Bridging Borders - Developing connections of solidarity within the EU

ongoing

Bridging Borders (BB) is a 24-month project that aims to involve young EU citizens - in particular young EU voters and residents (third country nationals) aged 16-30 in a multi-level awareness-raising campaign on why more EU solidarity is needed to fight polarisation and fragmentation towards a more cohesive and engaged community of citizens, with a special focus on the social inclusion of young people with a migrant background, in 10 EU countries (IT, MT, ES, PT, BE, FR, DE, HU, IE, GR). The project foresees a series of initiatives in 11 cities in 10 EU countries with the aim of involving citizens in a better understanding of each step of the migration process and integration, promoting discussion, debate and exchange of practices on the EU's solidarity with people experiencing migration and displacement. BB will lead to: a shared and better understanding of current solidarity mechanisms in local, national and international contexts in the face of societal challenges such as the recent mass influxes of refugees and migrants; capacity building and increased cooperation between CSOs and public institutions to engage and raise awareness among EU citizens and residents; support for EU policy initiatives on solidarity to contribute to the development of EU citizens' engagement. This will be done through: Discussing solidarity in response to migration in the EU; Exploring existing solidarity mechanisms in the EU, in particular best practices and areas for expansion; Reflecting on EU policy areas that could be developed, starting from Panel 2 of the CoFoE, to deepen how solidarity can continue in everyday life. It is expected that at least 1800 direct and 5500 indirect EU citizens, mostly young people, will benefit from the BB project, as each partner will reach at least 500 young people indirectly through social media and local dissemination over 2 years. In addition, the project will involve at least 200 key actors ( CSOs, public authorities and youth organisations).