Varied experience exchange in London with many impressions and experiences
The exchange of experiences took place from 16 to 20 April 2018 in London in the United Kingdom. The exchange dealt with questions around the topic of requirements for vocational training and the opening up of entrepreneurial opportunities in tourism for people with a migrant background, includ-ing migrants as well as qualification, training, and employment of unskilled and skilled workers.
The mobility began with a tour around the Union Chapel which was the venue for various workshops throughout the week. The participants also got a historical overview of the formation of the Union Chapel and its development into a cultural venue. The second day started with a visit to the Migration Museum. The aim of the museum is to inform people in the UK about how migration has shaped Britain over the centuries. Then there was a workshop with representatives of the City of London Corporation. The City of London Corporation manages the City of London, which is a district of London and has strong relationships with domestic and international companies. The theme of the workshop was the City of London Corporation projects aimed at integrating and training women who speak little or no English. Information about different possibilities of this integration and what experiences the participants from the partner countries on this topic has been exchanged.
The next day took the participants to the offices of A New Direction. Oliver Benjamin, the director of the Department of Employment and Skills, in collaboration with Dr. Errol Francis of Culture& presented the work of the two organizations and explained through a project how integration of different people in cultural London works. At the end of the day, the participants were able to experience on first-hand basis how integration works. With Syrian food, prepared by Abdullah, the Damascus chef and numerous conversations, participants shared their experiences with the subject.
The second last day was all about tourism for all. Albertina Prata, founder of the company Travel without Fear presented her company and explained in numerous discussions her motivation to found this company, as she herself had a variety of experiences during her travels due to a disability. Afterwards, Ross Calladine from Visit England presented a variety of projects and opportunities for improving and implementing tourism for all in England. At the end of the day, all participants came together in small groups and developed ideas for a company to be founded in the field of tourism for all. These business ideas were then jointly assessed by all and a winning team was chosen. With many new impressions and experiences, the participants started the journey to their respective home countries.
For further information, please refer to the report and the compendium in the download area.
