Are you interested in knowing more about how a region can become intercultural and inclusive, yet you missed our first online capacity-building session on interculturalism for regions and local stakeholders?
Also, are you keen to know more about who is the EU-BELONG team and how you can work together with us in the coming years?
Dive into this quick article and rewatch the recording of the training below!
A Warm Welcome in the EU-BELONG Team to the Local Stakeholders
Last Thursday, the AER and all EU-BELONG partners were glad to meet and welcome an enlarged EU-BELONG team. Over a hundred regional representatives and local stakeholders working on the implementation of EU-BELONG gathered to attend the first online capacity-building session on interculturalism.
Introduction to Interculturalism and Intercultural Competences
EU-BELONG develops a series of online and in-person capacity-building activities to support regions, their stakeholders, and other interested actors in fostering key intercultural competences that can be applied across several regional policies related to migrants’ inclusion.
The online training ‘Introduction to Interculturalism and Intercultural Competences‘ run by Carla Calado, trainer and Coordinator of the Portuguese Intercultural Cities Network, is the first introductory course for regions and local stakeholders. It aims at:
- Building a common understanding of the key concepts and principles of interculturalism.
- Provides first guidelines about how to develop an intercultural region step-by-step (building on the ‘The intercultural city step by step‘ guide developed by the ICC Programme).
- Sharing tips and strategies for the organisation of training sessions on interculturalism
Additional resources on interculturalism developed within the Intercultural Cities Programme of the Council of Europe can be found below:
- The Intercultural Cities Programme by Nichola Howson
- Intercultural Competence by Carla Calado
- Intercultural Cities
- Intercultural Competences
- Intercultural Cities Step-By-Step guide: new edition
- ICC Course – The intercultural city step-by-step Survey (surveymonkey.com)
- About the Intercultural Cities Index
- ICC Intercultural Citizenship test
The session was the first official transnational activity within the project and hence an occasion to present its broader framework to the numerous key actors involved in its realisation. Ms. Madaraic, AER Vice President for Inclusion, Diversity & Equality, and Ms. Howson, Project Officer at the Council of Europe, were thus happy to share how EU-BELONG builds on the positive experience of the Intercultural Cities Programme coordinated by the Council of Europe and the long-lasting expertise of the AER and its partners in the field of inclusion and interculturalism aiming at adapting and testing the intercultural integration approach to the regional level. The project is an important first benchmark seeking to result in a stronger, broader, and more sustainable Intercultural Regions Network.
…and more is coming: some fresh news from the EU-BELONG Steering Committee Meeting in Salzburg
With an eye on the ongoing capacity-building process and the other on future milestones, combined with a strong wish to meet in person and share experiences and challenges, the EU-BELONG partners met in Salzburg on 28-29 September. The meeting brought about very enriching exchanges and a strong motivation for the upcoming activities that will be implemented. On the one hand, the development of a model framework for regional intercultural integration strategies will be available for all regional authorities wishing to develop their own intercultural integration strategy. On the other hand, the setting-up of the transnational knowledge exchange will be the space where the organisations and regions of the project will meet and exchange with other international organisations and regions to harness the diversity advantage across policy fields.
Let’s keep in touch!