Communitarian approach for a holistic young refugee long term integration

Since 2015, European countries have faced increasing pressure due to the arrival of asylum seekers fleeing war zones. From 2021 onwards, this situation has worsened with the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and the invasion of Ukraine. The integration of refugees has encountered numerous obstacles, including a lack of sustainable support mechanisms and persistent xenophobic attitudes. Young refugees have proven to be particularly vulnerable to these difficulties. In response, the REFUGIN project has focused on empowering practitioners in the field educators, psychologists, social workers by providing them with concrete tools to support refugees and encourage their inclusion, as well as on promoting more inclusive societies, in line with European Union guidelines and recommendations. These call for strengthening social inclusion, education, and the active participation of refugees, especially young people, in order to build resilient and supportive communities. REFUGIN provides a concrete example of how local and transnational initiatives can help meet the challenges of integration.

REFUGIN aims to improve the skills of education professionals and NGOs working with young refugees in order to promote their sustainable integration. It is based primarily on the creation of a European network (A2.1) that facilitates exchanges and enables the identification and dissemination of promising integration practices (A2.2 and A2.4). Next, an in-depth needs assessment was carried out using surveys, interviews, and focus groups (A3.1 & A3.2), then consolidated by an international panel of experts (A3.3), resulting in a synthesis report (A3.4). On this basis, tailor-made training modules are being developed (A4.1, A4.2, A4.3) to strengthen the pedagogical, intercultural, and psychosocial skills of practitioners and young refugees. At the same time, the project aimed to encourage and support the creation of inclusive communities through mentoring (A5.1) and intercultural dialogue activities (A5.2), thereby strengthening social cohesion and tolerance. REFUGIN thus pursues a dual ambition: to support the integration of refugees in the medium and long term and to strengthen the capacities of professionals, while promoting EU values.

We organized the management and coordination between partners (WP1), created a database of over 200 practitioners, and launched an interactive European network, while compiling promising integration practices in a practical handbook (WP2). We conducted a three-pronged research approach through surveys, interviews/focus groups with teachers, educators, and NGO professionals to assess their current needs and those of young people. This assessment was consolidated by an international panel of experts and resulted in a comprehensive baseline report (WP3). We developed a blended training course for civil society and education professionals, an online train-the-trainer program for the same target group, and an online course on learning capacities for young refugees (WP4). Finally, we designed and tested a mentoring model, developed a framework for intercultural activities, and produced inclusive guidelines for educational institutions/NGOs (WP5). These activities were accompanied by transnational meetings, local workshops, and online/offline dissemination actions.

The project has produced a coherent set of tools and results to support the sustainable integration of young refugees, activating integration as a two-way process. It is based on the creation of a European network of practitioners and organizations. This network is enriched by a practical handbook, easily accessible on the project website, which brings together inspiring and transferable initiatives from partner countries, according to defined inclusion criteria, enabling professionals to discover effective methods already implemented elsewhere. In addition, an in-depth survey, supplemented by interviews and focus groups, has resulted in a reference report that highlights the needs of young refugees and the gaps encountered by educators and NGOs in the eight partner countries. On this basis, REFUGIN designs innovative training programs aimed at both strengthening the skills and know-how of practitioners and providing young refugees with new resources for their autonomy and development, whether through blended courses, online modules (for young people), or training and mentoring systems, interculturality.