Successful completion of the “WEMIN” project coordinated by HOU-DAISSy Research Group

y@nnis — Wed, 01 Apr 2020 06:12:40 +0000

On the 31^st of December 2019, the two-year AMIF project WEMIN: Migrant Women Empowerment and Integration came to its completion. Funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF-2016-AG-INTE / grant agreement no.776211), it was implemented successfully by partners coming from eight EU Member States (Greece, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Germany and Sweden). It was coordinated by the DAISSy Research Group of Hellenic Open University (HOU), while the WEMIN activities in Greece were implemented in Athens in collaboration with project partner Olympic Training & Consulting Ltd.

Impressive creations were made during the Cultural Workshops of the WEMIN project!

y@nnis — Mon, 30 Dec 2019 10:41:46 +0000

The cultural workshops, part of the EU funded project «WEMIN: Migrant Women Empowerment and Integration”, were successfully implemented by the “Olympic Training & Consulting Ltd” (partner organization), supported by “HOU-DAISSy Research Group” (Coordinator). In particular, two artistic workshops were organized, concerning the creation of decorative and utility objects made from clay and fabric (31.10.-29.11.2019, Athens).

International Conference «Women in Displacement: gender, migration and the challenges of integration in today’s Europe»

y@nnis — Sun, 22 Dec 2019 15:17:05 +0000

Undoubtedly, the international conference entitled «Women in Displacement: Gender, Migration and the Challenges of Integration in today’s Europe», was a very successful event! It was organized on 8th and 9th December 2019 (Crowne Plaza Athens, hotel) by the DAISSy Research Group of the Hellenic Open University (HOU), within the framework of the implementation of the «WEMIN: Migrant Women Empowerment and Integration” EU project. It triggered the interest of scholars, experts and practitioners, representatives of authorities, national and international institutions, organizations and associations, active citizens, and more generally anyone involved in the study, research and practice in the fields of migration, migration policy, empowerment and social integration of refugees.

More precisely, the conference included almost fifty speakers, was attended by one hundred and fifty participants and explored the gendered dimensions of the migration phenomenon in the context of today’s Europe. Recognizing gender as an integral part of the experience, management, and understanding of migration and integration processes, the conference achieved to highlight not only the multiple challenges but also the significant opportunities European societies face. A variety of topics were addressed during the presentations, such as challenges and good practices for the integration of Migrant and Refugee Women (MRW), adult migrants’ education from a gender sensitive perspective, politics-migration-gender roles and representations, opportunities about working life and social life of MRW, gender-based violence and migration, art and gendered experiences of migration and integration, etc.

The international conference was the final closing event of the two-year WEMIN project implementation and so, it was well designed for promoting the project results and outputs. This was managed through the presentations, the roundtable discussions and workshops that provided all participants with the opportunity to exchange opinions and experiences. Emphasis was placed to the MRW themselves, as representatives of them from all partner countries joined the conference, spoke up themselves about their experiences and shared their feelings and ideas during the conference discussions. Moreover, the experts’ insights brought to the fore the challenges of the integration process on various levels, from the local to the international, from the structured policy-making to innovative best practices, from recorded problems to identified solutions.

Women’s rights – 70 years of „Grundgesetz” in Germany – Scrapbook

y@nnis — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 16:41:20 +0000

Rights of women are well defined, but reality is different. In the year of the 70^th anniversary of the “Deutsche Grundgesetz”, der German Basic Law, migrant and refugee women reflected on their rights in several creative workshop. 70 years ago, in 1949, just after the end of World War II, wise men and women defined the new German Basic Law. This body of juridical text can be compared with constitutions other countries have. The first 20 articles define the basic rights.

Women’s rights – 70 years of „Grundgesetz” in Germany – Exhibition

y@nnis — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 15:58:24 +0000

A group of migrant and refugee women met within the context of WEMIN for creative workshops on female rights. The starting point was the 70^th anniversary of the German Basic Law, the “Deutsche Grundgesetz”. After careful studying the first 20 article defining the basic rights of every person in Germany, the women developed creative photographic settings. Each woman selected one articles which was of special importance and meaning to her.

The photos were taken by a professional photographer. The women were free to create their own settings and style of the photos with the support of the professional photo artists. After printing the photos in poster size, an exhibition was organized and held along with a “women’s dance night”, November 23, 2019. The exhibition and dance night were attended by around 60 migrant, refugee and host society women.

Arts and culture workshop: Intercultural WEMIN cookbook

y@nnis — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 15:44:58 +0000

Food and culinary traditions are links between cultures. All cultures have their kitchen specials, dishes for festivities and unique principles of preparing food. From cooking to steaming, boiling and broiling to the use of herbs and spices – cooking is part of people’s cultural narrative.

WEMIN empowerment program Stuttgart

y@nnis — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 15:37:21 +0000

People who are new to a country need support and guidance. But this takes time, courage and strength. Not everything you see, hear and read in a new country seems logical. Much is still unfamiliar and sometimes there is a lack of self-confidence as to whether everything can really be done and will be good.

WEMIN alumni in Stuttgart

y@nnis — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 15:28:34 +0000

Two years of intensive work had been done: in WEMIN German language courses, in special cultural programs for immigrant and refugee women, in mentoring activities and empowerment seminars as well as in creative workshops and many individual discussions, meetings in groups and cultural offers. In total, around 140 migrants and refugee women in the Stuttgart region could be addressed directly by WEMIN and participate in the offers of the project. In addition, around 30 local women were permanently involved in the seminars and meetings. In the expanded environment, WEMIN reached around 500 women, refugees, social workers, political decision-makers and non-profit organizations

Wemin: un gran desafío a todos los niveles

y@nnis — Fri, 13 Dec 2019 14:57:58 +0000

Dos años de proyecto nos han aportado un enriquecimiento profesional enorme. Cada día ha representado un reto: a nivel local, con nuestra comunidad. A nivel internacional, con los socios partner del proyecto. Un aprendizaje continuo, un tener que superar nuestros propios límites, para ir aun más allá. Y todo un placer.

Sin duda alguna, lo que nos ha resultado más difícil es alcanzar al colectivo diana de esta acción. Hemos realizado mucha difusión, teniendo en cuenta que Colectic no es una entidad local referente por lo que respecta al trabajo con las mujeres (sí por lo que respecta al trabajo con personas migradas, pero nuestra experiencia nos avala principalmente en un ámbito masculino)

Las mujeres que han participado en las acciones desarrolladas por Colectic están poco acostumbradas a permanecer muchas horas dentro del aula formativa, lo que nos ha llevado a tener que planificar muy bien las acciones formativas y darles mucho dinamismo. Además, la conciliación de las acciones con las necesidades personales de las participantes, han resultado extremadamente difíciles: la necesidad de prestar el debido cuidado y atención a los hijos, la conciliación con los horarios escolares y con otras obligaciones familiares han impactado de pleno en el proyecto.

Un tapís d’històries de dones d’arreu

y@nnis — Fri, 13 Dec 2019 14:45:18 +0000

Maybá Calderón de Nieto, va arribar a Barcelona fa quatre mesos, després d’enviuduar a Veneçuela i que la seva filla li demanés de venir a la capital catalana. Mestra de preescolar i primària d’ofici, ha participat al taller ‘Coser y contar’, impulsat per la cooperativa Colectic.

«Jo no havia cosit mai. Amb les meves mans he fet una cartera i un clauer mentre ens explicàvem vivències amb les companyes, que ara sento com amigues. Quan estàs distreta, el temps se’t passa volant», confessa Calderón. Mentre segueix cosint, explica que a Veneçuela donava classes a casa seva, a ‘la escuelita’, com li deien els seus alumnes.

També desvetlla l’origen del seu nom, Maybá. Quan els seus pares es van conéixer durant un carnaval, estava de moda la cançó ‘Maybá’, interpretada per l’orquestra d’Alci Sánchez. Als quatre mesos es van casar i van estar junts durant seixanta anys.

El taller és un projecte del programa europeu Wemin que durant unes vuit sessions ha reunit a dones migrades d’arreu del món a la Biblioteca de Sant Pau Santa Creu, al Raval. Han teixit col·lectivament dos murals tèxtils on han immortalitzat els seus records, expectatives i somnis a la ciutat de Barcelona.

«Els treballs manuals representen com nosaltres ens impregnem de Barcelona i com Barcelona s’impregna de nosaltres». La Vanessa Quevedo Vega va venir de Colòmbia fa un any perquè al seu company li va sortir una feina a Barcelona. És dissenyadora de moda i a Colòmbia era formadora. Ara s’està reinventant i projecta la seva pròpia marca de roba artesanal vinculada a causes socials. Pensa en cooperar amb més dones i crear una casa-taller. Es va assabentar del taller ‘Coser y contar’ a través de dues entitats amb les que col·labora, Fundació Surt i Fundació Comtal.