The Together project (2019-1-PT01-KA203-060772) has been funded with support from the European Commission. This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

The Together project (2019-1-PT01-KA203-060772) has been funded with support from the European Commission. This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

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Training Package for University Students



Module 4
CONTEXT AND RELATIONS

Table of Content

Chapter 4.2. Building inclusive and integrated community network
4.2.5 What’s the added value of a community network?

The ability to network with community stakeholders and services represents a real possibility for Higher Education Institutions to support students with a migrant background and all those students with any vulnerability in their inclusion process.
To be part of a community network it is essential to have the possibility to:
- Understand the actual barriers and challenges as well the potentials and resources.
- Appreciate the different capabilities and interests as well the different services and professionals.
- Design and implement inclusive actions where everyone can play a role and have a voice.
In fact, it is impossible to build social inclusion processes without the participation of the relevant stakeholders and target groups: their presence and participation should be guaranteed from the beginning.
The Higher Education Institutions may facilitate the creation of a community network, developing synergies with other services and institutions, but at the same time they should engage students with a migrant background in the process.
An effective network requires the involvement of all interested students, empowering them to voice their needs and interests and to support the creation of an inter-active community network favouring social inclusion.
That network should be conceived as a horizontal open forum, where everyone can bring resources and inputs, playing a role in the decision-making process.
Thus, the community network will offer a place of dialogue, where everyone feels listened and appreciated, where differences are valued, where it is possible to live together optimizing the resources and capitalising the experiences and competences of all members.
Doing so, people may have better opportunities to enjoy life and consequently they may have the motivation to engage in the development of the hosting community.
What is the role of local students?
They may be the entrance door for refugee students to the local environment and community. The most important is to:
- Establish a dialogue with refugee students, to let them be active since the beginning of the process.
- Share your interests and networks: for instance invite your refugee colleagues to participate in a local organisation meeting or simply involve them in a sport tournament, in simple words start activating relations and expand networks.
- Ask them to be involved in their activities, networks.
Knowing each other and acknowledging each other’s value is the starting point to enlarge any network proactively.

Table of Content