On 15 & 16 June 2021, a two-day international meeting was organized by the Local Government Association of Western Macedonia within the framework of the ALL IN project, which is funded by the Europe for Citizens Programme.
The meeting focused on issues of integration of refugees and migrants in the society and the economy. The Agenda included a series of Panel Discussions and interactive Workshops with the participation of very important organizations operating in Greece. In particular, on the subject of “Migration policies & Practices in Greece”very important interventions took place by the UNHCR, the Hellenic Red Cross Response in Refugee Crisis and the Arsis NGO Housing Migrants Children.
The Ministry of Education shed light on issues related to it’s contribution to the education and development of refugee-immigrant students. The opportunity to present living stories and testimonies of refugees as well as personal stories of people who support refugees, was also given. The Hellenic Social Welfare Assistance Unit (Kinoniko EKAV) in particular, gave very vivid examples of such cases. The panel discussion, entitled “Education & Migrant Inclusion Practices”, provided an opportunity for a number of NGOs working in the field, to present their activities and how they experience the challenge of integrating refugees into society.
These organizations were the Urban Resilience Observatory, the NAOMI, the Ecumenical Workshop for Refugees, the Perichoresis NGO and the NGO Solidarity Now. After each panel discussion and workshop there was a very vivid and fruitful dialogue with the participants from Greece and abroad.
Pathways to belonging: From intercultural dialogue to social inclusion 