The goal of Growing Together was to support better integration of migrants, more participation in the education of their children and social transformation. In the municipality of Odemira, foreign nationals accounted for 19.9% of the total population in 2017, with seasonal workers pushing this proportion higher during specific moments of the agricultural year. Learning the Portuguese language is a major challenge, and schools are seen as important places to support the integration of both adults and their children.

The target group for the project were migrant adults with children attending local schools. In Portugal, the São Teotónio the Group of Schools in Odemira was selected for project implementation. In this community, the majority of migrants are of Indian and Nepalese origin.

The project targeted migrant adults with children enrolled in local schools, using schools as a way to reach members of migrant communities. It was organised as a series of 7 workshops, with the series implemented twice. The workshops moved towards the goal of helping the migrant participants implement their own projects. Each edition of the workshops aimed to reach about 20 migrant participants in each country. The following topics were covered:

1. Language Lab – Developing vocabulary and language skills.
2. Local Services – Empowering migrants to use available services and resources.
3. Interculturality – Developing understanding of interculturality and valuing diversity by sharing experiences and cultural habits.
4. School Support – Involving parents in schools and encouraging active participation as volunteers in school activities.
5. Reading and Leisure – Cultural activities with active participation of migrants sharing aspects of their own cultures.
6. Participation – Presenting life stories of migrant leaders at school; involving families in the neighbourhood and community life.
7. Citizens’ Projects – Promoting active participation and effective integration of the migrant community in solving local problems and needs. Creation of projects to be carried out by participating migrants.

In addition to organising the workshops, which involved the participation of migrant families, teachers, local migrant leaders and other integration stakeholders, the project also organised:

• Skype meetings and transnational meetings for overall project management
• 2 national conferences
• Support for and dissemination of migrants’ projects
• 1 international final conference
• Publication of workshop guide, citizens’ projects guide, recommendations

Around 100 migrants participated in the workshops across the three countries. Around 1,000 citizens (migrant and non-migrant) participated in the project overall. In Odemira, the migrant participants implemented 8 projects of their own.

The evaluation of the activities showed that immigrant participants were very pleased to participate in the different projects and considered Growing Together to be important for the improvement of their lives.

Monitoring and quality questionnaires were carried out both for the workshops and for the projects implemented by the migrant participants and the staff members of the institutions involved. Issues raised in the evaluations were addressed with specific adaptations.

The evaluations revealed that the following aspects of the project, among others, were successful:

• Involvement of the migrant community in the project
• Development of activities that allowed migrants to be better integrated in the local community
• Impact on the community of actions developed through the project
• Involvement of a network of stakeholders
• Responsibility and commitment of migrants and project partners over the course of the project activities
• Knowledge acquired by migrants and by the entities involved
• Growth of intercultural activities and a deeper knowledge of the different cultures living in the municipality

The evaluations revealed the following recommendations for the project:

• The target population should be expanded to the entire migrant community.
• More time should be allocated for the Language Lab workshop and to improve teaching resources.
• There should be greater availability of staff members for follow-up support on projects.

The main source of funding came through KA2 Strategic Partnerships as part of the Erasmus+ Programme. The budget was € 119,474.

In addition to funding, the main resources mobilised were the technical staff members of the municipalities and the teachers of the schools involved. In Portugal, 6 technical staff members were involved. 4 technical staff members were involved in each of Spain and Italy. Involvement with local stakeholders was also critical.