YUVA Derneği hosted in Istanbul the third international FIER project meeting on 9‑10 May 2019. Already behind the equator of the project, all partners and associate partners gathered to share their reflections and evaluation on their pilot implementations of fast-track labour market integration models for third-country nationals and refugees, as well as to get ready for the final stretch of the project.
On Friday morning, project partners divided into groups and visited three different venues in Istanbul: YUVA Project Office in Umraniye District, RASAS in Sultanbeyli District and Kitchen of Refugee Women in Okmeydani District, where project partners could witness YUVA and other grassroots NGOs’ work in the field of refugee integration. YUVA’s work in some of the most deprived neighbourhoods of Istanbul, combining environment protection with the eradication of inequalities as two faces of the same coin, was very inspirational for FIER partners, as it was also the role of grassroots organisations created by and for refugees. These visits helped to better understand the background of the people who arrive in Europe fleeing from war, poverty and disasters, as well as their needs and concerns.
YUVA Project Office in Umraniye District 
Kitchen of Refugee Women in Okmeydani
The last FIER pilot courses will take place during spring and summer, and the fourth and last project meeting will take place on 18-19 November 2019 in Brussels. The FIER Final Conference will be held at the Flemish Ministry of Education in Brussels on 19 November, gathering international policy‑makers, education professionals, social workers, inclusion and migration experts, and FIER beneficiaries.
Media: GO! and YUVA’s Work
An article by EARLALL. Pictures by YUVA and EARLALL.
FIER - Fast-track Integration in European Regions 