BLEND IN aims to prepare and empower one of the most vulnerable groups of our times, young migrants & refugees seeking a better life in a third-EU country. The ultimate objective of the project is to develop the social, civic, intercultural competences of the young refugees and migrants resettled in a host country, inform them on their rights and promote their autonomy, active citizenship and participation in social life and labour market, thus preventing their social exclusion, combating discrimination and segregation by facilitating their smooth cultural and social integration in the host community.

To achieve this objective, the BLEND IN partners will develop a cultural, social and language integration toolkit in the form of a mobile application, orienting the young newcomer refugees into the hosting societies’ cultural and social realities and norms. As the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) underlines, cultural orientation is a very important part of a well-managed resettlement process, that contributes to reducing refugees’ concerns and overall anxiety, while at the same time increasing their chances of successful integration. Integration is essential for all stakeholders (migrants/refugees and receiving societies), not only as a way of providing economic and cultural benefits but also for ensuring the security and stability of societies as a whole. As refugee integration is a two-way process that involves both refugees and the receiving societies, the project will provide the young refugees and migrants, recently resettled in a new country, with the appropriate tools to help them safeguard their cultural and religious identity while empowering their integration in the new community by introducing to them the most important social, cultural and language elements in their hosting communities, promoting that way intercultural and inter-religious dialogue, tolerance and respect of cultural diversity and human rights.

Two Intellectual Outputs:

• Development of Country-specific Language, Cultural and Social Orientation Material
• Development of the Refugee Orientation Handbook for Operators
• Dissemination activities

Four Pilot Workshops Events

• Pilot Workshop in Italy: 2 full-day Pilot workshops will be organised in Italy, 1 with 15 operators and cultural mediators, and 1 with 15 ethnic community representatives been integrated in the host community for a number of years.
• Pilot Workshop in Greece: 2 full-day Pilot workshops will be organised in Greece, 1 with 15 operators and cultural mediators, and 1 with 15 ethnic community representatives been integrated in the host community for a number of years.
• Pilot Workshop in Malta: 2 full-day Pilot workshops will be organised in Malta, 1 with 15 operators and cultural mediators, and 1 with 15 ethnic community representatives been integrated in the host community for a number of years.
• Pilot Workshop in Cyprus: 2 full-day Pilot workshops will be organised in Malta, 1 with 15 operators and cultural mediators, and 1 with 15 ethnic community representatives been integrated in the host community for a number of years.

Four Pilot Workshops Events in Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Malta.

BLENDIN’s target groups

PRIMARY TARGET: Young refugees and migrants, Refugee resettlement and integration professionals, workers and volunteers