RefugeesIN Project intends to contribute to the challenges identified at Europe 2020 initiatives and the European Agenda for Adult Learning as well, where is stressed the need for more cohesive and inclusive EU societies. This was even more accentuate at ERASMUS+ Programme with a clear focus on social cohesion and the integration of refugees into the EU societies, when we are living a humanitarian
calamity of historic proportions with individuals facing complex and painful processes in their adaptive pathways to European societies. Education plays a crucial role in helping refugees settle in the new countries, being a part of the solution throughout the integration process. Aligned with this, RefugeesIN wants to make a breach into the negative social beliefs on refugees with undisputed film evidence made by and about the achievements of former refugees well included into EU societies where they live today, believing they can have a central modelling role for the newcomers inclusion. The ultimate goal of RefugeesIN is to offer an innovative cinema-based Pack to professional staff working with refugees use in their activity, to encourage intercultural dialogue, to combat discrimination against refugees and promote their social inclusion. Cinema will be used as a tool for breaching stereotypes and portraying actual and inspiring life stories of well-included former refugees and having a modelling role for the newcomers’ social inclusion. Engaging refugees people is the challenge and initiatives have been developed to try and do so. There social inclusion pathways can be facilitated not only through formal teaching but also through direct participatory activities in the adult learning providers and local communities. Citizenship education and social inclusion can be more effective if are reinforced by a supportive environment where are experienced values and principles of democratic and inclusive process in action. RefugeesIN is composed by interlinked activities resulting in the production of a Pack with resources and methodologies to be used mainly by adult educators and AE providers, staff and civil society organisations, proposing a new multicultural learning process mediated by cinema and filmmaking practice, focusing individual narratives of living experiences of social inclusion that have radically transformed their lives. Stimulating critical thinking, increase level of digital competence and media literacy, particularly in the use of the Internet and social media, greater understanding and responsiveness to social, ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity, are an essential part of the response to the current crisis and to develop resistance to all forms of discrimination and indoctrination. Participants in the RefugeesIN Course will produce their own short documentaries films, once the Course is also meant to build skills
and competencies needed to engage in documentary film production. The European cinema that addresses social inclusion topics is also a major contributor to the project, fostering up discussions within multicultural groups, and having a language suitable for establishing links between refugees and local citizens. Partnership covers the main expertise and experience required for the success of the project, mobilising a team of highly skilled professionals, balanced between research and direct experience with the target audience and familiar with adult education, multicultural learning and movie-based learning. Well as active citizenship, social inclusion and refugee issues and technical and methodological research methods.RefugeesIN innovative approach includes an interactive website able to enrich and feed the project beyond its funding period. It will be open to the collaboration of all, where it will be possible to uploading new assets, illustrating refugees achievements on their efforts to survive and integrate into the European societies. The following results are expected:
(1)Branding RefugeesIN through an easily identifiable and attractive image; (2) Brochure: real-life stories – from escape to belonging. Collection of 24 real-life successful inclusion stories of former refugees; (3) Film Catalogue, with films that portrays and illustrates successful stories (fictional and real) of refugees’ social inclusion. (4) Course Curriculum and Manual; (5) Guide
introducing the RefugeesIN rational and approach for target audience and illustrating how to use flexibly the assets in the Pack; (6) an interactive Website, offering freely the RefugeesIN assets, enriched by other uploaded by external stakeholders. Finally, to point out that are anticipated Conferences & Films Festivals in each of the partner countries, an important aspect for a wider strategy for the continuous exploitation of the Pack and website via an annual similar event, to be called " RefugeesIN Conference & Film Festival: Cinema for Social Inclusion
