Sofia Development Association has been actively working on the topic of migration and integration for years and the current main projects are "UnionMigrantNet and Cities Together for Integration" (UMN) and "CONNECTION – CONNEcting Cities Towards Integration action”. As a continuation of the efforts made on the topic since 2020, SDA also supports the activities of the “STATUS” project.
In a year we managed to exchange experience not only with the team of the “STATUS” project, but also with the whole community of migrants and locals who attend our joint events. Last year we were together during two movement workshops in May and June, during which Bulgarian citizens and refugees got acquainted with their stories, interacted and recognized each other with different folklore motifs. The SDA team became part of the activity not only as a partner, providing the SofiaLab space for the event, but also as participants in the creative tasks.
During the discussion SDA presented its activities under the UMN and CONNECTION project, sharing in greater detail the trainings related to the inclusion of refugees and third-country nationals in the labor market, conducted under UMN, as well as information about the Bureau for Information and Services for third country nationals, which is implemented within CONNECTION project. The audience remained interested in both projects and after an exchange of contacts, horizons for new collaborations opened up.
At the beginning of September, the biggest event of the “STATUS” project took place - a dance performance based on the stories of refugees and migrants. The premiere of the event aroused great interest, and the subsequent discussion was beneficial for both SDA and the audience.
The STATUS project is funded by the Socially Engaged Arts Program of the National Culture Fund and is supported by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
CONNECTION project: CONNEcting Cities Towards Integration action, and UMN project are co-funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.
