EPIC INTERNATIONAL NETWORKING PATH IN PORTUGAL
On the 28th of September, the European Platform for Integrating Cities (EPIC) and many stakeholders working on social integration gathered in Amadora (Portugal) for its International Networking Path.
Over the last few years, local authorities and NGOs around Europe have been working to address the unexpected challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic, the crisis in Afghanistan or the war in Ukraine has brought to societies in general, and to those in the most vulnerable situation in particular. The event focused on sharing and debating some lessons learned to understand how to pass from responses given in the context of urgent humanitarian crises, to a more structural approach of reception and integration of migrants. EPIC partners also had the opportunity to visit local initiatives promoting social inclusion of people with different ethnic, racial and linguistic background in Amadora.
In this video, newcomers talk about the main needs and difficulties of integrating a new community while testifying to the good practices they have benefited from. On the other hand, local institutional actors highlight the benefits that the EPIC model and the approaches used can have for other local authorities and NGOs working for the integration of migrants and refugees on their territory.