ILO - Intercultural Learning Online

<< Background >>The growing immigrant population in Europe makes visible the fact that there is a large number of refugees and immigrants whose skills, capacity and expertise are not being properly utilized in Europe. Research has shown that access to and participation in the labour market is a challenging process for highly educated migrants who have moved to Europe. This challenge can be seen in higher education institutions, where there are very few staff (lecturers, professors) with migrant backgrounds. This challenge should be recognised at the university level, as there are more and more students with migrant backgrounds who also need role models and working life success stories from migrant lecturers and scholars. Immigrants' experiences of fast and effective participation in the labour market increased their positive feelings of belonging.The ILO project aimed to create and develop opportunities for highly educated migrants to use their talents and capacities by lecturing at partner universities and organising joint workshops or short courses for students.<< Objectives >>The aims of the project in higher education were to promote intercultural understanding, teaching and learning, and to create new models for integrating well-educated migrants into teaching activities. It also improved the self-esteem of migrant students by providing them with role models of highly educated migrants. The project made the skills of highly educated migrants visible and better utilised. The aim was to create a Europe-wide network, organising migrant NGOs and higher education institutions to work together. During the project, workshops organised jointly by the higher education institutions and migrant NGOs were piloted.<< Implementation >>The ILO project piloted different ways, created models and made visible the various possibilities of cooperation between migrant NGOs and higher education. Based on the needs of the partner universities and the expertise of the network of the project's NGO partner, the European Migrant Network, different lectures were organised. In addition, joint courses were set up where university teachers and migrant teachers could share their expertise online, learn from each other and co-create new innovative learning outcomes for the benefit of both teachers and students, including the participating NGOs. Online workshops with migrants and students were also organised. As there are too few opportunities for migrant teachers and students, as well as other migrants, to meet other teachers, students and other members of society, such online workshops were organised to bridge the communication gap between different groups in society, thus promoting inclusion and equality. The workshops covered topics such as green care and sustainability, discrimination, racism prevention and promoting equality.One of the project activities was peer support and mentoring. The main idea was to create and facilitate opportunities for migrant students to learn from each other, to engage in dialogue and to support migrant students in their studies and future work skills. Such peer support and mentoring took the form of, for example, online discussions, small group tutoring and long-term one-to-one mentoring.<< Results >>The project results as follows:•Open resource bank of online lecturers in such topics as interculturalism, discrimination and racism, gender issues etc.The resource bank is publishedon project website•A Handbook “Intercultural Encounters -how to promote intercultural understanding and internationalization at universities•Openly shared courses and lectures,•the Mentor Handbook