Dr. Asya Pisarevskaya, dr. William Voorberg and prof. dr. Peter Scholten of the Erasmus University Rotterdam participate in a newly awarded a European Horizon 2020 project on ’Sustainable Practices of Integration’ (SPRING). The project will start on March 1st, 2021 and will last for 24 months. With an international consortium of research partners and societal stakeholders, SPRING will develop a toolbox to improve innovation and sustainability in integration practices.
Currently there is a lot of knowledge on integration, produced both by academia and practice-oriented research agencies, but it is not accessible for the immediate use and application of practitioners in various country contexts. It is not accessible because it is written mainly in English, which not all the practitioners working in the local level of integration know, it is written in technical and complex language, it is not openly shared and some knowledge is simply too abstract. That is why this project aims to facilitate gathering, summarising and translation of this knowledge for the use of practitioners. The researchers hope that as a result of this knowledge transfer and application efforts better practices of integration of newly arrived migrants will be designed and implemented.
Integration professionals will shape this project
SPRING will engage with communities of practice on integration, including national and local governments as well as NGOs, businesses and grassroots civic initiatives. These communities will shape the project’s activities through piloted participatory techniques for needs assessments (needs of the practitioners and policy makers involved in integration of migrants), co-designing activities and the identification of solutions and policy implications.
Sharing knowledge on integration policies and practices
SPRING will then gather, summarise and share the best available research and evidence on the effectiveness, innovation, transferability, sustainability and evaluation methods for integration policies and practice. This evidence will summarise the findings of European Union projects funded under Horizon 2020, AMIF, European Social Fund and Erasmus+ as well as relevant public and private donors.
Share the most usable and practical materials and make it more accessible
Summarising this evidence, SPRING will collect, create and disseminate the most usable and practical materials, such as examples of good practice, handbooks, pieces of training, templates, databases and contact lists. The SPRING online portal and repository, combined with the consortium’s communications task force and social media strategies, will curate the content and form to match the specific profile and needs of these communities of practice which will make the evidence more accessible.
About SPRING
SPRING is a coordination and support project in the Horizon2020 work programme “Europe in a changing world – Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies” in response to the call MIGRATIONN-10-2020: “Sustainable practices for the integration of newly arrived migrants into societies ”. The consortium consists of 9 European partners, and is coordinated by ISMU Foundation (Foundation for the Initiatives and Study of Multiethnicity), Milan, Italy.
Strategy Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB)
This research project is aligned with the ambition of the ESSB strategy Meeting the Future Society to have a positive societal impact. It contributes to the inclusivity of cities, a theme that’s also a part of the strategic pillar and Erasmus Initiative Vital Cities and Citizens (VCC). Prof. dr. Peter Scholten and Asya Pisarevskaya are involved in VCC.
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Marjolein Kooistra - Public Relations and Media
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