From the observation of spiders, we can say that for effective web making, firstly, it is essential to understand the environment one moves in. And if one wants to observe social change, analyse it and learn how to bring it about, one has to look closer into the social fabric of a society, relationships between people and relational spaces. This requires careful observation, and analysis of who are doing what. It also requires patience and perseverance, because social processes are dynamic and the web keeps changing constantly.
Only then, once one understands the environment, maps all relevant stakeholders, one can make use of the potential of a given space. We, working in social field, have to create cross-linkages between people or rather create spaces where those cross-linkages can develop. We do not have to provide a solution to a social problem, but we have to create a platform where these solutions might be created. We can learn from spiders that web making is the art of creating platforms to generate creative responses more than creating the solution itself. Then once we have a platform that unites people having the same goal, we can easier ask them about potential solutions to a problem oneself, they might have an idea and they do have an idea.
BASE project was about creating spaces to bring all the different ideas and people together to generate solutions. Within the BASE project we have been promoting dialogue and cooperation between professionals from different support services and cultural mediators with different backgrounds, so they could meet, talk and analyse together how to support migrant girls and women victims of GBV in an integrated way.
In BASE project we have developed networks on different levels:
1) international network among project partners,
2) local networks that involve professionals from support services and institutions working with victims of GBV,
3) networks of cultural mediators.
At all levels the collaboration has brought about different benefits. Firstly, it has supported sharing of experiences, practices and methodologies among project partners and encouraged stronger international cooperation across Europe with the aim to prevent GBV and look for common solutions to international problems. Secondly, it has provided space for local actors to think about the solutions and how to reinforce our/their effort and support further those in need. Finally, it supported and promoted trained cultural mediators as their role is fundamental and they should be listened and included within support services when working with people from different cultural backgrounds. All of this, the connections made and collaborations etablished on 3 levels, have brough and will be bringing in a long term benefits to our direct beneficiaries, being women victims of gender-based violence.
For all the reasons discussed till now, we think it is of fundamental importance to go on meeting. It is important for both professionals and cultural mediators to find the time and the right space to meet and share. This is why we won’t stop our work with the end of the project and we are keen to create an even more inclusive and innovative follow up of the BASE project.
Listen to all reflections about web making, networking and what has been done during the last 2 years at the recording of the Final Base Transnational Conference, held online on the 22nd March, here: https://youtu.be/de3Y13Z9Spk
BASE Migrant and refugee child-friendly support services in cases of sexual and gender-based violence the European Commission Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020).
The BASE project aims to contribute to improvement of support services for victims of violence by empowering migrant/refugee women as cultural advisors that they could facilitate communication with girls affected by gender-based violence and their families
- Coordinator: “Hope For Children” UNCRC Policy Center (Cyprus)
- Associacao Portuguesa Conversas De Psicologia – Apcdp (Portugal)
- GENDER ALTERNATIVES FOUNDATION (Bulgaria)
- KENTRO MERIMNAS OIKOGENEIAS KAI PAIDIOU – KMOP (Greece)
- Rinova Limited (UK)
- Wissenschaftliche Vereinigung Fur Analyse, Beratung Und Interdisziplinare Forschung – abif (Austria)
- Znanstveno-Raziskovalno Sredisce KOPER – ZRS KOPER (Slovenia)
- CESIE (Italia)
Tiziana Fantucchio, tiziana.fantucchio@cesie.org
#BASEempowerment base.uncrcpc.org
