Overcoming barriers: training on migration for youth workers

“Overcoming barriers: training on migration for youth workers” was a project financed by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ program that gathered 28 youth workers, representatives, and youth leaders in training that took place in Riga from 2. — 9. of April.

Our team in Old Riga

During the training, participants had the opportunity

• to familiarize themselves with the current position of the European Union on migration issues through non-formal education,
• to share the views of each Member State on these issues,
• to obtain information on current migration processes in Europe and the world,
• to acquire new knowledge and skills for working with young people
• to gain knowledge of all the opportunities offered by the Erasmus plus program.

The overall aim of the project was to raise the awareness and the knowledge about the migration through intercultural learning and to contribute to the development of tolerance across Europe.

The participants had the opportunity to present the organizations they work for and to form new contacts for further cooperation. On an intercultural evening, participants shared with others their country’s culture, language, and traditions.

During the workshops

Through group work, participants identified risk factors for terrorism and radicalization as well as became familiar with the formation and significance of the Declaration of Human Rights today.

During the taining, the group paid a visit to an organization “PROVIDUS”, which is an NGO whose main areas of work are good governance, anti-corruption, and migration, with citizen participation and EU dimension as a horizontal component throughout all activities. The organization’s representative Agnese Lāce presented the detailed description of the situation in Latvia regarding issues such as migration, unemployment of migrants and obstacles in the process of inclusion, also in comparison with the rest of the countries participating in the project.

In the link below you can find handbook created by “PROVIDUS” about “Integration of Society in the Workplace”

http://providus.lv/article_files/3505/original/Angliski.pdf?1540652690

The participants also visited the place where the project “Ghetto Games” started, where they were welcomed by the founder of the motion — Raimonds Elbakjans and his team. “Ghetto Games” is an example of how sports activities can be used as an integration tool for people that come from a disadvantaged background as well as migrants.

“Ghetto Games” began at the lowest point of the global economic crisis, in one of Riga’s most deprived areas. It was the time when depressed minds could be saved by the sport that does not require much money: street basketball, street gymnastics, street dancing, football, and others. Now “Ghetto Games” is the largest street sports and culture movement in Latvia.

Visiting “Ghetto Games” team

At the end of the project, the partner’s organizations involved have gained new experience on migration issues, new ideas, friends and partners for future activities. Nonetheless, we could see that the project has widened their network of contacts and created brand new partnerships.

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.