The project aims at building the cooperation and coordination among local authorities, migrants’ organizations and communities, LGBTQIA+ organizations and other civil society organizations supporting the rights of migrants and the LGBTQIA+, supporting the implementation of local integration strategies of inclusion.
Context
Migrants who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as asylum seekers and refugees who are protected under Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) plans, face multiple discrimination and significant barriers when trying to access services. They also encounter difficulties in finding employment, accessing education, and being socially included in the communities they arrive in. These challenges might continue from their home country, where discriminatory practices based on their gender and sexual orientation may be common. @nclusion’s objective lays in the possibility of building an inclusive synergy between practitioners on the field and migrant LGBTQIA+ people, asylum seekers and refugees who are protected under Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI).
Objectives
- Increase awareness and expertise of local authorities and policy makers on the challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ migrants, as well as existing good and bad integration practices.
- Improve understanding and awareness of migrant communities and organizations on LGBTQIA+ migrant inclusion.
- Increase synergy and cooperation between LGBTQIA+ organizations, migrant organizations, and local authorities.
- Develop and implement local integration strategies for LGBTQIA+ migrants, with a focus on: early integration, long-term integration, and the creation of inclusive and cohesive communities.
- Increase access to information for LGBTQIA+/SOGI migrants and refugees regarding practices and services in host countries.
Activities
- Capacity-Building and awareness-raising, through training sessions aimed at experienced and/or volunteer staff within organizations active in the local reception of migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees, but also in LGBTQIA+ activism realities, and local authorities;
- Setting of a mentoring program (“Rainbow Buddies”) to support SOGI/LGBTQIA+ migrant people and refugee who want to connect with members of the local community, offering them practical and psychological support and facilitating access to essential services;
- Establishment of working tables between local authorities, migrant organizations and LGBTQIA+ organizations to identify the specific needs of SOGI/LGBTQIA+ diaspora communities and develop local action plans.
Resources
- ‘Rainbow Buddies’ Schemes: national guidelines to foster tutoring and mentorship between LGBTQIA+ and migration practitioners;
- @clusion Toolbox: a set of resources with innovative proposals and best practices, to support local authorities in local planning for the inclusion of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees belonging to the LGBTQIA+/SOGI collective;
- Web portal @nclusion: a multilingual digital tool, to provide information on local services and useful contacts in the LGBTQIA+/SOGI migration field, adapted to the needs of the communities present in each of the partner countries.
Impact
- Increased visibility to the views and opinions of LGBTQIA+/SOGI migrant people’s associations through training at least 300 practitioners within local authorities;
- Active involvement of at least 300 LGBTQIA+ migrant people, refugees, and SOGI asylum seekers to increase their local participation and support within inclusion processes;
- Scalable and replicable good practices and methodologies for the development and implementation of local integration initiatives/strategies that can inspire other local actors, taking into account the needs of migrant people with greater protection needs;
- Optimization of cross-border cooperation between local authorities and other stakeholders for the development and implementation of local integration strategies for LGBTQIA+/SOGI migrant people.
Partners
- NICOSIA DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (ANEL) LTD (Cyprus, coordinator)
- CSI CENTER FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION LTD (Cyprus)
- SYMPLEXIS (Greece)
- FORUM GRECO DEI MIGRANTI (GFM) (Greece)
- ANCI Sicilia (Italy)
- CESIE ETS (Italy)
- COMITATO PROVINCIALE ARCIGAY PALERMO APS (Italy)
- COMUNE DI WROCLAW (Poland)
- FUNDACJA UKRAINA (Poland)
- COMUNE DI ALZIRA (Spain)
- NEST Berlin (Germany)
