EQUAL - EASI - Empowering Asylum Seekers to Integrate

EASI - Empowering Asylum Seekers to Integrate

Logo for EASI - Empowering Asylum Seekers to Integrate www.itn.org.uk/easi.html

Description

Image taken from transnational project report

Background

Consisting of 14 organisations, the Empowering Asylum Seekers to Integrate Development Partnership (EASI DP) aims to tackle discrimination in the labour market.

The DP contributes to the social and vocational integration of asylum seekers by enabling them to acquire skills to prepare for employment once they receive permission to work.

Partners have worked in areas relating to:

orientation and preparation for the labour market
capacity building and refugee community organisations (RCOs)
language, teaching and learning.

The work of the EASI DP encompasses activity from trialling ideas to developing products and good practice, which EASI recommends and promotes.

EASI promotes the ethos that asylum seekers have the right to be active and equal members of society.

Aims

To ensure that integration begins from the day of arrival.
To promote integration as a two-way process shared by the newly arrived and the host community.
To provide preparation for the labour market as this is crucial to successful integration.
To provide good information: this is an essential step towards effective integration.
To inform asylum seekers that they have the right to work, volunteer, train and study.
To create a joined up partnership, strategic and front-line approach to meet the complexities of integration.
To ensure that asylum seekers are eligible for ESOL courses from the day of their claim.
To engage and deliver using the SEAL method: English language should be taught the way people learn their mother tongue.
To provide a person-centred, online personal development plan, to recognise the skills and expertise that individual asylum seekers may have.
To provide mechanisms for engaging asylum seekers in worthwhile and therapeutic activities while waiting for a decision.
To provide asylum seekers with placements, training and language provision that builds on their skills and experience.
To provide volunteering, which aids wellbeing and enables asylum seekers to contribute to society.
To promote volunteering benefits to organisations, individuals and communities.

Objectives

To ensure that ESF (European Social Fund) funds 2008-13 are made available for programmes for asylum seekers throughout the UK, and that they include a transnational element.
To challenge unfair existing UK policy and practice, which means that EASI is concerned about:

restrictions on some asylum seekers accessing ESOL classes
work restrictions imposed on most asylum seekers.

Target groups

Asylum seekers.

Round

Round 1 to Round 2

This development partnership was not involved in Round One.

Lead partner

Islington Training Network >>
www.itn.org.uk >>

Transnational partnerships

Information for Transnational partnerships

Contact

Saba Khan
Islington Training Network
skhan@itn.org.uk >>

End-dates

Action 2: 31 December 2007
Action 3: 31 December 2007

Equal theme

Asylum seekers

Origins

The programme was developed in response to the needs of the National Asylum Support Service (NASS), which focused on high dispersal areas, particularly London. London has the highest number of asylum seekers (20,905 as at March 2004), and the majority (19,920) access EASI services for support only.

Beneficiaries

Asylum seekers, Refugees

Achievements

Activities

A strategic and front-line partnership approach has meant that EASI succeeds:

with consultation from the EASI Advisory Group
in promoting volunteering in Europe, including bringing volunteering programmes for asylum seekers to Hungarian regional labour offices
in empowering women by delivering accelerated English courses where they live
in influencing policy relating to access to ESOL classes
in providing asylum seekers with greater knowledge of their rights and entitlements
in influencing policy; volunteering can now be accredited
in influencing policy; asylum seekers are eligible for Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funding after six months.

EASI shared its findings with practitioners and policy-makers in 2007 through:

networks and meetings
conferences and workshops
good practice guides
online materials
videos and training packs
meetings with transnational partners
meetings with European policy-makers
contributing to consultations on national and European asylum policy.

Scatter plot

	Regional	National	European
Process	X	X
Practice			X
Product
Policy		X

Process/Regional

The EASI DP tests new approaches of delivering support, training and volunteering opportunities for this group.

Process/National

The programme seeks to tackle worklessness and create opportunites for asylum seekers in the UK.

Practice/European

EASI is part of the Exchanges partnership with DPs in France and Hungary.

Policy/National

The partnership aims to contribute to the social and vocational integration of asylum seekers by enabling them to acquire skills in preparation for employment.

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Connections

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Activities and products

Exchanges is a transnational partnership

Exchanges >> Exchanges was an EQUAL Theme One transnational partnership involving three national development partnerships (DPs): the FAAR DP in France, the EASI DP in England and the ESÉLY DP in Hungary. Expand/collapse

Products (1)

A Part of Society >>Refugees and asylum seekers volunteering in the UK - this report is an account of case studies of ten organisations.

Mentoring Project Welcome Pack >> North of England Refugee Service has produced a Mentoring Project Welcome Pack for members of the host community interested in volunteering as mentors to asylum seekers.

PRESTO/EASI Referral Handbook >> A handbook produced by the PRESTO and EASI Development Partnerships, who aim to promote more effective partnership working between partner organisations by developing and implementing an effective referral system through the development of: a Referral Procedure; a Referral Database; and this Referral Handbook.

Refugees & Asylum Seekers - An Education, Training and Employment Guide >> This guide covers information on education, training, volunteering and employment and also some further information on the rights and entitlements of refugees and asylum seekers.

Refugees & Asylum Seekers - An Education, Training and Employment Guide for Advisors >> This guide is for those advising adult refugees and asylum seekers (over 16 years) living in England and is focused on information, advice and guidance for education, training, volunteering and employment.

Equal-Works

Equal themes