Context/Background of the projectSocio-political background: due to the refugee crisis, the European population is confronted with an ambivalent and highly complex social construction process. The refugees/migrants hope for integration, safety and an economic recovery in the European host countries. In the process conflicts seem to be inevitable, when diverse ethnic and cultural – religious heterogeneity and different norms and values – make contact. In this current ambivalent societal construction process the European societies change, as well as implicitly their socio-economic and education pollical impose suppositions of diverse (new) demands towards the communes, the city government and the education system. Intercultural competences become a skill and a quality feature for professional behaviour. The project wants to react to this new situation. Especially in the education sector (regular school, training facilities, and universities) new innovative structures in the organization are required and regarding educational content to establish, understand general conditions for an intercultural dialogue as a potential to handle the societal challenges. Education political purpose and demand:The project contributes to integrate marginalised groups and especially asylum seekers into society, train the intercultural perception of all persons involved, prepare them for the working life and lay foundations for international understanding. Objectives:Development of an innovative method tool, which is developed cooperatively by European partner organisations, offering a sustainable training program in psycho-social, pedagogic and economic learning fields within the migration and refugee movement. It is orientated on I. the dialogical learning of Paulo Freire, II. Intercultural education, III. Language training, IV. Vocational training, V. Consultation/Coaching. With the help of such a method tool already existing methodical/didactic approaches should be reflected, compared, adjusted and extended with new methodical approaches according to the target group. At the same time the four training activities (workshops) which took place in the two-year project were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively and a report was written on the process. Number and profile of the participating institutions: 5 Partner institutions were involved: Volkshochschule Vaterstetten e.V (Volk High School Vaterstetten) as coordinating organization, Evangelische Hochschule Freiburg (Protestant University Freiburg), the pedagogic and psychologic Faculty of the University of Palermo, Volkshochschule Simmering from Vienna (Volk High School Simmering) and the theatre company Teatro due mondi. The main activities: 5 transnational meetings and 4 five-day workshops took place during the project. Of each institution involves 5 trainers from different disciplines attended the workshops to practice and analyze the presented methods in practice with the aim to transfer what they had learned into their own pedagogic context. The process and the evaluated results were analyzed during the transnational meetings. The project managers protocolled each meeting in written form. The content of the method tool was written analog to the evaluation results. Achieved results and effect:The partner institutions develop an innovative method tool, describing the methods presented in the training activities following the criteria context, target group, aims, transfer and literature. An evaluation report was written on the whole training process. Effect: In the evaluation the 25-30 participants of the workshops composed the central elements and principles of the learned methods. Their competences and skills of self-reflection of their pedagogic approach and the transfer of lessons learned in different educational contexts improved. The group dynamic during the whole process was very positive so that the participants began to spread the interim results in the course of the project. The workshop participants were obligated to keep a learning diary which helped the exchange of experiences and the evaluation. One partner institution was responsible for the creation of a project-website. Long-term benefit: Due to the planned and already started dissemination activities the developed innovative methods will be useful to a variety of trainers of different disciplines and different educational institutions (training facilities, universities, regular schools and institutions nurturing creativity).

"""EFFECTS"": Experts for Families find effective concepts of training and support Context:The concept of ""family"" and - as a result - of family work is constantely changing in all of our societies. The great number of refugees from many different nations, cultural, ethnical and religious backgrounds is a challenge to family work in every participating country and is prompting discussions in our nations. The participating institutions realize, that all of us have to rethink our concepts of inclusion and family support. The participating organizations from Sweden, England, Bulgaria, Crotia and Germany are working througout their states and/or countries and develope concepts on how to best support (disadvantaged) families and youth, also families with migration and flight backgrounds. Because of their very different historical and cultural matrix they have developed varying perspectives and concepts/training programs in different fields of family work, that the partners profited from.Number and profile of the participants:1. Sweden, 2 representatives: The President of FEFAF, European Federation of Parents and Carers at Home, an umbrella organization with 19 member organizations in Europe and at the UN and nationally. A board member of the institution ""Haro"", that organizes seminars for parents, professionals and policymakers. Publishing magazines for members four times/year. 2. England, 2 representatives from Everton Nursery School and Family centre: The Headteacher, National Representative of Teaching School Council, the lead school within the North Liverpool Teaching School Partnership, working locally and nationally, one staff member. 3. Bulgaria will be represented by the Director of Tulip Foundation and two more staff. The organization enhances co-operation among civil society, the corporate sector, national and local authorities in Bulgarian to improve the quality of life and developmental opportunities for the families. Tulip Foundation provides grants, expertise and technical support, information, various trainings, opportunities for sharing experience and practices among NGOs on a national level.4. Croatia: The Youth Association Breza from Osijek was represented by their president, experienced in training youth workers, establishing innovative social services and the Director of Community Service providers centre. The organization Breza supports independent living for youth at risk and provides a counseling center as well as non-formal education of young people and professionals in a fields of LLL, culture and art, sustainable development with accent on multiculturalism, experiential learning and cooperative relationships.5. Germany is represented by: The lead partner, the Diakonisches Werk Baden in charge of more than 600 Kindergartens and family centres, an educational centre, cooperating among others with Protestant University of Freiburg, represented by two leading professors/researchers, and BAG, an organization implemeting the federal program ""Chances for parents are chances for children II"", a training programm for educators, social workers etc., supporting parents. Activities: Six meetings in five countries, visitations of best practice institutions, to better understand the rationales behind the concepts, reflect them and apply aspects to their own training programms and/or fields of work. These discussions and presentations were meant to be the basis for the reviews of the curricula of the partner organizations.Methodology: Presentations, discussions, viewing research/ teaching material; Documentations: photos, films, sharepoint; Results/long term benefits: The partners got a greater understanding of the social/cultural diversity, profiting from innovative methods of participative and inclusive training programs and practical social work in line with individual needs/needs of society. They had an opportunity to discuss new methods of working with disadvantaged, refugees and displaced families and youth. The output is influencing their training programms and daily work.Motto at the end of the project: Participation instead of activation!Common goals: - Empowerment and strengthening resilience of families- Focus on living and training an awareness of prejudice as a basis of building (transnational) relationships - Ressource-orientation as an essential for (re-)building positiv experiences in social work and personal development Recommendations: - Learning to view ourselves as professionals being part of the community of giving and taking.- Considering also the basis psychological needs of people as a starting point of social work! (Autonomy and self-determination; Competence and effectiveness; Affiliation/A sense of belonging)- Addressees should be viewed as partners in the process of the joint development of a community.- Educators, social workers, medical staff etc. should work together and try to find a common language. No ""lonely islands""!"