Despite the salience of the topic of migration and integration in politics and media in societies across Europe since the 2015-16 “refugee crisis”, the public still lacks a deeper understanding of these issues. According to the “special Eurobarometer 469” on integration of immigrants in the EU, only 37% of Europeans believe that they are well-informed about immigration and integration-related matters.
Migration Matters is therefore excited to join an ambitious new 3-year European Commission funded project called “I Am European”: Migration Stories & Facts for the 21st Century that aims to raise awareness about migration issues among youth and have a positive impact on achieving a more open, inclusive, and peaceful culture towards migrants and refugees in Europe.
The project’s main approach will be awareness-raising among youth supported by engaging young journalists in creating balanced and fact-based media content and multipliers with global educational activities on migration themes. As a result, we expect to see more solidarity and tolerance in
Europe.
Project activities aimed at youth will include a Pan-European social media campaign accompanied by empathy-increasing direct action content such as visual stories, simulations, virtual reality experiences, and more. In addition, youth will be targeted through global education activities and social media influencers. Young journalists will be reached through national and international trainings and study trips, providing knowledge and first-hand experiences related to migration to enhance the understanding of the interdependencies and complexities of the world today.
In total, we aim to reach 2.5 million youth through social media campaigns across 8 project countries
(Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia) with 200,000 youth taking action within the campaign framework, resulting in European youth who are more aware, knowledgeable, and engaged in migration issues and are taking action together with migrant youth to promote integration, acceptance and tolerance within their communities. Journalistic activities will reach 900 young people involved in media and social media content creation. Additionally, 600 multipliers will be involved in global education activities.
Migration Matters will be supporting on a consortium-wide level by adapting existing Migration Matters video through language versioning and new formats for social media, producing a brand-new series of visual stories highlighting the stories of migrant youth in Europe, and engaging in social media campaigns and online and offline events that promote dialogue among the target groups.
Consortium members:
- Mondo (Estonia)
- People in Need (Czechia)
- People in Need (Slovakia)
- VIKES (Finland)
- Center for Civic Education (Poland)
- Migration Matters e.V. (Germany)