The ACM Foundation will publish a guide to improve the inclusion of migrant and refugee children and youth

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Fouad Bouatba

The ACM Foundation (FACM) has launched a teaching innovation project within the framework of an improvement in inclusion policies, through the development of the “Guide: a proposal of migrants and forcibly displaced persons for inclusion 2: youth and children”.

The result of this project will be the development of a manual of good practices of inclusion focused on children and teenagers and aimed at public administrations.

In 2019, the FACM edited a first publication of a propositional nature that collects good practices of inclusion from the perspective of refugees, and which was intended for use by public administrations, organizations and civil institutions, among others.

With this precedent of success, in this second edition will be produced a manual that will focus on children and youth in contexts of migration and forced displacement, as a priority element, within the so-called “migratory crisis” or humanitarian tragedy affecting the Euro-Mediterranean region.

With the shocking figure of more than 28 million displaced children, it is important to ensure the safety of minors at all stages of the journey, since on many occasions once they arrive in the destination country they face dangers such as violence, abuse or discrimination problems. The growing hate speech, which has used this population as a target, makes it urgent to elaborate a decalogue for their protection and correct inclusion.

In this “guide”, those who have the leading role and the floor are those who usually never have it: migrants and refugees. To this end, the methodology for the elaboration of the publication is based on a participatory perspective.

Starting from the orientation of entities dedicated to the attention in the reception and inclusion, the ACM Foundation formed a team of 15 beneficiaries who arrived in Spain as migrant children, refugees with family or unaccompanied, following criteria such as parity, geographic diversity and situations in order to achieve a representativeness of cases.

Subsequently, through interviews and discussion meetings, the group will be developing the conclusions contained in this guide. It is essential the collaboration of experts in migration, as well as representatives of the main organizations that work directly or are involved in the care of migrant and refugee children and young people.

The project will be developed between January and April and will follow the principles and values set out in the 2030 Agenda. It is essential to provide reflections and responses to the challenges posed in the Sustainable Development Goals, such as face the challenge associated with strengthening social cohesion and creating strategies more inclusive in Spain, but also learn from other host countries in the Euro-Mediterranean area.

For the preparation of the guide, the beneficiaries have been trained in Human Rights through a degree in partnership between the FACM and the UV (University of Valencia). In addition, a joint working day will be held that will allow the participants, along with specialized reception entities and experts to meet and agree on points of view that will be widely disseminated.

Subsequently, the presentation of the document will take place in the city of Valencia, within the framework of the Mediterranean Human Rights Festival, SOCIALMED 2023.

The project has the financial support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, the Spanish Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation (ReFAL), with the collaboration of institutions such as the City Council of Valencia and the University of Valencia, as well as the participation of organizations and associations involved in the care of migrants or refugees.

FACM is a network that promotes dialogue, proposals and citizen action, and promotes democratic values of freedom, peace and respect for diversity, as well as environmental responsibility in the Mediterranean. It is present in 20 countries and 30 Mediterranean cities, including Barcelona, Valencia and Alicante in Spain.

Its citizen circles are permanently open to civil society in their respective geographic areas. The FACM has among its main lines of action the promotion and visibility of the cultural diversity of the Mediterranean area with a focus on gender, youth and sustainability in the region.

Illustration: Fouad Bouatba