MIND (Migration.Interconnectedness.Development.) is a 3-year project financed by the European Commission. It is led by Caritas Austria with Caritas Europa in the co-lead and 10 further Caritas organisations all over Europe as partners: In Bavaria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden.
The aim of the project is to contribute to positive views and the active involvement of European society on development issues and concerns by organising campaigning and advocacy activities. The last years powerfully demonstrated that young people are important multipliers and change makers in society – being it Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai or Mari Copeny. They all were aware that things needed to change and started acting on it. The MIND project now aims to create the same kind of awareness around migration and development to inspire youths to get active in this regard. Therefore a lot of the activities were tailor made by the young Caritas network involved in the project to foster youth engagement.
The activities range from creative contests, to solidarity walks, living books, mobile exhibitions, buddy groups and workshops. Several of them enable spaces for encounter between people with and without flight or migration experience to sustainably fight stereotypes and to contribute to a better understanding of the complex connection between migration and sustainable development.
Caritas Italiana, for example, organises “living books”-activities in schools where they invite migrants to tell students their story. Caritas Bayern and Caritas Munich implemented a football tournament a painting and a reading project that connected people with different nationalities. And Caritas Slovenia did a running event accompanied by a multicultural program bringing together diaspora organisations, students and young migrants.
Those are just a few examples of several great activities that were implemented and will continue to be implemented by the young Caritas network in the MIND project to foster youth engagement.
Check out what’s happening in your home country and join us! More information can be found on the following websites:
