Empowering Migrant Voices in Local Integration and Inclusion Processes: Good Practices for Integration at the Local Level in the City of Graz

Between 14 and 16 May, the first meeting of the international consortium of the project Empowering Migrant Voices in Local Integration and Inclusion Processes took place in Graz, Austria. In Slovenia, the project is implemented by the Peace Institute, the Gmajna Cultural Association, the City of Ljubljana and the Association of Municipalities and Towns of Slovenia.

At the City of Graz, we were welcomed by Mayor Elke Kahr of the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ). The Migrant Council, which has been operating as an advisory body to the City of Graz since 1995 and maintains excellent cooperation with the municipality, was presented by its chair, Irina Karamarković, and its director, Will Eyawo. Wolfgang Rajakovics from the Department of Education and Integration presented the City of Graz’s integration strategy, which receives considerable attention. Robert Krotzer, Head of the Department of Integration, and Masomah Regl, the department’s media representative, introduced us to local integration practices and cooperation with migrant organisations and the Migrant Council.

Emmanuel Kamdem, founder and long-standing representative of the Migrant Council, presented Chiala, an organisation dedicated to cultural diversity and development. Rachel Fox, founder and director of the Seddwell Center, an international community space, and head of the International Welcome Office, presented her work. Onesta Scott Wedenig led a city tour entitled “Making Migrant Stories Visible”. The local integration practices we encountered in Graz, actively supported by the city, can serve as a valuable example for Slovenia and other countries.

The project, funded under the AMIF 2023 Call (Topic 2): Integration and Inclusion at Regional and Local Level, is among the 3% of all approved projects and builds on and continues the work carried out over the past two years under the project Strengthening Migrant Voices in Integration and Inclusion Policies.

The project consortium consists of 19 partners (NGOs, migrant organisations, and local and regional authorities) from seven countries (Austria, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Luxembourg, Germany and Slovenia), as well as one EU partner based in Brussels.