MiStra is a mainstreaming project aiming to involve policy makers, local authorities and public and private stakeholders on initiatives directed to the integration of policies and targeted interventions for the social inclusion of migrants, Roma and other minorities, identified as good practices at European level.

The project provides for the transfer of four good practices, from the cities of Dublin, Berlin, Vienna and Bologna, in four target cities, Taranto, Burgas, Prague and Budapest, on these issues.

The four best practices were chosen within the transnational partnership involved in the project, based on previous experiences of success on the theme of social inclusion, while the four target cities were identified on a needs analysis held by the partners of the cities involved, which stressed the need to implement measures of social inclusion for migrants, Roma and other minorities in their respective territories.

Project Objectives

•  Exploit education and vocational training measures as means to facilitate social inclusion and job placement of migrant people, including marginalized cultural minorities and Roma people. A number of practices and measures are available at European and local levels to foster labour and social inclusion for weaker target groups. Our project directly faces the difficulties often encountered at city level to know, select and adopt such practices. The transfer and mentoring model planned is aimed at supporting both transfer and receiving contexts in gradually addressing and responding to these needs.

• Facilitate and systematize the further exchanges between local welfare systems. One of the best results of the LeCiM project was the creation of a suitable framework for city exchanges on VET and welfare systems, through capacity building actions and the building of informal and formal networks of partners, beneficiaries and stakeholders. We want to capitalize and accelerate these processes, and promote them in other external contexts, through providing practical tools and guidance, such as an improved need analysis model and exchange matrix; a toolkit for local administrators and policy makers to assess their needs, strengths, weaknesses and prepare a local action plan on migrants and minorities’ integration.
• Mainstream the issues linked to integration, social inclusion and VET quality in cities’ political agendas. The project bases upon the positive perspective of diversity and migration as resources for the communities rather than problems to resolve. The direct involvement of all actors and stakeholders concerned, including a number of policy makers, is based upon the share of the vision of modifying services to match changing needs.
• Sharing and disseminating knowledge and competences on migrant and minorities’ social inclusion. A European database of best practices from transfer, receiving and external contexts will be built and used as a basic dissemination tool within the European relevant networks and at local level.
• Preventing and contrasting racism and marginalisation phenomena at different levels, namely in policy, on the job and in daily life. The common approach behind each good practice to be transferred aims the prevention and combating discrimination in different levels and sectors of society, acting on culture and misperceptions of migrant and Roma people, raising awareness on migration issues, facilitating the civil and political participation of migrant and minorities in a perspective of citizenship, but also reinforcing common dialogue and knowledge against stereotypes and prejudges in policy, VET and daily life.

Duration of the project: 01.10.2012 – 30.09.2014

Our European Partners are:

• CIOFS-FP (Italy)
• Ballymun Job Centre (Ireland)
• Don Bosco Nővérek Háza Alapítvány (Hungary)
• MetropolisNet (Germany)
• People in Need – Programm für Migrationsbewusstsein (Czech Republic)
• Reformiertes Missionszentrum (Hungary)
• Stiftung Europartners 2007 (Bulgaria)
• ZSI Zentrum für soziale Innovation e.V. (Austria)