HANDSHAKE Facilitating the social inclusion of young foreigners in big metropolitan cities

1. Integrating foreigners into the local community: the project brought expats together, fostering synergy, supporting them in finding accommodation and jobs, and organising events to encourage ...

1. Integrating foreigners into the local community: the project brought expats together, fostering synergy, supporting them in finding accommodation and jobs, and organising events to encourage their participation. This approach managed to enhance social cohesion, promote the sense of European unity, and facilitated the integration of expats into the host community. 2. Creation of a multilingual information centre through Handshake web app: with the project we provided comprehensive info about the city, including accommodation, job opportunities and admin procedures. This digital tool contributed to facilitate access to essential information while boosting social inclusion and engagement among citizens. 3. Inclusion of diverse groups: the project managed to address the needs of young people who had faced social, cultural, and economic obstacles. By offering a tool that facilitated their search for work, study or leisure opportunities, the project promoted social inclusion and integration. 4. Increasing social activism: Through the organisation and promotion of intercultural events, the project encouraged active citizenship and fostered the daily commitment of all citizens to improving their cities.

Phase 1:Preparation and Desk Research (Febr-May 22) The initial phase of the project focused on thorough preparations, including the development of a detailed project plan and conducting comprehensive desk research. Phase 2:Development and Launching of the Web App (May-July 22) The web app content was carefully curated to offer valuable resources and support to young expats arriving in Milan, Brussels, and Paris. By July 7th, the web app was ready for launch, making it accessible to young expats Phase 3:Offline Events and Continuous Web App Updates + communication (July 22-June 23) In this phase, a series of nine offline events (incl.launch of the app) were organized across the 3 cities. These events aimed to facilitate integration, inclusivity among young expats and increase social activism. Concurrently with the events, the web app was continuously updated to ensure its relevance and responsiveness to the needs of the target audience Phase 4:Finalizing and follow up (May-June 23) The project assessed its impact on the participants, target groups, and other relevant stakeholders. The Handshake guide was fine-tuned and a scalability plan outlining the possible implementation of the project in other major Eu cities was drafted

The main outputs included the development and launch of the web app, a multilingual platform that offers practical information and resources to navigate challenges in these cities. Additionally, the project successfully created a comprehensive Social Inclusion Guide tailored to the needs of expats, providing valuable insights and support for their integration. In line with the project's objectives, 9 engaging events were organized, bringing together a total of 216 participant form the expats and local community. These events facilitated open discussions, interactive workshops, and social activities, fostering mutual understanding between different socio-cultural background and increasing social activism. The insights gathered from these events directly contributed to the continuous improvement of the web app, ensuring its relevance and effectiveness in addressing the real challenges faced by expats. The success of the project has laid a strong foundation for future expansion and a scalability plan to further promote integration and inclusivity in other major European cities was also created.