Department of Financial Technologies and Entrepreneurship
Education and Research Institute of Business, Economics and Management Sumy State University

The representative of the ARMG Center – the participant of the international training course concerning migration policy and internally displaced persons

The participant of the Center of social and economic researches and the academic mobility (ARMG) the senior teacher of chair of banking Lasukova Anna Sergeyevna passed competitive selection and received grant financing on participation in a training course “TRANSFORMERS: Migrants’ Transition to Participation” which took place on August 4-11, 2015 in Georgia.

TRANSFORMERS is an eight-day course for youth leaders who work with migrants (including with refugees and internally displaced persons), organized by Institute of east initiatives (Krakow, Poland) and «Center for European Initiatives» (Sumy, Ukraine).

Young activists from 8 countries, namely from Ukraine, Italy, Poland, Georgia, the Czech Republic, Moldova, Azerbaijan and Estonia became participants of a training course. It is youth with active living position which seeks to help the persons injured with migratory processes, to reduce social tension in society and it is interested in search of new ways of integration of migrants to social life of society, and also increase of their competitiveness in labor market.

The program of a training course was very saturated and included a number of experimental elements. In particular, participants spent the first two days in tent “camp of a survival” in Borjomi-Haragaulsky national park. The main objectives of this part of training were: studying and deeper understanding of process which causes social isolation of people who treat category of migrants; destruction of stereotypes in perception of immigrants as persons who “steal” workplaces and are lived on only by the states. For achievement of goals by organizers of training the methodology of role-playing games, namely simulation game of live action (Live action Role-playing game) where each participant throughout the day led life of other person – the migrant (immigrant) was used. All roles were very accurately developed and allowed each participant to feel on themselves realities of everyday life of immigrants.

During the next days participants were in a picturesque corner of the city of Bakuriani that created especially favorable atmosphere for team work on problems of immigrants. The scope of trainings covered questions of conflictology and ways of prevention of the conflicts, mobility, expansion of the rights and opportunities of migrants, attraction of youth, including immigrants, to development of society. The separate attention was paid to discussion of experience of each country on work with immigrants and migrants.

Development of the grant “The guide to appropriate practice” devoted to the solution of problems of social isolation of migrants, their employments, participation of youth in development of society, to attraction of youth to work with migrants and immigrants was one of stages of a training course.

The strong impression on participants was made by visit to the settlement of Tserovani which was specially built for displaced persons of Georgia after events of 2008. Social business develops in Tserovani. In particular, participants visited “HELLO cafe” in which women – immigrants work, and for preparation of dishes the products which are grown up by residents of the town for immigrants are used. Also, the cafe is a venue of master classes for children and youth on construction of the world, for women – about opening of own business and obtaining new professional skills, and also various cultural actions for society. It is symbolical that on August 11-12 in cafe evenings of the Ukrainian culture and kitchen are announced.

The last evening of a training course was spent according to the Georgian traditions where participants were handed the special certificates of “Youthpass” confirming competence of work with youth in the direction of informal education.

Information was prepared
by the senior lecturer of banking chair
Lasukova A.S.