Empiric

This project aims to enhance the operational capacities of youth-focused NGOs that work with migrants and refugees in Europe. It addresses the lack of comprehensive capacity building in these organizations, with three main objectives:

1. Capacity Building: The project will provide support to NGOs in areas such as project and financial management, monitoring and evaluation skills, and the use of digital technologies to improve their regular tasks.

2. Policy Engagement: The project aims to strengthen the connections between policymakers and these NGOs, enhancing engagement between governmental policies and NGOs working with vulnerable groups. This will be achieved through training consortium partners in research skills, advocacy, lobbying, networking, and negotiating techniques.

3. Organizational Connectivity: The project will facilitate new connections and strengthen existing ones among youth-focused NGOs, encouraging the sharing of best practices and the development of policy recommendations on a European level.

4. Democratic Civic Engagement: The project seeks to empower partnering organizations by increasing their participation in democratic political processes, leading to sustainable impacts on local, national, and regional levels.

The organization will send three participants who are actively engaged in project activities. During the meeting, various aspects of the project will be discussed collaboratively within the consortium. These discussions will encompass:

Project Management: Partners will review and coordinate project management strategies, ensuring that everyone is aligned and aware of their roles and responsibilities.
Evaluation and Monitoring: The group will assess the ongoing evaluation and monitoring processes of the project, making any necessary adjustments to ensure its effectiveness.
Financial Aspects: Partners will share updates on financial matters, budget allocations, and expenditure, promoting transparency and accountability.
Dissemination Strategy: The consortium will discuss the best ways to disseminate project outcomes, ensuring that the project's impact reaches a wider audience.
Training Programme: Development of the training program will be deliberated upon, aiming to equip participants with necessary skills and knowledge.
Sustainability Practices: The partners will establish practices that will ensure the project's sustainability beyond its completion. This might include creating social media channels to maintain visibility and brainstorming the creation of an E-Handbook to preserve project knowledge and resources.
Training Activity I
A 5-day training in Germany, led by EFSAS with support from the Training Academy, will focus on enhancing skills for NGOs working with migrants and refugees. Participants will learn project management, financial skills, monitoring, and evaluation. The training emphasizes governance, transparency, and accountability through codes of conduct and operational standards. It promotes NGO self-regulation and engagement with international standards. Budget participation, private sector dialogues, and digital transformation are covered. Non-formal workshops, digital tools, and eco-friendly practices will be utilized. Teamwork among diverse participants will be encouraged, and daily evaluation sessions will gather feedback. An inclusion officer will ensure all participants are engaged.

Consortium Meeting II
The interim consortium meeting in Italy links the initial training in Germany and the upcoming one in Turkey. It assesses project progress, refines strategies, and adapts outcomes. The meeting promotes local engagement, supports E-Handbook creation, and lays the foundation for the Turkey training. This collaborative event ensures seamless project development and prepares for effective training ahead.

Training Activity II
In Turkey, a 5-day training, led by the Training Academy and supported by EFSAS, aims to address communication challenges between civil society organizations and policy stakeholders. It seeks to identify common issues across Europe by analyzing stakeholder experiences. The training will enhance NGOs' skills in effectively communicating their work's impact to policymakers on different levels. It will also provide participants with improved research and academic writing skills, facilitating their direct access to policymakers and policy formulation processes. Partners will gain insights into European policy formulation and challenges. The training curriculum encompasses diverse research aspects, including design, ethics, methods, advocacy, and networking. Moreover, it encourages the exchange of best practices among partners. Following the training, EFSAS, with partners, will compile an E-Handbook containing policy briefs and exercises, fostering ongoing collaboration and knowledge-sharing.

Intellectual Output - E-Handbook
The four policy recommendations developed by the consortium partners will be compiled in an E-handbook published following the project's completion. The E-handbook will further include the exercises used in the project's trainings. The distribution of this handbook through both the communication channels of the partners and the communication network of the project will ensure that the skills and practices developed during this project will also be made accessible to the broader refugee-focused NGO and policymaking community.

This project focuses on empowering youth refugee CSOs to actively engage in policy dialogue and decision-making processes across different levels. The overarching objectives are as follows:

- Enhanced Participation: The program aims to enable youth refugee CSOs to actively contribute to policy discussions and decisions, ensuring their voices are heard in shaping policies that affect their communities.

- Skill Development: The initiative seeks to equip participants with the necessary skills for effective engagement in policy dialogue and decision-making. This includes training in evidence-based research, advocacy strategies, networking techniques, outreach methods, and negotiation skills.

- Capacity Building: The program also supports the development of crucial project and financial management skills among youth refugee CSOs. Additionally, participants will gain proficiency in monitoring and evaluation, enhancing their ability to track and demonstrate the impact of their initiatives.

- Network Strengthening: The initiative extends its support to local refugee CSO networks and platforms. By promoting coordination, collaboration, and information exchange among these groups, the initiative fosters a more unified and impactful approach to advocating for policy changes.

By addressing these objectives, the program aims to empower young refugee CSOs, build their skills, enhance their organizational capacities, and establish stronger networks. This holistic approach seeks to amplify their influence in policy dialogue and decision-making processes, ultimately leading to more inclusive and effective policies that benefit refugee communities.

European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) (project Leader)
Amsterdam, Holland
Website: https://www.efsas.org/

Adiyaman Kultur, Turizm, Egitim ve Kalkinma Dernegi (partner)
Adiyaman, Turkey
Website: https://adiyaman.ktb.gov.tr/

The Afghanistan Committee for Peace, Reconstruction and Culture (partner)
Berlin, Germany
Website: https://vafo.ngo/en/af-komitee_ev/