Integration Strategies
with Migrants and
Other Stakeholders
Strategies through co-design) involving migrant integration practitioners across
Europe. The UNITES project set out to:
integration strategies with stakeholders, citizens and vulnerable migrants;
train integration practitioners in managing co-design processes through various
forms of learning and exchange of good practices, and
raise awareness of the advantages of a “whole-of-society approach” to
integration
Oulu, Prague, Zagreb and Zaragoza), two migrant organisations, UNITEE and New
Women Connectors, and learning partner MigrationWork formed a community of
practice to support each city as they introduced co-design to their local integration
strategies. To inform the work, good practices in this field were identified during a
research phase. This how-to guide was developed alongside a Massive Open Online
Course available to practitioners wishing to use co-design approaches in order to
make their integration strategies more participatory and inclusive.
migrants into their city, town or region and seeking to do so with the participation
of migrants themselves throughout the process.
and those well along the path;
· cities that have recently received migrants and those that have been
shaped by migration over decades or centuries;
· small cities and big cities, with or without funding and other
resources, cities with all types of migrants; large or small numbers of
migrants, long-term and transient migrants, refugees and others;
them in developing integration strategies and need to show them how to do so;
Those with a stake in migrant integration who want to explore how their city
could improve by involving migrant residents.2
2. How to coordinate with stakeholders
3. Co-design methods that can be used
4. How to tap into unheard voices and reach vulnerable groups
At the end of the guide you will find further useful resources, including the UNITES benchmark of key success factors for co-designing integration strategies. You can use that benchmark to assess which criteria your city already fulfils and areas in which it could improve its use of co-design.
participatory principles and tools to engage different kinds of people and
knowledge in public problem-solving” (Blomkamp 2018)
discovery with “narrower” phases of experimentation and prototyping
its egalitarian principles – namely that everybody can and should participate in
the design process on an equal footing, contributing their different perspectives
and experiences;
the use of creative and practical tools, which aim to generate deep input from
all persons involved.
READ MORE +
its migrant integration strategy
strategy – or indeed any other strategy or service – takes more effort than just
working with people from the city council or a few select NGO representatives. So
why do it? Here is a list of arguments for using co-design:
their needs more effectively
In crisis situations in particular, tapping into the knowledge of community
members is invaluable to understand quickly what is going on and what is needed.
Co-design further reinforces democratic participation and shows that people’s
experiences are taken seriously, which is important when facing pressure from
media or politicians delegitimising migrants in our society.
Co-design methods bring citizens together to exchange their views and
experience a shared sense of citizenship.
Co-design provides an opportunity to show that migrants are active participants
in shaping new communities rather than passive “beneficiaries”.
READ MORE +
migrant integration?
integration strategies across the policy cycle
when developing the relevant measures
Looks to the medium and long term
Includes all relevant areas of the city’s competencies
Gathers information to understand context and needs
Defines actions and the resources needed for their implementation
Is agreed at the appropriate political and administrative levels
Supports coordination between a range of actors and stakeholders
Envisages and supports crisis responses, including mechanisms to learn from
those for continuous improvement of the strategy.
across the policy cycle
– that should be applied throughout the policy cycle, namely: needs assessment,
action planning, implementation and monitoring, and evaluation and co-design.
The needs assessment should be objective, inclusive and focused on the challenges,
barriers and inequalities migrants face. There are various ways of engaging migrant
communities when assessing their needs, for example through surveys, open dialogues
or in workshops involving migrant representatives or associations.
REAL LIFE EXAMPLE
Mapping migrant trajectories upon arrival in Nantes
REAL LIFE EXAMPLE
São Paulo and its first Municipal Plan of Policies for Immigrants
their capacities and fields of expertise. Migrant representatives should be involved
in monitoring and testing implementation of the strategy throughout its duration
and report on it to allow for corrections to be made where needed.
Involving migrants in evaluations provides accountability and gives a fuller and more accurate account of progress and potential developments needed.
integration stragies across
the policy cycle means
Ensuring deep and meaningful involvement beyond mere consultation.
Using co-design approaches over the whole policy cycle of the integration
strategy, from the initial needs analysis to implementation and evaluation.
When it is difficult, for practical reasons, to involve ordinary residents on a day-to-day basis, organisation of one-off meetings to give them the opportunity to be informed about what is going on.
their families have sometimes been harassed or exploited. And I need support to get them settled into school and flourishing.”
to receive them, get all the stakeholders involved, sort it all out. But then they move on, we go back to what we were doing before, and then have to start all over again next time.”
need to know how to bring the residents along with me on that, I’m
worried they may feel that migrants are getting special treatment.
And where will we get the resources?”
short of staff in my business. Do any of them have qualifications?
Can I recruit them? Can I get help to do that and support them if
they are new to our systems and ideas of people management?”
how to enforce them. And we want to be involved in planning and
monitoring services for them: nothing about us without us.”
are and any issues that might come up if we work with them. And
we need to know what services there are for them and how to
refer to them.”
co-design.
Co-designing integration strategies with practitioners, professionals or institutional representatives marks a shift from understanding integration as a cross-sectoral task of various city departments (such as housing, health, employment, education) to a whole-of-society approach that understands integration as a shared task between the council and civil society. However, it is important to keep in mind that working with civil society does not make coordination across sectors and levels of government obsolete.
Do they show a strong interest in becoming part of the strategy?
Are they able to affect the outcomes of the strategy because of the power they have?
Do they have relevant knowledge to improve the strategy?
The URBACT programme has developed tools to help you decide which stakeholders to work with, namely stakeholder maps to order stakeholders by sector and a power-interest matrix to think about whom to involve.
When the “Mesa” became a formal association in 2020, it set up a formal cooperation agreement with the city council. Through an annual work plan, jointly decided by the Mesa and Council, it delivers services, such as interventions in schools and annual policy laboratories, where city council members and officers meet with civil society organisations to discuss current topics related to migration and interculturality. Past laboratories were held on themes such as the “second generation”, women, work and “the city of full rights”. The discussions and decisions from the laboratory are published and go to the City Council. The Mesa also participates in learning projects side by side with the city council. As part of the EU-funded CAMUS project, the Mesa was responsible for piloting audits of local services to detect and eliminate structural
discrimination.
You can hear more about the council from Javier Bokesa Abia, one of the people active in development of the Mesa and now the city councillor responsible for participation and external relations, in this video.
coordination bodies
450,000 inhabitants, of whom an estimated 2,000 are Geneva Convention
refugees and a further 2,000 have fled Ukraine.
As part of the UNITES project, GAM decided to give a stronger voice to refugees
through a participatory body made up of refugees of various origins called
AGORA. AGORA’s main objective is to provide a channel for refugees to have a
say in policies that concern them, such as evaluating the services and projects
that target refugees or getting involved in design of the “house of hospitality”,
a flagship project that Grenoble is currently planning.
Organisations involved in GAM’s refugee reception policies jointly developed
Agora’s model and recruited refugees to become members of the new council.
The 12 members received training in public speaking and on the local policy
context. They can also receive linguistic support whenever necessary.
Listen to some of the actors involved in Agora in this video.
As of January 2023, the Forum’s membership comprised 36 individuals, including a representative of refugee-led community groups and five experts by experience from participation networks, as well as representatives of national and local government services, such as schools, libraries, employment services, the police, trade unions and NGOs providing assistance to refugees. The Forum is co-chaired by Migration Yorkshire’s Refugee Participation Officer and a representative of Bradford City Council. A secretariat and other ongoing support to the Forum is provided by Migration Yorkshire. The Forum has four thematic meetings per year on topics such as social integration/social interaction, refugee entrepreneurship and health & wellbeing. Listen to the Stakeholder Forum chairs introducing themselves and discussing social integration here and here .
Have a clear, long-term mandate ▼ Find clear purpose ▼ Moderation is important ▼ Set up working groups ▼ Resources are essential ▼
Define relationships ▼ Reviews of membership ▼
previous chapter, we will now move onto the question of how to co-design with
migrants and other interested residents whose needs, experiences and hopes an
integration strategy should respond to.
We will present co-design tools that have proven successful in the field of integration and tips on how to engage with migrant residents. In the following section, we will then discuss how to ensure that you involve the full range of migrant residents and pay particular attention to vulnerable groups.
solutions in interaction with the audience.
safe spaces where people with opposing views are willing to exchange their opinions; it is reliant on the skills of a facilitator or mediator, which can make it expensive.
The methods we have presented here are only a starting point. There are comprehensive co-design toolboxes, such as the one by the UK-based charity Involve, where you can find further inspiration.
do their job.
Why are you asking them to take part and what is their role?
What are the expected outcomes?
How will they be kept updated about outcomes and how can they continue to provide input?
Find out whose voices have not been heard and proactively invite marginalised groups in order to promote access, support engagement and ensure better representation and diversity (more on this in the next chapter).
Map out who can offer perspectives that could transform existing paradigms
and assumptions
Repeated engagement (like being a member of a consultative forum) is better.
Sustained long-term engagement is best – it allows for active participation and develops relationships with the city and its communities, as well as across groups.
Design participation spaces collaboratively, because that not only ensures maximum accessibility but also changes the power dynamics and fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility.
Ask the right questions: make them open-ended and think about how you can encourage innovative and unexpected responses. Keep them relevant and respect people’s time and commitment.
Aim for an iterative approach that tries to be reflexive, learning the lessons on each “lap”.
Start small, perhaps run a pilot and make sure you absorb feedback so you can incorporate the lessons learnt.
typically do not participate. At first glance, many co-design activities seem to tick
that box in that they engage the wider target group they intend to reach, such as
migrants or neighbourhood residents. On closer inspection, however, you might
notice that some people are missing – because they are too busy focusing on getting
by, because they did not get the information in the first place or because their social
or cultural background makes them feel uncomfortable about participating in the
activities you are running.
together in one person, i.e. the reasons intersect.
Practical reasons: Arriving in a city and orienting yourself to a completely new
culture, system and set of norms takes time. Under such circumstances, a person
may not feel like prioritising being part of a co-design consultative group! That is
particularly true for those who have only just arrived.
Legal status: Migrants who have not yet resolved their legal status will typically be
more cautious in engaging with public authorities out of fear of deportation. They
will also be less likely to participate for practical reasons because their access to
formal support will be more limited.
Cultural and social biases: Migrants with certain profiles might be easier to engage
with than others as they are closer to the dominant culture in your city. They might
be more present in public spaces or more familiar with your city’s way of consulting
with people. City council workers might have biases and stereotypes that prevent
them from “seeing” or engaging with certain groups in the first place.
Understanding and overcoming barriers to participation
Gender barriers: Female migrants may struggle to get their voices heard:
Community organisations may be dominated by men who do not understand or accept that women may have different and important perspectives.
Care duties may slow down integration processes, such as language acquisition and reduce available time to engage. That is true of the whole population, but may hit newcomers harder.
Migration trajectories may affect women’s capacity to participate – e.g. more frequent experience of trauma, or family reunification processes initiated by men that may lead to women playing a more passive role due to their later arrival
They may have fled because of persecution related to their sexual orientation and therefore have learnt to “keep quiet” as a survival mechanism.
Disability: Migrants with disabilities face the same kinds of challenges as disabled
people everywhere, including access issues. They may also, however, not know what
their rights are in terms of support for people with disabilities that would allow them to
participate or how they can seek help. There may be cultural barriers to understanding
and/or identifying some forms of mental health issues and neurodivergence.
Age: Both old and young migrants may find themselves excluded from processes.
Older migrants without community ties may not have the language skills or knowledge
to help them participate. Younger migrants may find themselves excluded or ignored
within community structures or feel that their experiences are different and not
taken into consideration.
Take such barriers into account when planning and advertising co-design activities
and go beyond the “migrant” vs non-migrant categories to understand how they
intersect in people differing as to gender, class, disability, residence status etc. Some
of those barriers can be overcome by following the tips below on how to organise
co-design events and how to reach people in the first place.
where people are and going there is essential. Outreach to places where you are
more likely to find women – for example, at the school gate – can yield much better
results than setting up a meeting in the Town Hall. Health and education services
are often helpful intersection points for many citizens, including migrants. The same
is true of community and neighbourhood spaces, where migrants may be engaged
at the local level.
Use a simple and clear communication style. Avoid jargon and be consistent and
transparent in the way you communicate. Explain in plain language what the process
is all about and what is in it for the participants.
Use different ways to reach people. Not all people enjoy talking and discussing
with others. Sometimes they may want to give their view remotely, or to a single
interviewer, or in writing, maybe anonymously. If you engage with people in a range
of ways, you will also be able to tap into a broader variety of voices.
Get trusted ambassadors on your side. Getting social centres and voluntary and
community groups involved in gathering information, and potentially also recruiting
community researchers, can provide you with their “stamp of approval”. As trusted
bodies, they can then encourage others to engage.
Use social media intelligently. Rather than assuming that everybody is going to
be checking the municipality’s social media account, find out what social media
different migrant groups use and check regularly as to how those can be best used
to “spread the word” and encourage people to give their view.
that are inviting and accommodating for marginalised groups. Watch this video by Razan Ismail from New Women Connectors, which gives some top tips on how spaces
can undermine open dialogue and how you can counteract that.
Allow people to bring their children or provide childcare. If you encourage people
to bring their children, make sure to have facilities, food and distractions for them.
If you provide childcare, make sure it is culturally appropriate, that carers speak
relevant languages and that parents are aware of that. Do not assume that childcare
is only needed for women. Consider whether providing childcare may also be another
opportunity to hear different voices: theirs! Children can be asked sensitively about
their priorities, concerns and dreams for life in the city and can respond, draw their
ideas or tell a story about them.
migrants to speak about things that should be improved in the new edition of the
city’s Intercultural Plan. In previous plans, the integration team held workshops with
stakeholders from NGOs and other city departments. This time it wanted to hear from
migrants directly and invited both newcomers and established migrant residents
of various nationalities to a workshop that introduced the integration strategy. The
team then had migrants speak about their views on areas in which the city could do
a better job. The event was held in a “world-café” format.
The participants were reached through the city’s cultural and service hub “Casa de
las Culturas” (House of Cultures). They therefore included people being assisted
with their family reunification procedure, for instance. The workshop was held in a
friendly space and participants could come with their children. City council workers
were present in each world-café circle and took notes about the things that still need
improvement in Zaragoza.
Hear more about Zaragoza’s experiences in this video.
The state offered municipalities the possibility to take over support for Ukrainians if they registered with the local integration services. However, many Ukrainians had not done so as they had not understood what the city could offer and feared they would lose support. The city of Oulu decided to strengthen its ties with Ukrainian refugees and understand their situation, aspirations and needs better. It hired a Ukrainian outreach worker to gather information from the community through a survey (on paper and online) and focus groups, using the UNITES project resources. The outreach worker met Ukrainians in a variety of places, such as a help centre, the Ukrainian choir, hobby fairs, the city’s multicultural centre, through a Facebook group and at the city’s employment and integration services.
More than 100 people responded to the survey. The city learned that 60% of them wanted to stay in Oulu, but many lacked correct information about what registering with the city would imply for them and thought they would lose support. The survey also showed that isolation and lack of opportunities for interaction were a major problem. In addition, Finnish language skills were a major barrier given that twothirds lacked them. The information gathered will be discussed with integration practitioners and fed into the new city integration strategy with the intention of adapting it to that new target group.
Hear more about Oulu’s work with the Ukrainian community here.
of people they had not managed to involve previously
practices and to consider further possibilities. Most cities will not have all factors present, and some factors may not be relevant
to specific cities. However, this benchmark is meant to help you identify areas for improvement.
integration strategies
a wider culture of
participation, so that
participatory methods
and co-design are already
standard practice.
makes a commitment to strive for integration and deliver the relevant integration strategy
places migrant integration in a wider equality framework
communicates clearly to all citizens and stakeholders
the purpose of co-design processes in realising the city’s vision of migration
outcomes of work to co-design and implement the strategy, through each of its stages.
the definition of a migrant
integration strategy
through which migrants can
help to shape its policies on
integration issues, including
the city’s integration strategy, across all its stages of realisation. It ensures that they are representative and long-term.
specifies goals, with concrete actions to address each of them
specifies the timeframe or term for implementing these measures in a specific sequence
includes a budget for their implementation, identified (provisionally at least) by each stakeholder responsible for delivering those measures.
strategy - through structures or procedures that enable them to
work with the authority and other stakeholders to identify solutions, that is to create the strategy;
take an oversight role through the rest of the policy cycle: monitoring delivery, testing impact and making a final assessment of the strategy.
The city offers migrants who take on such roles a specific package of support including training; administrative support; access to data; and financial remuneration.
is consolidated and
coordinated through a longterm structure.
has a clear mandate to oversee the implementation of the strategy;
include all ‘delivery’ stakeholders - agencies with a role in implementing strategy actions, including other tiers of government where required – who will sign off the strategy within this steering body and coordinate their actions through it;
include a strong migrant voice
participation in work on the
integration strategy, the city
ensures that this will cover
the full diversity of migrant
residents with their differing
experiences and capacities,
including vulnerable groups.
on migrant integration within the mainstream of city policy is confirmed by linking its participants with residents engaged in codesign for other strategic areas.
who might find it hardest to engage in co-design processes. This inclusive scope is achieved
legal status (including those with precarious status);
by focused outreach to vulnerable groups including women and children/unaccompanied young people;
by widely promoting the co-design process via social media and community organisations
by creating a framework to promote diversity and inclusion, offering for example:
Where such exchange is feasible, the authority tells the public at large about it, recognising that it
helps to confirm to public opinion that work on migrant integration though co-design belongs in the mainstream of the city’s policy development.
adapting participation events to family needs: eg. timing and location, childcare
· where feasible, payment for attending events
· attendance at all such events by city representatives, as senior as possible
· guidelines on conduct of participatory meetings for all user groups, published by the Mayor, to ensure all such
events observe equalities principles and fair decision-making.
Developed by Eurocities and MigrationWork with the participation of all UNITES partners, this online course (MOOC) covers the same content as this practical guide, but goes deeper through case studies, exercises and video content. At the end of the course, you will receive a certificate to attest to your acquired knowledge.
Eurocities How-to-Guide on Integration Strategies
Developed as part of the EU-funded Connection project, this publication provides comprehensive guidance for practitioners on setting up and developing a local integration strategy.
Eurocities toolkit on engagement of migrant communities
This toolkit from the ImpleMentoring project covers the engagement of migrant communities in local policymaking at a range of levels. In addition to this, there are other toolkits across several subject areas and there is useful material in most of them. They are stored on the Integrating Cities website – do take a look!
SHARE network 10 principles of migrant and refugee participation
The SHARE network supports regions, cities, towns and rural communities interested in welcoming refugees and migrants.
The MILE project (“Migrant Integration through Locally Designed Experiences”),
co-funded by the European Migration and Asylum Fund, has published a series of policy briefs that provide guidance, resources and good practices for increasing migrant participation.
Involve Resource Site
Involve is a UK-based charity with a focus on public participation. Its website hosts a resource site and a methods toolkit on co-creation and participatory methods.
This action plan covers the period 2021-27 and outlines objectives and actions to be taken at EU, national, regional and local level to promote the integration of migrants. It argues that the participation of migrants in consultative and decision-making processes is key to ensuring that policies work. It:
• promotes multi-stakeholder cooperation for integration that involves migrants, refugees and host communities, especially at local level
• commits EU financing for measures that train national, regional and local authorities to involve migrants and migrant organisations in decision-making processes.
The Global Compact on Refugees
The Global Compact on Refugees is the most important international agreement to shape a common response to forced migration. It was adopted by the UN General
Assembly in 2018 as a “framework for more predictable and equitable responsibilitysharing” at international level, and provides a blueprint for governments, international organisations and other stakeholders to ensure that host communities get the support they need and that refugees can lead productive lives.
Principle 34 of the Compact promotes a multi-stakeholder and partnership approach, arguing that “responses are most effective when they actively and meaningfully engage those they are intended to protect and assist. Relevant actors will, wherever possible, continue to develop and support consultative processes that enable refugees and host community members to assist in designing appropriate, accessible and inclusive responses.”
Since 2021, the French government’s “Académie pour la participation des personnes réfugiées” promotes the involvement of refugees in decision-making processes. Each year, ten refugees are trained for a year and later participate in public management bodies, working groups and other decision-making structures.
The Immigrant Council of Ireland has set up a Migrant and Refugee Leaders Network that includes a peer support platform and Leadership Academy training for migrant and refugee leaders.
The VOICES network is a collective within the British Red Cross of refugees and people seeking asylum. VOICES Ambassadors are trained to share insights into what it is like to seek asylum in the UK and to influence policies from the perspective of experts by experience.
for Migrants
publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents,
which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission
cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of
the information contained therein.
stakeholders
with migrant residents
unheard voices
Urban Integration Strategies through co-design
Integration Strategies
with Migrants and
Other Stakeholders
Strategies through co-design) involving migrant integration practitioners across
Europe. The UNITES project set out to:
· cities that have recently received migrants and those that have been shaped by migration over decades or centuries;
· small cities and big cities, with or without funding and other resources, cities with all types of migrants; large or small numbers of migrants, long-term and transient migrants, refugees and others;
2. How to coordinate with stakeholders
3. Co-design methods that can be used
4. How to tap into unheard voices and reach vulnerable groups
At the end of the guide you will find further useful resources, including the UNITES benchmark of key success factors for co-designing integration strategies. You can use that benchmark to assess which criteria your city already fulfils and areas in which it could improve its use of co-design.
its migrant integration strategy
migrant integration?
integration strategies across the policy cycle
The needs assessment should be objective, inclusive and focused on the challenges, barriers and inequalities migrants face. There are various ways of engaging migrant communities when assessing their needs, for example through surveys, open dialogues or in workshops involving migrant representatives or associations.
and monitoring
integration stragies across
the policy cycle means
to receive them, get all the stakeholders involved, sort it all out. But then they move on, we go back to what we were doing before, and then have to start all over again next time.”
need to know how to bring the residents along with me on that, I’m
worried they may feel that migrants are getting special treatment.
And where will we get the resources?”
short of staff in my business. Do any of them have qualifications?
Can I recruit them? Can I get help to do that and support them if
they are new to our systems and ideas of people management?”
how to enforce them. And we want to be involved in planning and
monitoring services for them: nothing about us without us.”
are and any issues that might come up if we work with them. And
we need to know what services there are for them and how to
refer to them.”
Co-designing integration strategies with practitioners, professionals or institutional representatives marks a shift from understanding integration as a cross-sectoral task of various city departments (such as housing, health, employment, education) to a whole-of-society approach that understands integration as a shared task between the council and civil society. However, it is important to keep in mind that working with civil society does not make coordination across sectors and levels of government obsolete.
The URBACT programme has developed tools to help you decide which stakeholders to work with, namely stakeholder maps to order stakeholders by sector and a power-interest matrix to think about whom to involve.
When the “Mesa” became a formal association in 2020, it set up a formal cooperation agreement with the city council. Through an annual work plan, jointly decided by the Mesa and Council, it delivers services, such as interventions in schools and annual policy laboratories, where city council members and officers meet with civil society organisations to discuss current topics related to migration and interculturality. Past laboratories were held on themes such as the “second generation”, women, work and “the city of full rights”. The discussions and decisions from the laboratory are published and go to the City Council. The Mesa also participates in learning projects side by side with the city council. As part of the EU-funded CAMUS project, the Mesa was responsible for piloting audits of local services to detect and eliminate structural
discrimination.
You can hear more about the council from Javier Bokesa Abia, one of the people active in development of the Mesa and now the city councillor responsible for participation and external relations, in this video.
coordination bodies
As part of the UNITES project, GAM decided to give a stronger voice to refugees through a participatory body made up of refugees of various origins called AGORA. AGORA’s main objective is to provide a channel for refugees to have a say in policies that concern them, such as evaluating the services and projects that target refugees or getting involved in design of the “house of hospitality”, a flagship project that Grenoble is currently planning.
Organisations involved in GAM’s refugee reception policies jointly developed Agora’s model and recruited refugees to become members of the new council.
The 12 members received training in public speaking and on the local policy context. They can also receive linguistic support whenever necessary.
Listen to some of the actors involved in Agora in this video.
As of January 2023, the Forum’s membership comprised 36 individuals, including a representative of refugee-led community groups and five experts by experience from participation networks, as well as representatives of national and local government services, such as schools, libraries, employment services, the police, trade unions and NGOs providing assistance to refugees. The Forum is co-chaired by Migration Yorkshire’s Refugee Participation Officer and a representative of Bradford City Council. A secretariat and other ongoing support to the Forum is provided by Migration Yorkshire. The Forum has four thematic meetings per year on topics such as social integration/social interaction, refugee entrepreneurship and health & wellbeing. Listen to the Stakeholder Forum chairs introducing themselves and discussing social integration here and here .
Have a clear, long-term mandate ▼ Find clear purpose ▼ Moderation is important ▼ Set up working groups ▼ Resources are essential ▼
Define relationships ▼ Reviews of membership ▼
We will present co-design tools that have proven successful in the field of integration and tips on how to engage with migrant residents. In the following section, we will then discuss how to ensure that you involve the full range of migrant residents and pay particular attention to vulnerable groups.
solutions in interaction with the audience.
safe spaces where people with opposing views are willing to exchange their opinions; it is reliant on the skills of a facilitator or mediator, which can make it expensive.
The methods we have presented here are only a starting point. There are comprehensive co-design toolboxes, such as the one by the UK-based charity Involve, where you can find further inspiration.
do their job.
together in one person, i.e. the reasons intersect.
Practical reasons: Arriving in a city and orienting yourself to a completely new culture, system and set of norms takes time. Under such circumstances, a person
may not feel like prioritising being part of a co-design consultative group! That is particularly true for those who have only just arrived.
Legal status: Migrants who have not yet resolved their legal status will typically be more cautious in engaging with public authorities out of fear of deportation. They will also be less likely to participate for practical reasons because their access to
formal support will be more limited.
Cultural and social biases: Migrants with certain profiles might be easier to engage with than others as they are closer to the dominant culture in your city. They might be more present in public spaces or more familiar with your city’s way of consulting with people. City council workers might have biases and stereotypes that prevent them from “seeing” or engaging with certain groups in the first place.
Language barriers: Language barriers and the cost involved in translation of materials and engagement methods can also be a factor. If a city has significant populations of more than 100 nationalities, that can present challenges in terms of engagement.
Gender barriers: Female migrants may struggle to get their voices heard:
Understanding and overcoming barriers to participation
Disability: Migrants with disabilities face the same kinds of challenges as disabled people everywhere, including access issues. They may also, however, not know what their rights are in terms of support for people with disabilities that would allow them to participate or how they can seek help. There may be cultural barriers to understanding and/or identifying some forms of mental health issues and neurodivergence.
Age: Both old and young migrants may find themselves excluded from processes.
Older migrants without community ties may not have the language skills or knowledge to help them participate. Younger migrants may find themselves excluded or ignored within community structures or feel that their experiences are different and not taken into consideration.
Take such barriers into account when planning and advertising co-design activities and go beyond the “migrant” vs non-migrant categories to understand how they intersect in people differing as to gender, class, disability, residence status etc. Some of those barriers can be overcome by following the tips below on how to organise co-design events and how to reach people in the first place.
Use a simple and clear communication style. Avoid jargon and be consistent and transparent in the way you communicate. Explain in plain language what the process is all about and what is in it for the participants.
Use different ways to reach people. Not all people enjoy talking and discussing with others. Sometimes they may want to give their view remotely, or to a single
interviewer, or in writing, maybe anonymously. If you engage with people in a range of ways, you will also be able to tap into a broader variety of voices.
Get trusted ambassadors on your side. Getting social centres and voluntary and community groups involved in gathering information, and potentially also recruiting community researchers, can provide you with their “stamp of approval”. As trusted bodies, they can then encourage others to engage.
Use social media intelligently. Rather than assuming that everybody is going to be checking the municipality’s social media account, find out what social media
different migrant groups use and check regularly as to how those can be best used to “spread the word” and encourage people to give their view.
Think about the right space and time: Collaboratively design participation spaces that are inviting and accommodating for marginalised groups. Watch this video by Razan Ismail from New Women Connectors, which gives some top tips on how spaces can undermine open dialogue and how you can counteract that.
Allow people to bring their children or provide childcare. If you encourage people to bring their children, make sure to have facilities, food and distractions for them. If you provide childcare, make sure it is culturally appropriate, that carers speak relevant languages and that parents are aware of that. Do not assume that childcare is only needed for women. Consider whether providing childcare may also be another opportunity to hear different voices: theirs! Children can be asked sensitively about
their priorities, concerns and dreams for life in the city and can respond, draw their ideas or tell a story about them.
city’s Intercultural Plan. In previous plans, the integration team held workshops with stakeholders from NGOs and other city departments. This time it wanted to hear from
migrants directly and invited both newcomers and established migrant residents of various nationalities to a workshop that introduced the integration strategy. The team then had migrants speak about their views on areas in which the city could do a better job. The event was held in a “world-café” format.
The participants were reached through the city’s cultural and service hub “Casa de las Culturas” (House of Cultures). They therefore included people being assisted with their family reunification procedure, for instance. The workshop was held in a friendly space and participants could come with their children. City council workers were present in each world-café circle and took notes about the things that still need
improvement in Zaragoza.
Hear more about Zaragoza’s experiences in this video.
The state offered municipalities the possibility to take over support for Ukrainians if they registered with the local integration services. However, many Ukrainians had not done so as they had not understood what the city could offer and feared they would lose support. The city of Oulu decided to strengthen its ties with Ukrainian refugees and understand their situation, aspirations and needs better. It hired a Ukrainian outreach worker to gather information from the community through a survey (on paper and online) and focus groups, using the UNITES project resources. The outreach worker met Ukrainians in a variety of places, such as a help centre, the Ukrainian choir, hobby fairs, the city’s multicultural centre, through a Facebook group and at the city’s employment and integration services.
More than 100 people responded to the survey. The city learned that 60% of them wanted to stay in Oulu, but many lacked correct information about what registering with the city would imply for them and thought they would lose support. The survey also showed that isolation and lack of opportunities for interaction were a major problem. In addition, Finnish language skills were a major barrier given that twothirds lacked them. The information gathered will be discussed with integration practitioners and fed into the new city integration strategy with the intention of adapting it to that new target group.
Hear more about Oulu’s work with the Ukrainian community here.
of people they had not managed to involve previously
to specific cities. However, this benchmark is meant to help you identify areas for improvement.
integration strategies
a wider culture of participation, so that participatory methods and co-design are already standard practice.
the definition of a migrant
integration strategy
through which migrants can
help to shape its policies on
integration issues, including
the city’s integration strategy, across all its stages of realisation. It ensures that they are representative and long-term.
The city offers migrants who take on such roles a specific package of support including training; administrative support; access to data; and financial remuneration.
is consolidated and coordinated through a longterm structure.
participation in work on the
integration strategy, the city
ensures that this will cover
the full diversity of migrant
residents with their differing
experiences and capacities,
including vulnerable groups.
on migrant integration within the mainstream of city policy is confirmed by linking its participants with residents engaged in codesign for other strategic areas.
who might find it hardest to engage in co-design processes. This inclusive scope is achieved
Where such exchange is feasible, the authority tells the public at large about it, recognising that it
adapting participation events to family needs: eg. timing and location, childcare
· where feasible, payment for attending events
· attendance at all such events by city representatives, as senior as possible
· guidelines on conduct of participatory meetings for all user groups, published by the Mayor, to ensure all such
events observe equalities principles and fair decision-making.
Developed by Eurocities and MigrationWork with the participation of all UNITES partners, this online course (MOOC) covers the same content as this practical guide, but goes deeper through case studies, exercises and video content. At the end of the course, you will receive a certificate to attest to your acquired knowledge.
Eurocities How-to-Guide on Integration Strategies
Developed as part of the EU-funded Connection project, this publication provides comprehensive guidance for practitioners on setting up and developing a local integration strategy.
Eurocities toolkit on engagement of migrant communities
This toolkit from the ImpleMentoring project covers the engagement of migrant communities in local policymaking at a range of levels. In addition to this, there are other toolkits across several subject areas and there is useful material in most of them. They are stored on the Integrating Cities website – do take a look!
SHARE network 10 principles of migrant and refugee participation
The SHARE network supports regions, cities, towns and rural communities interested in welcoming refugees and migrants.
The MILE project (“Migrant Integration through Locally Designed Experiences”),
co-funded by the European Migration and Asylum Fund, has published a series of policy briefs that provide guidance, resources and good practices for increasing migrant participation.
Involve Resource Site
Involve is a UK-based charity with a focus on public participation. Its website hosts a resource site and a methods toolkit on co-creation and participatory methods.
This action plan covers the period 2021-27 and outlines objectives and actions to be taken at EU, national, regional and local level to promote the integration of migrants. It argues that the participation of migrants in consultative and decision-making processes is key to ensuring that policies work. It:
• promotes multi-stakeholder cooperation for integration that involves migrants, refugees and host communities, especially at local level
• commits EU financing for measures that train national, regional and local authorities to involve migrants and migrant organisations in decision-making processes.
The Global Compact on Refugees
The Global Compact on Refugees is the most important international agreement to shape a common response to forced migration. It was adopted by the UN General
Assembly in 2018 as a “framework for more predictable and equitable responsibilitysharing” at international level, and provides a blueprint for governments, international organisations and other stakeholders to ensure that host communities get the support they need and that refugees can lead productive lives.
Principle 34 of the Compact promotes a multi-stakeholder and partnership approach, arguing that “responses are most effective when they actively and meaningfully engage those they are intended to protect and assist. Relevant actors will, wherever possible, continue to develop and support consultative processes that enable refugees and host community members to assist in designing appropriate, accessible and inclusive responses.”
Since 2021, the French government’s “Académie pour la participation des personnes réfugiées” promotes the involvement of refugees in decision-making processes. Each year, ten refugees are trained for a year and later participate in public management bodies, working groups and other decision-making structures.
The Immigrant Council of Ireland has set up a Migrant and Refugee Leaders Network that includes a peer support platform and Leadership Academy training for migrant and refugee leaders.
The VOICES network is a collective within the British Red Cross of refugees and people seeking asylum. VOICES Ambassadors are trained to share insights into what it is like to seek asylum in the UK and to influence policies from the perspective of experts by experience.
for Migrants
which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission
cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of
the information contained therein.