In the EU, migrants represent 14.5% of the total population living in cities, in contrast to 10.2% living in towns and 5.5% in rural areas. The labour market analyses clearly indicate that the proportion of rural employment which is filled by migrant workers, is gradually increasing over time. In the EU, between 2011 and 2017 an increase from 4.3% to 6.5% occurred, in the share of migrants in total employment in the agricultural sector among the Member States with a large population of migrants.
Therefore, “Cultural Diversity: creating inclusive environments in small communities across Europe” (CreativEU) intends to promote cultural diversity and inclusion both in the workplace and the community, by involving migrants and natives in a positive, bi-directional integration process, which will include several groups, such as employees, employers and citizens.
Throughout the project, transformative educational activities will be developed and tested by the partners, using storytelling as a key methodology. Storytelling is regarded as pivotal, since it can facilitate understanding in diverse life experiences and build a universal culture of solidarity and empathy.
Project Objectives
- promoting equal opportunities, anti-discrimination and social cohesion in small and rural communities, improving the social inclusion of people with migrant backgrounds
- training employers to manage diverse work-teams and to effectively include employees with a migratory background
- supporting the increased learning demand, by using creative tools to engage adult learners, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, through the use of digital story-telling techniques
- improving the capacity of professionals working in adult informal education, implementing practices to increase social cohesion
- by exploring the use of digital story-telling as an innovative practice that profits of new technologies, in order to empower cultural diversity, social inclusion and cohesion in small and rural communities
- reaching employers, owners of small businesses, HR managers and managers from other EU countries, apart from the ones participating in the project
- implementing practices based on open dialogue, mutual understanding, non-discrimination