LIbrary BRIdges: Promoting the Integration and Inclusion of Third Country Nationals in Europe Through Libraries and Local Partnerships

ongoing

This project, taking place in France, Italy, Poland, Latvia and Romania, aims to help develop and implement local strategies embedded in libraries and increase the effectiveness of the integration of third-country nationals (TCN) at regional and local level. The development of these local strategies will a) empower TCN by removing structural barriers to integration related to language, culture and knowledge of the local environment and b) foster meaningful social connections between TCN and the host communities. To significantly improve the conditions for TCN integration within local communities, the project will work locally with communities, their trusted places and authorities and concentrate on relations-building and developing engagement. There already are successful initiatives of locally rooted strategies for integration involving partnerships between libraries, public authorities, community organizations and TCN-led associations, but they remain isolated and are not replicated. The approach thus focuses on overcoming barriers to transfer of practices: lack of documentation, isolation of practitioners and siloed ecosystems. It builds upon each partner’s expertise in piloting innovative programs using agile methodologies and facilitating knowledge sharing among stakeholders. The main activities include : undertaking a mapping of existing initiatives at the local level and mobilizing different stakeholders (librarians, local authorities, TCN-led associations), developing specific content (guides/toolkits) to help librarians design and implement relevant intercultural activities, developing and implementing local partnerships and strategies and finally disseminating the findings and results of the project via innovative digital platforms, which will allow for easy scale-up and replicability in other European countries interested in the methodology developed in the project to foster the integration of TCN at the local level. The visibility of the EU and of the action itself will be ensured through appropriate communication measures throughout the implementation of the action, such as, among others: • Communication plan with regular posting on social media as well as solicitation of local, regional and national media • 3 articles published by each consortium member on their social media platforms, newsletter and/or their website (between 1500 and 6000 recipients) Besides,The main channels of communication will be: • Websites of the project (E-PANEMA and BSF MarketPlace) containing information on the events, local partnership stories from the project countries, educational and informational material • Social media: Facebook and Instagram profiles of the different consortium members • Newsletters and websites of each consortium members