{"id":3460,"date":"2023-03-29T13:08:34","date_gmt":"2023-03-29T13:08:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/refugees.gr\/?p=3460"},"modified":"2025-02-26T14:52:22","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T14:52:22","slug":"depart-developing-effective-policies-for-migrants-and-refugees-through-sat-based-policy-making-processes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/refugees.gr\/el\/depart-developing-effective-policies-for-migrants-and-refugees-through-sat-based-policy-making-processes\/","title":{"rendered":"DEPART (Developing Effective Policies for migrants and refugees through SAT-based policy making processes)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Greek Forum of Refugees (GFR) as a Self-Advocacy grassroots organization founded by refugees, with refugees for refugees. Based on the idea of Self-Advocacy, Greek Forum of Refugees created a Self-Advocacy Team out of the need expressed by the community members to be included in all matters related to society, under the main argument that political inclusion was a key element of social inclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the last three years, the Self-Advocacy Team methodology was introduced by the Greek Forum of Refugees in several European projects that promote self-advocacy, train advocates, create and provide opportunities for decision-makers and self-advocates to share ideas & good practices on a common table in an attempt to influence future policies. These projects are materialized by active participation of the Self-Advocacy Team itself and the Greek Forum of Refugees\u2019 office, specifically, by the hard work of our advocacy officer and coordinator of our Self-Advocacy Team George Stefanopoulos and the coordinator of HARTS initiative Photene Kalpakiotis, our communication officer Christos Lazaridis, and the projects\u2019 assistant, Panagiota Kapsali.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Establishing an official communication between our Community members and the State is the most prominent objective of the Greek Forum of Refugees. The Greek Municipalities\u2019 Migrant & Refugee Integration Councils (MRICs) offer a platform for the interaction between the local authorities and the migrant & refugee population. The engagement Greek Forum of Refugees through its Self-Advocacy Team in the MRICs sessions is considered a best practice on inclusion and integration and it was noted by organisations and individuals around the EU and had as an outcome a project that would define this practice as a solid factor of integration throughout Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DEPART project (Developing Effective Policies for migrants and refugees through SAT-based policy-making processes) is one of the projects that aim to this specific interaction. DEPART is co-funded by the European Commission, specifically from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project aims to contribute to the concrete inclusion of migrants and refugees in Member States through the establishment of a structured and formalised way to consult migrants on policies that directly concern them called Self-Advocacy teams (SATs). SATs are a flexible, rooted and participating solution to give Third-Country Nationals (TCNs) empowerment and representativeness functional to their holistic integration in EU societies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project intends to create a path involving major stakeholders of inclusive policy-making processes in Greece, Italy, Bulgaria and Spain (migrants refugees, policy-makers and practitioners), to develop and test at EU level a methodology successfully piloted among TCNs in Greece. The methodology is built around the concepts of integrated, evidence-based and participatory approaches leading to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Assess the policy-making processes with reference to TCNs inclusiveness in hosting society, especially to understand the obstacles to mobilization, representation and participation of TCNs<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Empower TCNs on their rights and the potentialities of proactive approaches to local policy-making as a step towards inclusion<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Raise awareness and increase capability of policymakers and institutional officers about inclusive policy-making processes,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Implement pilot co-design policy meetings between the actors in play to test the cooperative and concrete process that will be disseminated<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    The results of the whole empowering and co-designing process will be evaluated by a robust impact evaluation plan able to deliver EU Member States an effective methodology and disseminated online and offline within a communication framework that goes beyond the average projects\u2019 dissemination actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In doing so, DEPART in the medium and long run will contribute to the integration of migrants and refugees delivering Member States a methodology proven in different areas of EU to increase the participation of migrants in matters affecting them and making them owners of new tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The project takes place in four (4) different European countries with partners both from organisations and Municipalities. Led by the Greek Forum of Refugees, the rest of project partners are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n