Project Title: Effective guidance for successful integration of foreign communities through language acquisition
Acronym: WHATtoDOif
Funding programme: Erasmus+, Strategic Partnerships for adult education
Project Reference Number: 2019-1-BG01-KA204-062401
Start date: 01-10-2019 End date: 30-09-2021
Project Coordinator: European Center for Quality Ltd.
Project website: www.whattodoif.eu
PROJECT OBJECTIVE
The goal of the project “Effective guidance for successful integration of foreign communities through language acquisition” (WHATtoDOif) is to help newly-arrived foreigners, migrants and refugees to get oriented in the host-country economic, education, social and other systems, thus preventing their social exclusion or heavy dependency on their ethnic community.
EXPECTED RESULTS
In order to address this goal the project stipulates to deliver the following intellectual outputs:
IO1: Migrants Info & Glossary Compass – based on research made at the first months of the project with members of foreign communities in partner countries. It will take a look at main life areas of foreigners (e.g. job market, schooling/education, visa, children care, health care, housing and realities, etc.). The Compass will contain results of this research, short description of each dimension and basic problematic situations that have been identified from research within each dimension, experienced by foreigners living in partner countries.
IO2: Solutions Map – on the basis of the identified most common problematic situations, basic “What To Do If” scenarios/appropriate solutions to each troublesome situation in each country will be defined. The collection of appropriate solutions will accompany the Compass and will be published online linking each problem to a relevant solution.
IO3: WHATtoDOif Language Package – each “appropriate solution” will be accompanied with a language learning unit containing basic phrases and terminology related to the issue. Each learning unit will be related around one issue defined in Output 1.
IO4: WHATtoDOif Video Tutorials – Video materials describing the Solutions map. Each video will be prepared in all partner languages as well as in all languages of selected migrant communities. These videos will be filmed in partner languages as well as in languages of selected migrant groups. The videos will accompany Output 2 (for some foreigners, it could be easier to listen to the instructions rather than to study the text, because of their weak literacy skills) and can also be used as part of IO3.
IO5: WHATtoDOif Web Repository and Mobile Application – This application connected to the web page of the project will contain all outcomes from IO1, IO2, IO3 and IO4 in an easy-to-use structure, where each troublesome issue (IO1) will be linked to appropriate solution (IO2), related learning unit (IO3) and video tutorial in a related language (IO4). The application will also be available on mobile phones, so the users will be able to work with it on a daily basis and use it at the moment they need to find a proper phrase or term.
EXPECTED IMAPCT
As a result of the project migrants will improve their knowledge on the thematic areas selected by the consortium regarding the local system in partners’ countries. In addition, migrants will be provided with useful glossary and video tutorials that will support their communication and interaction with local employees when explaining their needs, and therefore the project will have an impact on their language skills in the local language. Last but not least, migrants will be more confident on how to find solutions for specific problems they might face while trying to organise their life in a new country.
The WHATtoDOif outcomes will also support language educators working with migrants by equipping them with new attractive methodologies and products. The existing language materials are often not adapted for migrants, the content is too complicated, grammar-oriented and does not provide motivation for learning. In this project, the materials will be directly related to problems migrants face in their interaction with local public authorities, and private institutions as well.
WHATtoDOif products will be of valuable support for all those organisations working for/with migrants (NGOs, volunteers, migrants’ associations, etc.) as they will be equipped with a guide with useful information on how the local system is functioning in important areas for a migrant’s life. They will be able to use the guide to provide guidance to migrants and suggest it to them for download on their mobile phones as an application. All organisations delivering language lessons will be provided with a set of tools for language teaching purposes.
WHATtoDOif is poised to have a long-lasting and far-reaching impact as a project bringing together different institutions, which actively contribute to migrant’s integration into the European society.
PROJECT CONSORTIUM:
EUROPEAN CENTER FOR QUALITY, Bulgaria – Project Coordinator – www.ecq-bg.com
SPOLEK PELICAN, z.s., Czech Republic – www.skolapelican.com
ASSOCIAZIONE INNOVAMENTIS, Italy – www.innovamentis.it
FUNDACJA ROZWOJU AKTYWNOSCI MIEDZYNARODOWEJ I EDUKACYJNEJ – FRAME, Poland
SYNTHESIS CENTER FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATION LTD, Cyprus – www.synthesis-center.com
THE MOSAIC ART SOUND LTD, United Kingdom – www.mosaicartsound.com
