EMC: Empower Migrant Communities

EMC is a European project part of the Erasmus+ programme, promoted by 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗺𝗲 in collaboration with 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗱𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲.

The project involves 𝟰𝟬 people with a migrant background, who are active in migrant organizations in Italy and Austria, with the aim of strengthening their skills through training activities on project management and proposal writing.

EMC’s objective is to support autonomy, civic participation and project management skills of the migrant communities.

Partner

The partner in the project is the Austrian organisation 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗱𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲 based in Vienna, which is committed to promoting and facilitating encounters, dialogue and the inclusion of refugees and people who have experienced migration.

At the end of March, the project’s kick-off meeting took place in Vienna. During these inspiring days, the project’s training activities – aimed at supporting and empowering migrant communities – were co-designed together with the Fremde Werden Freunde team.

Following the kick-off event in Vienna, the European project design course started, attended by around twenty participants from 15 different countries, all highly motivated and keen to get involved. The course was designed to strengthen the skills, provide practical tools and encourage the active participation of foreign community organisations and people with a migrant background.
The course ended on Saturday 30 May 2026 with an intense workshop.

The participants’ point of view

The greatest value of the project is best expressed in the words of those who took part in the course.
Here are some of the most significant pieces of feedback:

“This project had a very positive impact on me. It gave me an excellent insight into how to explore and approach project management in general, and European project management in particular. It was enlightening in terms of the personal skills I developed, the discussions I had and the new knowledge I gained. I also really enjoyed the opportunity to work in a team and meet new people.”

“The course and the project had a profound impact on me; they helped me gain confidence in my ideas and gave me the tools to put them into practice”

“It helped me transform theoretical ideas into concrete plans.”

“It inspired my curiosity and interest in seeking out more specific information.”

“Meeting people with similar interests, with whom I can try to develop a project, has been really inspiring.”

“It helped me to expand my perspective on the opportunities offered by the EU.”

“I have learnt some new insights that will help me take a better approach to European vocabulary and the whole idea of a project within the European Community.”

“It has significantly improved my understanding of European project management.”

Next steps

The project continues: this autumn, some members of our class will travel to Austria for three days of training, and we will then return the kindness by welcoming the participants from Fremde Werden Freunde here. It will be an opportunity to explore the values and methodologies of the Erasmus+ programme in greater depth and to continue putting into practice what we learnt during the first part of the training.

During the training, participants have already begun to develop concrete projects targeting people from migrant backgrounds. These ideas will come to life during the project’s final event in spring 2027.

EMC: Empower Migrant Communities