ITALY
Community engagement and partnerships with local authorities In order to engage the local community in project activities, FADV runs a volunteer programme. In cooperation with the Municipality of Milan and the Prefecture of Milan and private enterprises and local associations, FADV implement educational and cultural activities that help beneficiaries to interact with the neighbourhood.
Challenges in maintaining high quality standards Ensuring sustainability and maintaining service quality standards in emergency situations is a major challenge, as the project is under pressure to adjust its activities quickly to accommodate emergency needs. Since taking in more beneficiaries and including other groups would go beyond the centre’ s capacity and have a negative effect on service quality, FADV has avoided scaling up its activities and maintains a focus on working with families with children as its primary target group.
Lack of information and unrealistic expectations among project participants Many families participating in the project are not properly informed and have unrealistic expectations and goals. Gradually building trust and providing comprehensive information and legal counselling on asylum seekers’ rights and obligations in Italy and paths towards legal residence status in Europe is thus a challenging yet essential task.
LESSONS LEARNED
The recent refugee crisis has highlighted the need for a coordinated approach that goes beyond the provision of emergency assistance and that covers all aspects from reception to integration, while safeguarding human rights.
• Asylum seekers should have access to clear information on asylum procedures. There is a need for streamlined asylum procedures and clear, comprehensive information on how to navigate them. Information intended for children should be provided in a child-friendly manner and should be readily available to all children.
• Cultural sensitivity is an important element of successful integration. Initiatives for the integration of refugees must be tailored to meet individual needs and take into consideration family histories and cultural backgrounds. Asylum seekers need to participate in the preparation of their development plans so that they can set goals that are meaningful to them and take responsibility for meeting personal objectives.
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