MEM-VOL- Migrants and Ethnic Minority Volunteering

On behalf of the German Institute, INBAS-Sozialforschung, a European project was accepted by the European Commission, General Directorate for Employment and Social Affairs. It constitutes the first phasis of a Transnational Exchange Programme (2002-2006) under the Community Action Programme to Combat Social Exclusion (2002-2006). Six countries are partners : Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
A website has been created to disseminate the results of the information : : www.mem-volunteering.net.

Presentation
Until now little is known about volunteering of migrants and ethnic minorities, although kinship and neighbourhood networks and ethnic communities are in the focus of research. Volunteering -in favour of the own community or for different groups - might be a means of integration into society in a double sense: e.g. by labour market counselling to facilitate employment or by educational training for children of foreign origin and by developing new skills and qualifications through volunteering. Migrants and ethnic minorities suffer in all member states of the European Union from high unemployment. The effects of MEM volunteering as a means of integration - societal, cultural and on the labour market - and as a means of empowerment and development of the civil society is highly underestimated and disregarded. Therefore promoting and facilitating volunteering and self-help of migrants and ethnic minorities will be an important objective to combat social exclusion and poverty.

Objectives and working programme

The objectives of the first phase are:

• making a a brief outline of the social situation of migrants and ethnic minorities in each country
• compiling major findings of research concerning volunteering of migrants and ethnic minorities
• identifying key actors and local, regional and national political programmes to facilitate volunteering of migrants and ethnic minorities
• identifying and description of some examples of good practice (3-5 in each country)
• identifying objectives for phase 2 and application
• building up a partnership in each country that consists of NGOs and local, regional and federal authorities

Partners

The project partners carry out research their respective country - Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and United Kingdom - to compile the above mentioned analyses and reports. On this base transnational meetings will be held in each country with representatives from local, regional, national authorities, from self-organisations of migrants and ethnic minorities and welfare organisations.

 

Germany   INBAS - Sozialforschung Susanne Huth and Jürgen Schumacher Nonnenpfad 14, D-60599 Frankfurt am Main Tel.: +49-69-65302061, Fax: +49-69-655096 www.inbas-sozialforschung.de	Austria European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research Margit Grilz-Wolf and Charlotte Strümpel Berggasse 17, A-1090 Wien Tel.: +43-1-3194505-44, Fax: +43-1-3194505-59 www.euro.centre.org
Denmark The Volunteer Centre in Denmark Mette Hjære Pantheonsgade 5, DK-5100 Odense C Tel.: +45-66-146061, Fax: +45-66-142017 www.frivillighed.dk	France IRIV - Institut de Recherche et d'Information sur le Volontariat Bénédicte Halba 26 boulevard Raspail, F-75007 Paris Tel.: +33-1-42840825, Fax: +33-1-42840825 www.iriv.net
The Netherlands Community Partnership Consultants Angelika Münz Huddestr. 3, NL-1018 HB Amsterdam Tel.: +31-20-6261208, Fax: +31-20-6261167 www.community-partnership.net	United Kingdom Institute for Volunteering Research Angela Ellis and Nicola Ponikiewski Regent's Wharf, 8 All Saints Street, GB-London, N1 9RL Tel.: +44-02-75208907 (A. Ellis), +44-02-75208911 (N. Ponikiewski) Fax: +44-20-75208910 www.ivr.org.uk

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© IRIV , Paris, 2003