EPIC (European Platform of Integrating Cities) is a 3-year project funded by the EU’s Asylum Migration and Integration programme (AMIF-2018-AG-INTE number 863703). It aims to address the challenges of the integration of migrants by targeting medium-sized cities that need to strengthen their services in areas such as housing, labour integration or integration policy, and at the same time are available to share their expertise to support their counterparts in other Local Authorities (LAs).
EPIC goal and main activities
To achieve its goal, EPIC wants to generate a tight-knit network of local authorities and their peer NGOs that will work on the transfer of knowledge, know-how and direct peer-to-peer practical learning which includes exchange of knowledge, skills, and personnel on migrant integration matters to develop local pilots that will improve the integration and/or reception services of those cities.
This goal is to be carried out by:
Research and data collection about migrants’ integration in each LA through the development of surveys and focus groups to understand common trends and challenges;
Capacity building through:
1 International Meeting to identify the priorities for a successful migrants’ integration service,
1 International Training on media and narratives on migration,
8 Transnational Job Shadowing during which the partners will acquire practical knowledge from their local authorities counterparts to replicate it within their territories.
8 Pilot projects testing lessons learned on the ground through research and capacity building for the development of new integration services addressing the local authorities needs;
Networking and policy harmonization events to foster dialogue with key stakeholders on migrants’ integration at the local and EU level and favouring joint policies and initiatives;
Communication and dissemination activities will be implemented, in addition to Informative Counter-Narrative Campaigns that will focus on developing narratives to counterbalance negative migration discourses, 4 webinars and Final Conference with European and National key stakeholders working in the field of migrants’ integration.
