‘ReachOut’ – the first initiative approved under the ERRIN Facility – officially wrapped up the first phase of its activities with the final conference held at the end of March 2021. A joint initiative of Fedasil and OFII, the project had been looking at ways of improving outreach to irregular migrants in urban settings, increasing the awareness about voluntary return among people on the move who are hard to reach.
‘ReachOut’ successfully tackled the key questions related to counselling of people in transit and stranded migrants – you can dive deeper into the outcomes by downloading the linked resources.
How to provide return counselling in urban settings?
Working across four different countries, the project made six different cities come together as a community of practice, exchanged information about best practices, methodology and the primary role of local stakeholders in reaching out to undocumented migrants. Amsterdam, Antwerp, Ghent, Milan, Newcastle and Utrecht all contributed to creating the Blueprint on Return Counselling in Urban Contexts.
How to reach out to undocumented migrants?
In parallel, OFII and Fedasil’s multinational outreach teams approached people on the move daily in different locations around Brussels, Calais and Grande-Synthe (Dunkirk), with the primary goal of raising their awareness about the existing legal options, including the possibility of voluntary return. Based on the outreachers’ experience on the ground, the project team developed an innovative outreach model that speaks to counselling migrants in transit and stranded migrants, captured in the Guide on Reaching Out to Undocumented Migrants.
Interested in learning more? You can get in touch with the project team directly at ReachOut@fedasil.be.