Immigrant Friendly Cities

Integration and acquisition of skills for migrants and refugees had become a priority in the European and national policy agendas. In this context, the potential use of digital learning platforms and tools for developing the skills needed by migrants and refugees in host countries had been the target of great interest. The aim of the project was to create permanent information services for immigrants by developing mobile Apps and online trainings for immigrant advisors. The need to develop immigrant information services exists because in many cases people haa a lack of information when moving into a new country or a new city about how to proceed with residence permits, social security issues, jobsearch etc. and even about what services were available.

Additionally, as education was considered indispensable to integration there was an increasing need to prepare all adult education providers, immigrant advisors and officers in public authorities in the most affected EU countries to initiate relevant programmes with the newly arrived migrants and refugees.

Year(s): 2018 and 2021

Target group(s): Immigrants and refugees

Website or other online channels: https://immigrant-friendly-cities.eu/

Methodology

The project aim was to create a mobile APP for refugees to access information services in the nearby area which genuinely work and were organized in co-operation between different public authorities. The purpose of this application; to help immigrants meet their new society and to ensure that they were informed about their rights and obligations. Based on this idea, the content of the mobile application includes detailed information including the promotion of the province, education, health, law, culture, tourism, transportation, security, residence and frequently asked questions. The project partners also aimed to facilitate the integration of immigrants by promoting that city by using the above information about a city in their own country. Within the application, various services were designed under the headings of education, health, language, working life, socio-cultural activities, and assistance and suggestions. There were submenus under these headings. These menus contained content such as (1) Right and Obligation, (2) Cost, (3) Location and (4) Internet Resources.

Type of product

Online resource Course / Training Mobile application

Brief description of the outcomes

The main product of this project was a Mobile APP so a application was developed in the name of MOOC (Massive Open Online Course). A MOOC (Massive open online course) for adult education trainers who worked with the immigrants/refugees. Adult education trainers also improved their competences by offering new ways of learning, as a result of the cooperation and exchange of experiences at international level. In order to encourage the continuous and professional development of adult educators, online trainings (Massive Open Online Courses ”MOOCs”) were organized.

Impact on target groups / Transferability potential

With the categories of "education, health, language, working life, socio-cultural activities, transportation, accommodation, assistance and suggestions" in the mobile application, which was one of the main outputs of the project, it provided support to meet the needs of immigrants and refugees and to solve their adaptation problems in the city. This practice was used not only by immigrants and asylum seekers, but also by organizations operating in the public service sector in general, and in the education, transportation, health and tourism sectors in particular.

Promoter of the initiative: Aydın Governorship & Aydın Provincial Directorate of Migration Management

Country: Turkey

Languages available: English Turkish

Website or other online channels: https://immigrant-friendly-cities.eu/