Memory Center Platform, an interactive digital platform that brings the experiences of migrants and displaced people closer together

Toni Codina on 31 January 2023

Multimodal and multilingual digital platform that collects heritages, testimonies, experiences and narratives around the phenomena of displacement and forced migration in order to help build complex identities and foster social cohesion between refugees and European host societies.

It harnesses the benefits of innovative digital and artistic tools to facilitate cultural exchange, storing and managing a wide range of content (documents, videos, images, texts). It is available in 6 languages (English, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Greek and Polish) and is accessible to institutions, academics, artists and the general public.

This software platform represents the final archive of all the content produced throughout the life of the So-Close project, so of cultural heritage on refugees and migrants. In fact, it is the culmination of the project: it stores and makes it possible to search, view, share, download and aggregate the materials created. Thus, the MCP contains digital maps, virtual exhibitions that allow the sharing of tangible and intangible elements of the countries of origin and host countries, and interactive and immersive video documentaries. In this sense, the MCP interacts with the three digital tools created during the project –Storymap, Webdoc and Exhibition– with the aim of sharing and pooling cultural heritage. Apart from preserving and gathering all these generated contents, it also connects them with similar initiatives thanks to the social network tracker and allows the user to be a co-creator of new cultural materials.

In addition, this platform provides a number of basic accessibility functions –such as font size modification or font adaptation for people with dyslexia, among others– for people with functional diversity. These functions can be easily activated by users.

Characteristics of innovation

Innovation, Bank of innovations, Immigration, Link with the community, New technological tool, Self-management and participation, User empowerment

Localization

Italy, Spain, Sweden, Greece, Poland

Partners / Funders

Horizon 2020 Programme European Union

Genesis

The MCP is part of the So-Close project with a duration of 3 years which ended in December 2022. This project, focused on forced migration –past and present– in Europe, was born out of the desire to highlight the experience of agents and victims and to generate content on migration heritage. It is thus based on the understanding that sharing cultural heritage is a valuable resource for the construction of complex identities. The main objective is to promote social cohesion between refugees and European host societies through innovative digital and artistic tools.

Level of implementation

The MCP is accessible, integrates materials created locally during the project and enables the active participation of refugees in the process of framing and implementing cultural heritage. Furthermore, efforts are currently underway to include it in the searchable content of other existing platforms such as Europeana.

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Able4Work, a digital tool to support the integration of vulnerable young people into the labour market

Toni Codina on 24 January 2023

Able4Work is the digital tool that facilitates the process of finding a job for young people who are often in a situation of social vulnerability. It is designed for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and aims to offer them support and accompaniment during the complex stages of their job search. In this way, it helps them to redirect their present and future socio-labour situation, facilitating interaction and contact with social workers.

It is an online platform and functional app, available and free to use for both mentors and interested users. It offers support in the process of searching for employment or educational programmes, adapting to the needs of vulnerable young people. Thus, it is mainly aimed at young people between 18 and 35 years old in a situation of social vulnerability -new immigrants, ethnic minorities, economic problems, etc.- and, consequently, at risk of social exclusion. The app also targets mentors and youth workers who implement the socio-occupational and educational insertion programmes digitally and partially remotely, offering support, advice and guidance to vulnerable young people.

Able4Work works in a way that allows young users to easily interact with the social workers and mentors assigned to them –including a chat– and social workers to better follow up and monitor tasks. In addition, the digital tool allows young people to constantly monitor the phases and progress of their pathway –with a calendar showing guidance actions and pending tasks– and to receive notifications about job and educational possibilities. In this way, it increases the autonomy of programme participants and promotes the value of self-responsibility among young people in the job search process.

Finally, the app has gamification elements that make it interactive and engaging, which motivates young people to meet the objectives of their pathways. As a result, the app Able4work reduces the high drop-out rates of Youth Guarantee programmes, improving their efficiency and success.