Practice Examples
Migration
In September 2016, the non-governmental organization Kiron in Germany launched the pilot research & development project called INTEGRAL or ‘Integration and Participation of Refugees in the Context of Digital Teaching and Learning Scenarios’, in cooperation with RWTH Aachen University and the Lübeck University of Applied Sciences. Using a combination of e-mentoring, German as a second language classes, and assistance in navigating university application requirements, INTEGRAL aims to promote the integration of refugees into the higher education system and to identify potential courses of action. Click here to learn more.
In 2007 the Barcelona City Council started the New Families in Barcelona program, which provides orientation and support to families before, during and after the process of family reunification. In the absence of a national-level program, the city uses its local budget to offer refugee and migrant families comprehensive and personalized guidance on the legal, practical and psychological aspects of the family reunification process. Click here to learn more.
In July 2017, Madrid’s government published a number of concrete proposals to reduce the number of persons detained in the city and to ensure that immigration detention is only used in exceptional circumstances and people in situations of vulnerability receive adequate support and protection, among other objectives. Click here to learn more.
The Berlin city-state government has agreed to implement minimum standards for the protection of children, adolescents and women in all refugee accommodation centres under its jurisdiction. Click here to learn more.
In 2015 New York City introduced the country’s largest municipal identification program. IDNYC is a free government-issued photo ID card that secures access to services and cultural institutions to every city resident, including disadvantaged communities such as the homeless, youth, the elderly, undocumented migrants, the formerly incarcerated, and others who may have difficulty obtaining other type of government-issued ID. The card can be used in interactions with NYC police but not for federal purposes (e.g. air travel). Personal information collected from IDNYC applicants is not shared with immigration authorities. Click here to learn more.
In Auckland, a multicultural playgroup program provides an informal supportive environment for refugee and migrant mothers and their children. They bond over shared experiences while gaining skills and confidence in English and learning about early childhood education and schooling in New Zealand. Meanwhile, their children follow an ECD curriculum and get ready for primary school. Click here to learn more.
The Three2Six project provides an afternoon bridging education program for hundreds of refugee and migrant children living in the inner-city suburbs of Johannesburg, where neighborhoods experiencing significant urban decay have been sites of attacks on foreign residents. The project offers math, English and life-skills classes to prepare children to transition into mainstream education as quickly as possible. It employs refugee teachers, providing them with employment, assistance to have their qualifications recognized, experience with the South African curriculum and support to continue their studies. Click here to learn more.
The Costa Rican municipality of Coto Brus, in partnership with national authorities and several UN entities, established Casas de la Alegría to provide culturally-sensitive, comprehensive care to Ngabë and Buglé children who migrate seasonally with their parents from neighboring Panama to harvest coffee, and who would otherwise be exposed to an unsafe environment, child labour, lack of ECD and high newborn mortality rates. Click here to learn more.
In Beirut’s neighborhood of Ain el Remmaneh / Chiyah, home to Christian and Muslim Lebanese communities, IDPs, long-term Palestinian refugees and newer Syrian refugees, a pilot project led by World Vision brought together young people from diverse religious, political and ethnic backgrounds, empowering them to self-organize and mobilize to promote peace-building and social cohesion in their communities. All youth group activities were executed in coordination with local authorities and civil society organizations that had until then never worked together. Click here to learn more.
In the Netherlands, the cities of Amsterdam, The Hague and Almere are providing support to several local governments in Lebanon and Jordan hosting large Syrian refugee populations, focusing on municipal services (waste, water, sewage), local economic development, strategic planning and cooperation across cities. The project was commissioned by the international branch of the Association of Dutch Municipalities (Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten International) with the financial support of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Click here to learn more.