ELIAMEP | Summer School in Delphi

One of the innovative characteristics of the POLITIS project is that it incorporates the perspective of third-country nationals through including them in the research structure. For this reason, POLITIS recruited 70 students and young researchers from over 40 different countries around the world that are currently studying in an EU Member State. The objective was to create a network of student researchers that would be trained by the POLITIS team on issues relating to EU immigration, intercultural dialogue, civic participation and interviewing techniques in order for them to identify civically active immigrants (preferably from their national group) in their EU country of study and to interview them. The aim of the POLITIS summer school was to provide this training and prepare them for their role within the POLITIS project.

In co-operation with the POLITIS research team from the University of Oldenburg, Germany, the European University Institute of Florence, Italy, and the CCME, Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe, ELIAMEP organized the first POLITIS Summer School at the European Cultural Centre of Delphi, Greece between the 12-17th July 2005. One of the Summer School’s primary objectives was to concentrate on intercultural communication and to raise awareness of the way stereotypes and institutionalised prejudices alongside cultural background and language may influence the way we communicate and perceive others through a series of practical exercises.

The student researchers were also divided in small focus groups to discuss perceptions of the EU and Europe while concentrating on three sets of statements relating to: a) the concept of Europe, b) what they consider the central features and values of Europe to be, and c) issues of exclusion and diversity in Europe. The statements were modified excerpts from the students’ essays on “What does Europe mean to you personally?” that had been submitted when the student researchers had applied to participate in the POLITIS project in December 2004.

The Summer school programme included a lecture on the representation of migrants’ interests at the European level aimed at providing insight into lobbying in Brussels based on firsthand experience.

The core of the programme focused on ‘active civic participation’ and how this relates to immigrant groups and the POLITIS project. The situation of immigrants and immigrant activism in the 25 EU Member States was approached from a comparative perspective. Part of the workshop concentrated on cross-country comparisons serving to identify: a) the most civically active immigrant group and the most defining reasons for this activism in each Member State; b) the main obstacles for immigrants’ involvement in public life; and c) a special element or feature relevant for immigrants’ involvement in public life in each Member State.

Finally, two days were attributed to a highly interactive training of the student partners on the actual procedure of identifying, contacting and interviewing civically active immigrants for the POLITIS project. More details about the Summer School programme can be found on the project’s official website.

A follow–up Summer School is planned to take place in Germany in July 2006 and will be organised by the University of Oldenburg.