UNITES (2022-2024)

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Led by Eurocities, UNITES (UrbaN InTEgration Strategies through co-design) trains and accompanies local authorities to co-design integration strategies with other stakeholders and migrants.

UNITES aims to:

improve integration outcomes by co-designing integration strategies with stakeholders, citizens and vulnerable migrants
train integration practitioners in managing co-design processes through different forms of learning and exchange of good practices
foster the participation of citizens, including migrants but also vulnerable migrants in the co-design of integration strategy
raise awareness on the advantages of a “whole of society approach” to integration.

In a first stage, UNITES will develop training on co-designing integration strategies, incorporating research on best practices across Europe. A pilot version of the training will be conducted with staff from the 8 cities participating in the project. The training will then be developed into an open access online course (MOOC) for integration practitioners outside the project.
In a second stage, the 8 city partners will receive a grant to set up a new mechanism for stakeholder consultation and develop their local integration strategy through co-design with stakeholders and migrants. In planning and implementing their actions, they will receive guidance from colleagues from other cities and migrant organisations in peer workshops and peer visits to each city. For more information, please contact Rossella Nicoletti, senior project coordinator at Eurocities rossella.nicoletti@eurocities.eu

METHODOLOGY AND ACTIVITIES

CO-DESIGN WITH MIGRANTS AND LOCAL COMMUNITY

UNITES will develop tools of outreach and co-design activities tailored to each city’s local context to involve migrants and other citizens. Such measures can, for instance, include training costs and remuneration for migrants helping to co-design a strategy. Each city partner will consult with relevant stakeholders at local level, including social services, social workers, NGOs and associations to identify vulnerable migrants. These measures will be discussed locally, including with the stakeholder group, and be revised according to feedback within the transnational peer support.

TRANSNATIONAL PEER SUPPORT

The peer support will help apply the knowledge provided by the training to specific actions and local contexts. For this purpose, peers from the other cities, UNITEE and NWC will constitute a supportive community of practice during online-workshops and field visits to each city. The community of practice will also include other stakeholders such as representatives from civil society, migrant associations, regional and national governments. The experiences of the 8 city partners will be incorporated in an updated version of the MOOC to be launched at the 11th Integrating Cities conference.