Children from different countries holding theirs hands

End Purpose

The project aims at identifying innovative and specific means to fight young people’s violent extremism when faced with a stranger, to develop a better management of diversity in urban areas, starting with young people. Stimulate intercultural dialogue through an alternative approach.

Overall objective:

Prevent young people’s radicalization that leads to violent extremism vis-a-vis refugees and develop a new integration approach for refugees at a local level.

Specific objectives:

  • Develop, test, analyze an innovative approach providing for genuine interaction of refugees with the native population of host communities: develop together a common project in the urban area;
  • decompartmentalize: stimulate the participation of all young people in the life of the city and reduce their isolation;
  • develop more respect vis-a-vis refugees, starting with young people, through their cultural and local integration, raising awareness among the local population;
  • stimulate cultural integration of young refugees by sharing cultures and getting them familiar with the language of the host country;
  • develop young people’s behaviours of mutual respect and tolerance vis-a-vis strangers, refugees and asylum-seekers more particularly;
  • stimulate the involvement of young people in initiatives of cultural dialogue;
  • try to change, at least partly, young people’s attitudes;
  • involve local youngsters in a common and creative project with young refugees and therefore stimulate a better integration of refugees within host communities;
  • In order to change, at least partly, the negative attitudes of youngsters and civil society in general regarding strangers, refugees, to improve intercultural understanding and to increase participation of young people in social and cultural life, the project is aimed at acting in the field through workshops bringing together young natives and young refugees (and/or asylum seekers);
  • Stimulate intercultural dialogue by developing a common project.

Main aim of the project

The project aims at developing a new cultural and local approach through awareness-raising among young generations.

Fighting racism automatically leads to a better local integration and a better management of cultural diversity at a local level. Fighting any form of racial discrimination and therefore preventing the raise of violent extremisms starts in the field with a better listening to all parties involved.

Stimulate young refugees’ active participation in the host community cultural life. Strengthen contacts between refugees and non refugees. Develop young refugees abilities to communicate with the local community, to be part of it. Help tackle the issue of refugees through cultural dialogue at a local level and through video–film workshops including refugees and non refugees. Providing them with professional opportunities.

Make it easier for refugees to get integrated in the European environment, improve mutual cultural understanding and stimulate intercultural and inter-religion dialogue through tolerance and respect towards other cultures.

Project priority

The priority is to develop cultural and audiovisual projects likely to:

  • help refugees develop social relations and express themselves without necessarily being immediately proficient in the language of the host country;
  • be learning platforms to a large extent, stimulating respect and understanding of diversity, intercultural and civic competences, democratic values and citizenship;
  • provide European citizens with a better chance to discover and understand refugees values and cultures and draw all the teachings from them – in a process of revisiting and enriching their own culture.

On the longer term, the project is intended to provide the basis for a change in mentalities and attitudes of civil society, namely young people vis-a-vis refugees, to develop a behaviour of mutual respect through innovative awareness-raising tools.