Jean-Aimé Poba, Department of Integration of the Ministry of Family, Integration and the Greater Region; Credit: MFAMIGR

On Monday 27 June 2022, the Integration Department of Luxembourg's Ministry of Family, Integration and the Greater Region officially launched the seven projects selected as part of the call for projects of the National Integration Action Plan 2022.

Following the call for projects “Zesummeliewen − lokal engageieren a matmaachen” within the framework of the National Action Plan (Plan d'action national - PAN) launched by the Department of Integration, seven projects promoting political participation and citizen participation in Luxembourg have been selected by the interministerial integration committee for a total funding of €740,000.

In her welcome speech, the Minister of Family and Integration, Corinne Cahen, congratulated the PAN 2022 project leaders for their commitment and underlined the importance of supporting structures committed to promoting cultural diversity in Luxembourg. She reiterated the objective of the National Action Plan, which is to create intercultural “bridges” and thus promote the inclusion of populations of various origins. According to the Minister, the municipal elections of 2023 offer a favourable framework for this type of initiative. Participation in municipal elections will indeed allow non-Luxembourgers to make their “voices” heard and to influence life in their municipality.

The networking of 20 structures and a hundred actors, for innovative pilot projects

The event allowed participants to both discover the seven projects selected for 2022 and to connect the various actors involved in the implementation and monitoring of the projects selected over the past two years, with the aim of creating synergies leading to possible collaborations.

The morning ended with a free exchange between the guests during a networking lunch organized by the Integration Department. It was an opportunity for young creative structures to confront their ideas with more experienced organisations and to lay the foundations for future original pilot projects.

The axes of the 2022 call for projects

On October 8, 2021, the Integration Department of the Ministry of Family, Integration and the Greater Region launched a call for funding for projects promoting the integration of all residents of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, as well as cross-border workers. The selected projects are currently underway and will run until December 2023. They are available on the website of the Ministry of Family, Integration and the Greater Region.

The PAN 2022 call proposes two axes:

    1. The axis "Political participation − informing and raising awareness among foreign audiences and in particular young voters", which mainly targets projects aimed at raising awareness and training foreigners residing in Luxembourg on the right and conditions to vote with a view to the next municipal elections of 11 June 2023.
    2. The "Citizen participation - mobilisation and involvement of the target public in intercultural living together projects" axis, which aims to develop innovative approaches promoting citizen engagement, with the aim of promoting participation in social, cultural and political life .

The seven structures invited to present their project are the following:

Axis: political participation

1. ASTI (Support Association for Immigrant Workers)

Project: Ech wielen – I vote

The project aims to set up a computer tool (website) which will allow the user to discover the different aspects of national, European and municipal elections through fun activities such as a quiz with a multiple-choice questionnaire, a drag and drop, a simulation of filling out a ballot.

2. Zentrum fir politesch Bildung

Project: Gemengenwalen fir jiddereen!

The project aims to raise awareness about elections in general and encourage potential non-Luxembourgish voters to register on the electoral lists. The project offers three supports:

  • Three explanatory videos that inform and educate the public on the functioning of municipal elections, the powers of the municipality and the interest of voting.
  • A leaflet-instructions in pocket format and written in plain language that explains how to complete the ballot.
  • A funfair / kermesse stand whose equipment raises questions about elections, political participation, the right to vote, commitment to the municipality.

3. ALDIC (Luxembourg Association for Intercultural Dialogue)

Project: Political participation: from talking to doing

The project consists of offering young people, and more particularly young people from outside Luxembourg, awareness-raising workshops on political participation and action workshops including, in particular, all the practical information related to political participation via sessions of the game Dignityland in using non-formal education methodology.

Axis: citizen participation

4. ARA International Community Radio ASBL

Project: International Journalists: Wafaa Abo Zarifa

As part of this project, Palestinian journalist Wafaa Abo Zarifa wants to encourage refugee/migrant women to tell their stories. It is a question of leaving the traditional framework of the interview and of accompanying the people interested in a longer process.

5. Art Square Lab

Project: Rethinking local or regional welcome events and designing an analogue and digital toolbox

This project will analyze the obstacles to the engagement of new citizens (newcomers) who seek to integrate, to connect and to understand which are the channels that can connect them to the municipality and will accompany the municipalities in the development of a welcome event. This event is not only a unique event, but the beginning of a meaningful engagement of newcomers in new towns/cities.

6. UP Foundation

Project: TANDEM

TANDEM is a mentoring programme that connects godfathers and / or godmothers with vulnerable children and young people from multicultural and disadvantaged backgrounds. By accompanying and supporting children and young people in the different situations of their lives, the godparents and / or godmothers help them to discover new centers of interest and prospects for the future and to rebuild themselves, thus contributing to improving their well-being, their personal development, their academic performance and their integration into society.

7. FWRD SARL-S

Project: Fit4Gaming: Where integration meets gaming

"Fit4Gaming" is a project aimed at promoting cooperation, exchange and solidarity within a multicultural environment through the use of video games (i.e. gaming / esport). A large number of integration projects already exist in the field of sports, but often lack flexibility in the choice of games / sports, which is generally not the case for gaming. Indeed, gaming is a powerful means of integration given its varied offer, its universal nature as well as its meteoric rise that we have been able to observe in recent years and in particular during the health crisis.