New Neighbours: mobilising media and civil society actors to foster greater intercultural understanding between migrants and host communities in Europe

ended

The project will leverage public, community and social media to foster greater tolerance and acceptance for migrants in EU Member States. It will use innovative programming models to challenge stereotypes and debunk commonly held myths, thereby facilitating the integration of migrants into local communities and placing migrant voices at the heart of the national discourse on migration. These goals will be achieved by: 1) Raising awareness of the positive contribution made by migrants to the economies and cultures of host countries. Media outputs supported by the project will comprise factual programming aired by 7 public service broadcasters; community media productions created and presented by migrants; and advocacy campaigns implemented by CSOs. 2) Building capacity within the public and community media sectors to facilitate inclusive intercultural dialogue. The project will develop a community of best practice for media practitioners with a shared interest in migration issues. Underpinned by a Knowledge Management Platform, this exchange of knowhow will benefit from wide dissemination across the partners’ pan-EU networks. 3) Forging stronger links between media and CSOs working in this field, thereby improving the flow of information between the two sectors. This process will be facilitated by networking activities as well as joint efforts to address perceived challenges. Journalists will be encouraged to draw on civil society sources when developing their programmes, thereby establishing a framework for long-term collaboration. The project’s short-term beneficiaries are public and community media taking part in capacity-building and co-production activities as well as CSOs and local authorities benefiting from improved outreach. In the medium term, national audiences will gain a better insight into the contribution made by migrants to EU societies whilst, in the longer term, migrants will enjoy greater tolerance and understanding within host communities.