The project NET-IDEA: Network of European Towns for Interculturalism, Diversity, Equality and Anti-Discrimination, with the support of the Intercultural Cities Program of the Council of Europe, aims at reinforcing the role of local authorities in the field of Diversity Promotion, Interculturalism, Anti-Discrimination and Inclusion of Minorities, based on a transnational partnership of CSOs and 15 Municipalities in 6 European Countries: Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Germany and Poland.
Cities are constantly changing and the growing diversity, partly motivated by human mobility, makes it necessary that not only communities but also governments welcome cultural diversity and adapt to it. Even more so if, because of this diversity, situations of inequality and discrimination affecting minority groups are arising. As institutions closer to the citizens, cities need to be supported with effective tools to countering discrimination to raise awareness and improve knowledge.
The project will provide municipalities the possibility to deepen a transnational peer-to-peer collaboration and to develop specific competences and effective practices to face challenges at local level. Moreover, NET-IDEA will promote a positive and durable cooperation among LAs, CSOs and youth groups to design and spread new narratives to fight discrimination and racism, thus creating a more inclusive European Society.
European Commission (CERV 2021)
The objectives of the project are:
- strengthen the competences of European cities in implementing effective policies to promote equality, diversity and the inclusion of minorities;
- promote long-term cooperation between European cities and the exchange of best practices on anti-discrimination, diversity and inclusion of minorities;
- increase among citizens, and in particular young people, the participation and awareness of the rights on intercultural societies in European cities.
The beneficiaries of the project are:
- Municipalities, chosen as a priority target group for their responsibility in implementing local policies relating to anti-discrimination / inclusion and in promoting cooperation with civil society and youth groups in their territory. The action will target a total of 15 cities in the 6 countries.
- Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), such as NGOs, cultural organizations, associations and local groups. They will work with the municipalities of the 15 target cities and their involvement is a crucial component of local integration and anti-discrimination strategies to make public intervention more effective.
- Youth (Youth Associations and Youth Groups), who will collaborate with cities and civil society organizations in the design and implementation of local awareness actions and in the development of a communication campaign, applying a bottom-up approach to the creation of new narratives and becoming actors of change in their communities. In addition, young people will also have the opportunity to share their ideas, proposals and difficulties with their peers from other EU countries.
Project activities
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Creation of a series of webinars for knowledge sharing aimed at civil society organizations (CSOs)
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Activities of comparison and consultation between the stakeholders of the project and preliminary sharing of knowledge on intercultural competences
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Capacity building activities dedicated to the cities
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Creation of a Community of Practice for the transnational exchange of experiences and good practices
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Organization of events and initiatives on the territory in the various cities. In particular, a Youth Summit will be organized, with the participation of young activists from different countries.
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Implementation of an international communication campaign to raise awareness carried out with the contribution of the young people involved in the project
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Final exchange of experiences and best practices between European cities
RESOURCES
- Survey on the cities’ intercultural competences – ENG
- Activity report:
- Intercultural competencies’ survey – ENG
- Cities’ Capacity Building (February – May 2023) – ENG
- Transnational Meeting – Barcelona (19-20 September 2022) – ENG
- Transnational Meeting – Erlangen (27-28 April 2023) – ENG
- First European Youth Summit Against Rumours – Lublin: European Youth Capital 2023 (6-8 October 2023) – ENG