lyVlILniXQ8