Europe, since its founding, has been subjected to a multitude of challenges. Over the decades as the grand old Continent mastered one, another impediment rose to the surface. Aggravated by developments of the past decade, given Europe’s geographic location and its economic weight on the global scene, the issue of migrants is one that has risen to be an issue of concern of politicians and the European civil society alike. These people, arriving from a plethora of countries spurred by a myriad concoction of factors, face challenges on their path to a better life.
Our project, Future Target, has European countries that have experienced the swell of this influx towards Europe, especially given the fact that they are on Europe’s periphery. Countries like Greece and Italy stand testimony to this fact, with multiple thousands of arrivals registered respectively, notwithstanding the fact that over 5.000 lives have been lost in the deadliest sea in the world, the Mediterranean Sea.
The project realised from the outset that employee training and development is crucial for the civil society to be a stable and reliable actor in the scene of events. The training event in Bonn was a valid example of this. The workshop held over multiple days ensured participants from the organisations of the project consortium were able to polish their old skills, imparted new ones that would upskill them with the propensity and adeptness to work with refugees and migrants. Through exchanging of national stories, this training allowed an ‘Exchange of Good Practices’ among the participants.
The training concentrated on promoting coaching and mentoring skills to help the participants develop their capacities to work towards attaining their fullest potential. Discussions on diversity also found a prominent place in the trainings. The training laid stress on the thematic of decision making of the participants, to be fair and impartial, especially with concern to the vulnerable target group of migrants and refugees. Participants also were able to express their creativity skills during the course of the workshop, which allowed them to open up and share their stories while simultaneously allowing others to learn.
Staffs are the assets of every organisation. Their skills need to be honed and improved. This ensures a healthy European civil society. The Future Target project and its training were aimed at creating a better society for us all.
