Sustainable AGRICULTURE as a tool of social and labour integration of MIGRANTS

ECOSERVICE, in response to the growth of migratory flows affecting the whole country, in the belief that the presence of migrants/refugees/asylum seekers can be an opportunity for the cultural and the economic development for Sardinia, has gradually converted its accommodation (initially used to host children and disabled) in reception centres for migrants/refugees/asylum seekers.
ECOSERVICE has managed a reception centre for refugees and immigrants in Sardinia for two years. Currently, ECOSERVICE has been hosting 200 migrants/refugees/asylum seekers (adults -male) who are mainly from Africa, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
ECOSERVICE’s mission is that not only to satisfy migrants’ primary needs but also to promote and support their social and labour inclusion into the hosting community. It has experienced and implemented immigration control measures as well as educational and training solutions aimed at giving refugees the skills they need to rebuild their lives and societies.
The services offered by ECOSERVICE are united by a single theme: the centrality of the person, his needs and his rights. This approach has found concreteness and authority in February 2016, when ECOSERVICE has promoted and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the territory. Thus ECOSERVICE has become a reference point of immigrant integration policy in its territory, by creating a network of private and public institutions that cooperate together in the in the field of migration management, promoting professional, educational and academic pathways as well as job placement opportunity.

ABOUT THE PROJECT: Social and labour integration of migrants in rural areas through sustainable collection and processing of medicinal plants
Considering that the staying period of migrants/refugees/asylum seekers in reception centres (since their arrival to the recognition of a residency permit) has been getting longer, ECOSERVICE aims to "use" this period (now longer than 12 month) to investigate and implement new intervention methods at local level (that can be used also at international level). The combined approach of public and private entities, in fact, allows both to turn the problem of immigrant reception into an opportunity/advantage for the territory and to give to refugees a "survival kit" of skills/competences useful for their social and professional integration into society.
The project that ECOSERVICE is going to submit focuses on transmitting technical skills and competencies on SUSTAINABLE COLLECTION AND PROCESSING OF MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS (ESSENTIAL OILS) AND THEIR USES. The aim is to give to migrants/refugees/asylum seekers specific competences and knowledges that they can spend in different geographical contexts, also in their country of origin.
The ambitious objective is to encourage the employment of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers through the promotion of self-employment. The training will be conducted by highly qualified scientific partners through theoretical and practical modules as well as study visits in enterprises.
At the international level, ECOSERVICE aims to build a virtuous cooperation network between organizations involved in hosting migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in order to experiment new interaction processes between regions and exchange of sustainable forms of reception migrants.

PARTICIPANTS’ PROFILE:
In order to be partner of this project, the applicant organizations must necessarily have experience in one the following areas:
- promotion and/or management of actions aimed at the social and labor inclusion of immigrants/refugees by using multicultural approaches;
- promotion/management of projects/actions in the field of SOCIAL AGRICULTURE as a tool of labor reinsertion of vulnerable people (especially immigrants and refugees);
- promotion/management of skills recognition processes and work placements of vulnerable people (especially immigrants and refugees).

The Erasmus+ deadline to submit this project is on 4th October, 2016 so if you are interested in becoming our partner please send us via email (to ecoservicegiovani@gmail.com) the attached Partner Identification Form properly filled within SEPTEMBER 27TH, 2016.