Study visit in Padua

On 17-19 October 2023, Padua hosted the first study visit planned as part of the project 'MentUwell Project - Preserving youth mental wellbeing in wartime migration crisis', of which the WSB Academy is the leader.

The international meeting in Padua was hosted by the social cooperative ENAIP and Studio Progetto, the WSB University was represented by Prof. Artur Fabiś, Dr. Maciej Witkowski, Prof. AWSB and Dr. Michał Szyszka.

Guests from partner institutions (WSB University, Mykolo Romerio Universitetas from Lithuania, Universitatea De Arta Si Design Din Clujnapoca from Romania, Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University from Ukraine, European Center of Entreptreneurship Competence & Excellence from Austria) had the opportunity to learn about good practices in supporting migrants in Italian non-governmental institutions.

On the first day of the meeting, the Italian partners conducted familiarisation and integration workshops for the partner teams and introduced the guests to, among other things, the legal and administrative regulations of the Italian migrant reception system, the characteristics of the latest changes in the reception procedure and the provision of support to asylum seekers.

Representatives of Studio Progetto presented the experimental system for the reception and integration of refugees (SAI) implemented in the Valdango centre. The hosts shared with the project participants information on the vocational training system, social and psychological support offered by their institution to migrants.

On the second day of the stay, a study visit to the ENAIP Terraferma centre took place. Participants attended a workshop on competences needed in working with migrants, learnt about the method of integration of migrants through improvisation theatre, and met with beneficiaries of the centre from Mali, Nigeria and Ukraine.

On the third day, a study visit to the ENAIP centre "Il Sestante" allowed the project partners to look behind the scenes of a social cooperative offering vocational training to migrants intending to work in Italy.

The intensive study trip was full of discussions, e.g. about the relationship between migrants and the local community of residents, about the possibility of adapting the methods learnt in the conditions of Poland, Lithuania and Romania and applying them to support young people from Ukraine.

An important element of learning about good practices was the presentation of Ukrainian partners' reflections on the possibility of cultural adaptation of the learned solutions in the case of war refugees from Ukraine.