THE ASSOCIATIVISM AS A WAY TO STRENGTHEN THE POLITICAL PARTICIPATION CAPABILITIES OF YOUNG MIGRANTS IN EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES: AN ANALYSIS OF THE BUILDING PROJECT: RESILIENT LOCAL COMMUNITIES TOGETHER WITH YOUNG MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES

Abstract

The migratory flow has been part of human history since ancient times. However, current data indicates that in the first two decades of the 21st century there has been a considerable increase in migratory movement, especially in European Union countries and the United States of America. Experts in this area point out that political and economic crises, and wars, have been the main causes of this movement. Aware that the right to migration, political asylum and non-discrimination is ensured in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, at its Articles 1, 2, 13 and 14, the following question was asked: How have migrants been organized in such a way as to ensure their social integration and political participation in host countries? It was through the pursuit of answers for this question that we have found the associativism as one of the alternatives to mutual help among the migrants. Thus, migrant and refugee associations play today an important role in upholding the human right to non-discrimination while they promote education and awareness raising acts. In this context, the main objective of this article is to analyze the impact of the Building Project: Resilient Local Communities with Young Migrants and Refugees, which took place between October 2017 and March 2019, involving young migrants and refugees present in eight countries: Cape Verde, Finland, GuineaBissau, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, Kenya and Sweden. To achieve this purpose, we sought to know in depth the project activities and their impact on the development of leadership skills among the young participants. At the end of the analysis, it can be concluded that the educational activities carried out during the 18 months of the project's implementation contributed greatly to the cultural and political enrichment of the young people involved. Therefore, through the multiplication of knowledge, this project indirectly collaborated with the promotion of young migrants and refugees political participation in the countries where they currently live.