
The project EMBRACIN- Enhancing Migrants’ Bottom-up, Responsive and Citizen-led Integration in Europe- raised from a small but significant experience which was awarded with the European Citizen’s Prize in 2018.
Mr. Antonio Calo and his family, living in Treviso, North Italy, couldn’t stand still watching the refugee crisis in Europe and how unfavourable sentiment towards migrants in their community could be. So, they decided to host at their home 6 young refugees. The family did not just host the refugees, but also provided them with the necessary skills to navigate life in Italian society.
The idea, called the “6+6×6 scheme”, challenges the mainstream integration policies of migrants avoiding big hosting centres while suggests 6 migrants/refugees every 5,000 with a personalized approach and individual support to each person by six professionals in different areas, in order to allow them a complete path to social and economic integration in 24 months
EMBRACIN created a European network of cities interested in exchange, adapt and reuse (transfer) the award winning “6+6×6 Scheme” implemented at local level, scaling up the successful practice and testing its transferability in different EU Countries (Italy, Sweden, Slovenia, Greece, Cyprus, Spain) and to adopt it as “structured model” for migrant inclusion and integration, by verifying its cost – effectiveness and its efficacy in terms of benefits for the migrants themselves and for the hosting communities
The EMABRACIN project aims to develope and test a model of integration which can be valid for all European Countries, starting from the assumptions of 6+6×6. The partners coming from different countries across Europe (Italy, Slovenia, Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Sweden), together with the European network ECCAR European Coalition of Cities against Racism, it will raise awareness and capacity building on integration policies topics among European local authorities, in particular Municipalities with the final aim to increase the number of municipalities which will sign the Memorandum of understanding to promote and engage the specific model.
The consortium includes 10 partner entities:
P1 : Comune di Padova, Italy
P2: ALTEREVO, Italy
P3: Sala Municipality, Sweden
P4: Center for Social Innovation, Cyprus
P5 : Dimos Engomis, Cyprus
P6 : Mitropolitiki Anaptyksiaki Thessalonikis, Greece
P7 : Fondo Andaluz de Municipios para la Solidaridad Internacional, Spain
P8 : Universitat de Valencia, Spain
P9 : Obcina Razkrizje, Slovenia
P10: Europaische Stadtekoalition Gegen Rssismus, Germany





This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication (communication) reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. [Project number:863700]