CiakmigrAction

The project aims to raise awareness on the contribution of migrants to European societies and to promote a narrative of migration based on facts and data.

Over the last ten years, alongside a general difficulty in managing migration flows, Europe has seen a growth in populist, extremist and xenophobic demands, making it necessary to provide better information and raise public awareness on migration.

Starting from the assumption that an impartial and balanced communication on the migration phenomenon is central to the understanding of the complex variables related to it, the CIAK MigrACTION project aims to raise awareness on the contribution of migrants to European societies and to promote a narrative of migration based on facts and data in four European countries – Italy, Greece, Austria, Hungary – where public opinion is driven towards an unfavourable and often distorted perception of migration.

These six organizations involved in the project intend to achieve this objective through a multi-level intervention for the active involvement of different strategic actors: first of all the media, as they are crucial in orienting citizens’ perceptions, but also young people, civil society organizations active in local and national contexts, institutions and local authorities involved in inclusion processes, without forgetting the need to reach a large number of citizens.

Starting precisely from the function of the media, the project has carried out an articulated series of activities in the four countries for the training and sensitization of journalists and information operators, strengthening the role that the media can play as an engine of positive and balanced narrative of migration, with the common aim of countering the instrumentalization of the phenomenon at the basis of the spread of stereotypes, manifestations of intolerance and fear.

After the realization of a survey carried out with the research institute IPSOS that highlighted the limits of knowledge about migration of citizens of Austria, Italy, Greece and Hungary, the partnership of Ciak MigrACTION has realized an online training for 50 young journalists and information operators, a cycle of five trainings to improve media education in young people and develop media activism skills. In addition, public events to raise awareness and give voice to new European citizens with migration background, including the International Conference ‘Migrations: the gaze of the new European citizens’, or the National Conference ‘Migrations between reality, narrative and perception’ to strengthen the commitment of the media and local authorities for a conscious narrative on migration. Other scheduled activities are the youth contest for short videos on the world of inclusion, a web series with web communication campaigns, cultural events to enhance multimedia production by young people, festivals, conferences and workshops within the European Conference of the Network of Cities against Racism ECCAR.

Finally, in line with the objectives of the project, we have produced a number of materials: