Academic Centre
On July 4 and 5, 2023, a kick-off meeting took place at the Rzeszow Regional Development Agency (Rzeszow, Poland) to launch the Interreg Europe project "Socio-Economic Integration of Refugees and Migrants" (SIRM). The aim of the project is to promote understanding of the problems and demands of migrants, while developing strategies for solving migration-related issues.
The SIRM project involves the cooperation of public authorities of 8 European regions to exchange knowledge and improve relevant policy documents related to the socio-economic integration of third parties, including refugees and migrants. The project, through the development and improvement of policy instruments, will contribute to reducing disparities between different EU regions, which so far have faced refugee problems to a lesser extent, and between those that have more years of experience in developing migration policies. The project will make these regions and the EU a more cohesive area for migrants.
On the first day of the event, an introductory session was held, where the project partners discussed and developed an implementation plan for the project activities. The meeting emphasized the exchange of best practices and experiences between representatives of different regions. Each invited partner presented their role in the project and offered opportunities for cooperation and possible solutions.
On the second day, the meeting participants went on a study visit. The visit started with a presentation by a representative of the Voivodship Employment Office focusing on programs that support refugees and migrants in the Podkarpackie labor market, such as the Podkarpackie Refugee Integration Center project and the "Together we can do more" initiative. Another presentation showcased the support programs implemented by the Regional Development Agency in Rzeszów, with special emphasis on the availability of subsidies for social enterprises supporting refugees.
The meeting ended with a visit to the TUTU Center for Psychophysical Development in Rzeszów - an institution that provides necessary assistance to persons who have faced the consequences of war, promotes equal access to services related to psychophysical balance and supports the adaptation process. During the visit, the project partners participated in group art therapy led by the center's staff. This form of therapy, which uses creativity and the arts in a variety of ways, such as music, literature, dance and theater, teaches participants how to foster satisfying group relationships, an essential aspect for individuals who have found themselves in a completely new and unfamiliar environment due to circumstances beyond their control.
9 institutions from 8 countries have joined together for the project work from March 1 of this year to February 2027- Croatia, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. The project receives co-financing from the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund within the Interreg Europe 2021-2027 program, and the total project budget is EUR 1,785,576.
More information:
Project website: https://www.interregeurope.eu/sirm
Denize Ponomarjova, UL Project Manager, E-mail: denize.ponomarjova@lu.lv, Phone: (+371) 28241115
Dāvis Vītols, UL Project Expert, E-mail: davis.vitols@lu.lv, tel. (+371) 26652750
