7 - actualités

Volunteering and migrants

Migration - Integration - Volunteering
Migration as a phenomenon has become much more complex in terms of movements involving 'circular' and 'return' migration (OECD 2006). The number of countries of origin of migrants in Europe has increased drastically. In addition, the already settled traditional immigrant communities in Western European countries experience internal diversification owing to the different integration routes of the second and third generations. Furthermore, there is undocumented migration the size of which is hard to define. These are the statistically "invisible" migrants. The new patterns of mobility are hardly taken into account in current integration policies, which tend to focus on an old paradigm, that of the immigrant who comes with the intention to settle and has to adapt and be integrated into the host community.

The term integration is very much contested as well: there is an ongoing debate on whether the thrust of understanding should be more on assimilation or multiculturalism or if those two concepts have not proved to be outdated. The Common Basic Principles for Immigrant Integration Policy in the European Union as a "dynamic, long-term, and continuous two-way process of mutual accommodation by all immigrants and residents of the host society" (European Commission 2005) may be a way to solve this debate. It underlines that integration is a mutual and collective process and not the individual responsibility of the immigrant alone. The limitation of this understanding is that it does not yet capture as to what a future-oriented concept of integration could mean in the view of current migration flows.

Learnings of the MEM-VOL project

The European Community funded MEM-VOL research study (www.mem-volunteering.net) showed the importance of migrants' involvement in voluntary and civic activities in the fight against social exclusion. It has been demonstrated that these activities foster inter-community relations, help to combat racism and intolerance, and develop personal & professional skills of those involved. Indeed, the European Commission underlines that "meeting others is an important step in settling down and becoming a part of the host society and that interaction between different cultures and religions will increase tolerance and respect" (European Commission 2003: 22).

The major challenge identified by the MEM-VOL partners is the lack of knowledge, data and awareness about the involvement of third country national communities in civic life, and about their attitude towards, and concepts of, volunteering.

A related problem is that the network and exchange of knowledge in the field of migrant volunteering is weak, especially on a transnational European level i.e. there is a need for facilitation of exchanges of experience between migrant organisations, NGOs and national, regional and local authorities in Member States.

An additional issue is that Member States' integration policies continue to focus largely on integration to the labour market. While this is an important dimension of social inclusion, it does not address the exclusion of those migrants that are not (and will never be) involved in the labour market.

Migration, integration and volunteering are phenomena that are controversially discussed in our societies - and that are more often than not discussed separately. The INVOLVE project aimed at linking these debates and finding the interfaces - How can volunteering be better used in order to facilitate integration that is needed as a consequence of migration?
For futher information
Projet Mem-Vol (2003), initié par Inbas Sozialforschung (Allemagne), en Autriche (European Center), Danemark (Centre national du bénévolat), France (Iriv), Pays-Bas (Henk partnership) et Royaume-Uni (IRV), DG affaires sociales,Commission Européenne, 2003 - sur www.mem-volunteering.net.
Projet Involve (2006), Projet Involve, initié par le CEV (Belgique), en Autriche (Université de Vienne), Espagne (Fondation pour le bénévolat), France (Iriv), Hongrie (Menedek) , Pays-Bas (Henk partnership) et Royaume-Uni (IRV), INTI, Commission Européenne 2006 - www. Involve-europe.eu.
Projet TIPS (2009), initié par FORCOM (Italie), en Autriche (AUXILIUM), en France (IRIV), en Grèce (HOU), en Italie (FORCOM et Gruppo Pragma) et en Pologne (Tischner University). Commission Européenne 2009 - sur www.forcom.it/tipsproject.