Completed Projects - Integration

In former projects, IOM Austria worked with diverse approaches and target groups in the field of integration. One important component was the provision of trainings to relevant stakeholders in Austria on topics such as human trafficking or intercultural competences to resettled refugees and to unaccompanied minors and migrant youths in general.

For further information, please  find a selection of completed projects below or contact us:
Integration/Labour Mobility and Social Inclusion Unit
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Country Office for Austria
Nibelungengasse 13/4
1010 Vienna

Tel: +43 1 585 33 22 
Email: integrationvienna@iom.int

WIR – Workshops for Integration and Encounters 

From 1 March 2018 to 31 December 2023, the IOM Country Office for Austria implemented the projects WIR in four different phases in Vienna, Linz and Graz. The projects aimed to counteract segregation in Austria as well as potential radicalization and recruitment of young people by extremist groups by strengthening social cohesion and primary prevention. Interactive workshops and accompanying activities for young people with a Chechen migrant background were offered to strengthen the young people's individual resilience to radicalization tendencies. Since 2022 the target group expanded to young people with a Muslim migrant background. In media workshops and through the joint production of short films, the young people were able to express their thoughts in a creative way. Moreover, young adults with a migrant background were trained and prepared as intercultural mediators. Starting in 2022, the project WIR also offered intergenerational storytelling evenings for the Chechen Communities. In addition, so-called multipliers were trained to implement their own workshops on schools. 

During the course of the projects, in total 254 young people participated in 17 workshop series and produced 11 short films. 36 multipliers implemented 22 school workshops. 

You can find all short films that were produced on the IOM YouTube Channel
WIR IV Workshop modules (in German)
WIR IV Methodology toolbox (in German)
WIR IV Results and Impact Report (in German)

This project was funded by the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, the Federal Chancellery of the Republic of Austria and supported by the ERSTE Foundation and the Zukunftsfonds.

 

ASYL-Train

The project was implemented from 1 January 2017 – 31 December 2019 and provided training courses on the identification of victims of human trafficking and on intercultural competences to relevant stakeholders in the area of asylum and migration, including the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum, the Federal Administrative Court, and Mobile social workers from Caritas and Diakonie.

A total of 37 courses was held for 525 participants in all Austrian provinces. The training courses were offered together with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Federal Criminal Police Office, the LEFÖ Intervention Centre for Victims of Trafficking in Women, the Men's Health Centre, the Child Protection Centre "Drehscheibe" of the City of Vienna, the legal expert Mag. Ines Rössl and the association “IZ - Intercultural Centre”.

Booklet Counter-Trafficking (in German)
Booklet Intercultural Competences (in German)

This project was co-financed by the European Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund and the Federal Ministry of the Interior.

Admin4All: Integration in municipalities

These trans-European projects were implemented between 1 March 2016 – 19 April 2021 with the overall aim to support inclusion measures for disadvantaged migrants through providing trainings to public officials at the local and municipal level. Participants learned about the general need of migrants with regards to their integration into the labour market, intercultural competences, and the engagement with the local civil society. Building on the first project the second edition of Admin4All offered features such as "Train the Trainer" workshops.

In Austria, eight municipalities participated in the projects. At EU level, a total of 49 municipalities took part (in Italy, Poland, Romania, Spain, Greece, and Malta).

Scoping Study 2017

These projects were funded by the European Union.

FAB: Fostering across borders

This trans-European project, implemented from 15 January 2018 – 14 September 2019 provided trainings to support, improve and promote family care for unaccompanied minor migrants and was implemented in Belgium, Greece, Luxembourg, Poland, the United Kingdom and Austria. The trainings specifically focused on how to prevent and deal with the disappearance of unaccompanied minors.

In Austria, a total of 175 people participated in 11 different workshops and networking events. In addition, three (former) unaccompanied migrant children residing in Austria explored their experiences of living in family-based care and participated in a series of five filmmaking workshops to create a video on their views. The video served as training material and awareness raising tool, ensuring capacity building and recruitment activities maintain a truly child-centred approach.

Video: Unbegleitete minderjährige Migrant/innen filmen ihre Geschichte (in German)

This project was funded by the EU Rights, Equality and Citizenship Program (2014-2020).  

AUCO: Cultural orientation-trainings in the Austrian context for refugees from Syria

Between 1 August 2013 – 31 October 2017, IOM offered pre-departure support to Syrian refugees in the form of administrative help, medical help as well as cultural orientation.

During the course of the project, a total of 1900 Syrian refugees were supported, and 13 pre-departure orientation trainings were held in Beirut, Istanbul and Amman prior to departure for Austria.

Booklet AUCO 2016 (in German)

This project was funded by the European Commission, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs and implemented in cooperation with IOM, UNHCR and the Resettlement Working Group.

  

CulTrain: Cultural Orientation Trainings for young refugees

These projects, implemented from 1 January 2012 – 31 December 2017 offered cultural orientation trainings for young refugees to facilitate their integration process. During the trainings, young refugees learned in interactive ways about different topics such as country and people, Austrian history, democratic system in Austria, as well as everyday life, from public transport to education system. Also unspoken cultural rules were discussed, e.g. what is considered polite and what not, how to behave when invited by someone, etc. in order to provide them with orientation in their path to social inclusion and participation.

During the course of the projects, a total of 787 young refugees took part in 80 cultural orientation training courses. In addition, 13 intercultural trainings were organized, in which 114 young refugees participated, as well as 12 extra-curricular activities, which reached 120 young refugees.

Booklet (in German)
Curriculum (in German)
Evaluation report

These projects were funded by the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs.

HEADSTART: Consolidation of integration measures prior to departure

This trans-European project was implemented between 1 January 2014 – 30 June 2015 in partnership with the World Association of Public Employment Services (WAPES) and authorities in charge of integration issues in the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, and Austria. The project strengthened the capacity of service providers engaging in integration measures prior to departure of third country nationals to the EU. Furthermore, the project enhanced a link between pre-integration measures and integration measures after arrival in the destination country. The target groups were both service providers as well as third-country nationals immigrating to the EU for work or family reunification.

Study: Headstart to Integration: A Global Review of Pre-departure Support Measures for Migrants
Policy Brief: Fostering Migrant Integration Before Departure
Handbook: Running an Effective Migrant Resource Centre. A Handbook for Practitioners

The project was co-financed by the European Union, the Federal Ministries of the Interior of Austria and Italy and Dutch Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA).