Info about the project

FUTURE –a dialog platform to promote of integration of juvenile migrants- will create and establish a regular dialog platform with participants from politics, administration, trade union, youth and migrant organisations, service and counselling institutions for migrants (migrant commissaries, integration project executing organisations) and – last but not least – migrants and non-migrants from DE, AT, IT, ES and FR.

The chances for young people from migrant families concerning their social, educational, and cultural integration changed for the worse in recent years. Research and statistics shows that juvenile migrants generally have high dropout rates, are often disengaged from mainstream education and job opportunities. The more migrant communities particularly juvenile migrants get excluded the closer ties tend to be to the origin society/culture. Recurrent political debates on national identity, multicultural society, "majority society" not only in Germany, but in countries with traditional tolerance towards immigrants like Netherlands, Italy, Scandinavia or Spain have sought to perpetuate ethnic-based citizenship: intercultural reality, integration with multicultural mix or only “parallel” societies.

Juvenile migrants -even born in the “recipient” country - are facing more challenges. They live in a complex situation of two sorts of integration: into the adult world and a cultural identity between values and norms their parents (origin culture) and their present world in the “recipient” country. Not only increasing radicalisation of the juvenile populations, regardless of their ethnical origin, but also the shift of the ethnical composition of European societies (European countries are generally facing the problem of an aging population: in Germany the rate of persons with migrant background (only third country nationals) is forecast for some places to over 40% in the next 10 years) makes it important to prevent that conflict potentials on both sides and promote an enriching living together.

Our project :

1) is based on cooperation on European level in order to analyse and discuss the promoting and inhibiting factors of integration and participation, valorise good practises, policies, methods for integration on EU-level, to learn from each other, use synergies and establish a sustainable European dialogue platform. 30 representatives from 9 partner organisations in 5 EU states are direct participants of the dialog platform; additional 30-50 people from each country constitute the national subgroups. (80x5 countries= 400 people)

2) has as beneficiary group juvenile migrants; the dialog platform will handle 4 topics socio-economic, cultural, legal and political integration of juvenile migrants and attitudes of recipient countries and screen all relevant aspects of integration in partner countries and EU-level

3) will organize and establish an exhibition “Youth day/youth parliament”. For one day young people (16-25 year old) take over the business in parliament and build committees: social committee, youth committee, migration-committee, sport etc.. The parliamentarian/executives are present as well and listen to the discussions forum of young people (migrant and non-migrants) their expectations, requests, suggestions. Exhibition/stands of youth and migration relevant organisations present their work, innovative and successful projects, and inform with emphasis of EU dimension of policy-making in the areas of integration. The “youth-day” should establish as an annual event in every partner country after finishing the project. Participants: young people (migrant and native) constitute a parliament and its committees additional attendants of their discussion forums (parliamentarian themselves, national subgroup and dialog platform of FUTURE) and representatives of organisations who exhibit and visitors of the exhibition. (appr. 500 people)

4) is crossing the national borders with the chance to abandon restricted views and opportunity to get contact outside the usual circles, analyse and discuss other “integration cultures, policies” with other backgrounds and so view difficulties from EU perspective. This leads to transfer and to a better understanding of the worthiness of European co-operation..

5) is bringing Europe „close“ - not only for the participants of the dialogue platform and their networks but also the ultimate target groups: migrants and the recipient society. FUTURE will force the public awareness, sensitivity and consciousness about juvenile migrants, integration, multicultural society, European identity and responsibility of the future of Europe.

Project outputs are: final report with recommendations, best practices, method and strategies for European level of integration, interactive web-site, exhibition and a youth parliament/youth day, dissemination materials.