ReBel, a project funded by the European Commission in the framework of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Program (CERV), begins its work after the inaugural event held on September 9 in Helsinki. Coordinated by the Finnish Laurea University of Applied Sciences, the consortium is made up of the Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies, for Spain and under the coordination of researchers Karen Hough and Jusaima Moaid-Azm Peregrina; the international organization What Design Can Do for the Netherlands and the training center Visiopintokeskusvisio, for Finland.
The cornerstone of this project are the migrant women who have been in European host countries for more than 5 years, women who will collaborate with professional designers to create models and solutions for different contexts in the countries where this European project is being developed: Spain, Finland and Holland.
The role of the Euro-Arab Foundation
The Euro-Arab Foundation will lead the preliminary research work package that will lay the foundations of the project and will comparatively analyze other European projects that have also focused on the sense of belonging of migrants. Subsequently, a survey will be elaborated -under European standards- that will collect the experience of migrant women and their feelings towards the reception received. Likewise, Euroarab will be in charge of the so-called “research dialogues” in Spain, which will bring together local participants, migrant women, NGOs and authorities in workshops where they will address different topics such as xenophobic attacks, resilience strategies or barriers to overcome. Co-creative collaboration workshops will also be organized to improve the services offered by both authorities and NGOs, and round tables on migration policies will be organized.
The expected impact of the work developed by ReBel will be seen in the empowerment of migrant women, the improvement of their sense of belonging and the promotion of positive narratives. It will also contribute to a broader understanding among society, inform more inclusive immigration policies and provide practical tools to promote solidarity in these contexts.
The models and solutions created by ReBel will be designed within different contexts in the project countries, with input from a wide range of stakeholders, allowing the generation of new concepts that can be used within different settings in the European Union, including municipalities, national authorities, local communities, NGOs and other actors developing the integration of migrants.
