The project idea starts from previous collaboration between cities and from international relations already established by local authorities and institutions. PPs intend to develop their cooperation on issues of citizenship, ethnic stigma reduction, integration & intercultural dialogue creating a first nucleus of a thematic network that will expand over time to new partners, establishing forms of long-lasting cooperation and strengthening the interaction between cities and the EU institutions.
The project will be performed both at local and EU level. At local level, a large number of participants will be directly and indirectly involved. At EU level, 8 transnational events will be organized within 24 months. The project activities have been planned in order to allow participants to discuss, exchange ideas and experiences, to improve and enrich their local actions in the perspective to share them at EU level. The PPs are going to use the bottom-up model for their activities, in order to make participants feel involved in the important democratic stages of building the European Agenda of migration and trying to improve conditions for civic and democratic participation at Union level. Considering that Europe is often perceived as something vague or hostile from many people, participants will have, through the project activities, a significant experience of Europe closer to its citizens. This kind of process can really contribute to build up an inclusive Europe restarting from the local level. In fact, partners (Municipalities and associations/NGO) are the cells of our Europe, as they are able to activate paths of inclusion and good cohabitation from the bottom.
Through the comparison of experiences of different national realities, the partners and the stakeholders involved, will be able to draft a handbook about the virtuous modalities to combat ethnic stigma, prevent racism and to promote the mutual understanding between natives and immigrants. The document will be presented & discussed with the local administrators & the policy makers of the partner cities & of the EU during the international events of the project, empowering participants to play a full part in the democratic life of EU.