The project aims to:

• provide conditions for effective inclusion of third country national (TCN) and Roma communities in Braga, through activities that strengthen a sense of identity and belonging;

• conduct mediation practice with rather than simply for local communities: the project is conducted in a way that integrates everyone from all local communities in a fair and egalitarian way;

• reach approximately a third of municipality residents, specifically TCNs and Roma citizens;

• encourage autonomy among participants in order to ensure future sustainability of the project and permanence of connections formed;
• deepen intercultural dialogue between different local communities by celebrating difference, through positive management of diversity and conflict.

The project comprises a variety of actions, including the following:

• Initial 'getting to know each other' activities, such as a welcome presentation by the Municipal and Intercultural Mediation Project and Team;

• Social activities employing the non-formal education methodology of "design thinking";

• Intercultural Municipal Mediation workshops;

• Experience sharing, at meetings between TCN, Roma and local native communities;

• Gastronomy, cinema, photography, 'gardens of the world' and 'celebrating diversity'-themed sessions to encourage sharing of cultural traditions and interests;

• Outdoor group excursions;

• Professional training on entering the labour market;

• Training sessions on accessing the most requested public services, and the right to do so.

So far, as it reaches more and more people, the project is seeing better, more effective and more equal inclusion through its activities. According to ongoing assessment of results, the project is on track to achieve the goals laid out at inception.

TCN participants have been positive about their experiences within the project so far, and are very open to all of its aims and activities. Roma citizens tend to recognise the importance and be most appreciative of the Roma mediator in particular.

Results of which the project's coordinators and participants are particularly proud include:

• In 2019 alone, more than 1000 people living in Braga were involved in the project's activities; 
• The introductory 'getting to know each other' activities successfully involved public and private entities from both the national and local spheres, specifically the entities that are most requested by TCN and Roma citizens: the Foreigners and Borders Office, legal entities, social security representatives, Municipality of Braga councillors, local public companies in areas such as housing, water supply, school groups, civil parish councils and so on;
• After handling the mediation of 16 community conflicts in 2019, the municipal and intercultural mediation team has received numerous other mediation and support requests from citizens who truly value its work

A report on the project's 2019 activities has recently been finalised and its results are currently being disseminated.

The coordination team has received training on monitoring the implementation of activities. The external partner that delivered this training is also responsible for evaluating the implementation of and results achieved by the project.

The recent global COVID-19 pandemic is creating problems for citizens everywhere, particularly migrants. This serves as strong motivation to team members to make their intercultural mediation a successful social intervention methodology.

The beneficiaries of this project are TCN and Roma citizens living in the municipality of Braga. The largest communities of TCN are Brazilians, Angolans, Cape Verdeans and Chinese.

In 2019:

• 11 technical or community activities were delivered to professionals and institutions;
• of the technical and community activities carried out, 480 participants were men and 320 women;
• 4 activities relating to social and citizen participation, involving 120 citizens and professionals, were delivered;
• the project organised 15 popular intercultural activities involving 800 people;
• as far as participant nationality is concerned, 210 participants were Portuguese, 60 were Roma, 100 were Africans from Portuguese-speaking countries, 50 were Eastern European, 30 were Asian and 350 were from other nationalities;
• 16 cases of conflict were mediated and resolved.

The project, delivered under the POISE programme, has a total investment value of 315 238 EUR, of which 267 952.30 has been funded by the European Union and 47 285.70 by public donations (mostly local). Salaries make up approximately 98% of the budget.

The project’s most important resources are human: its mediators hold significant positions in their communities and their work has been invaluable. The staff is made up of four mediators and one key coordinator. The coordinator is a staff member of the Braga municipality, and each mediator is bound by contract to an association representing the respective community.