The project aims to promote the empowerment of those who have experienced forced migration, by supporting their self-advocacy and providing them with comprehensive counselling. Its specific target groups are refugee women and men who are vulnerable to social exclusion due to their situation, including people affected by violence, refugees raising children alone or in large families, the chronically ill and traumatised, people with experience of detention, and those belong to LGBTIQ+ communities. The project addresses the problem of the low visibility of these groups’ voices in public debate and the insufficient availability of specialised, comprehensive support for them.

The Refugee Council includes19 people of different nationalities, citizenship, genders and ages. Its meetings are held, on average, once a month. During these meetings, refugees either participate in training workshops or identify systemic problems faced by migrants and prepare a response to them. Part of their work involves interventions and advocacy in state and private institutions. At each stage of activity, the council is supported by the Association for Legal Intervention staff.

For their work in the council, members receive a stipend as compensation for their time and expertise.

Members of the Refugee Council received comprehensive training aimed at their empowerment and designed to equip them with essential skills for effective advocacy and independent functioning. The training was devoted to advocacy techniques, effective communication strategies, public speaking and self-presentation skills, and writing successful grant applications. 

As a result of the training, the group has become more empowered and self-reliant, and has been able to apply for and be granted funding. 

Council members have prepared and presented a number of (policy) positions and recommendations to support integration and counteract discrimination, including on the implementation of individual integration programmes for refugees, the opening of bank accounts by foreigners, discriminatory narratives against migrants in parliamentary election campaigns and discriminatory elements in police training.

There has been no formal evaluation of the project conducted so far. However, the functioning of the council is subject to continuous internal evaluation during its own meetings. For example, such internal evaluations have identified the need for further training, including in grant application writing, which is necessary for the extension of the council's functioning.

The project's success is evidenced by the fact that the Refugee Council, with the support of the Association for Legal Intervention, independently applied for and received a grant for its further operation.

Participation in the Refugee Council provides an opportunity to influence the shaping of local authorities' and NGOs' actions in the field of refugee rights and integration, as well as the opportunity to exchange experiences with people experiencing migration. Council members are given the opportunity to develop their advocacy and public speaking skills under the guidance of experts.

The beneficiaries also include individuals with migrant and refugee experience in general, who benefit from the interventions of the council, as well as wider society which benefits from the improved (social) integration of refugees and other migrants.

From December 2022 to March 2024, the Refugee Council operated within the 'Strong Nevertheless' project, implemented with a grant from the Active Citizens Fund, financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway under the Norwegian and EEA Funds. Currently, it is financed by other sources including the Henryk Wujec Civic Fund.

Funding is needed to cover the cost of training and incentive stipends for members of the council, and to support the work of a project coordinator. Additionally, a lawyer and a communications specialist, employed by the Association for Legal Intervention, support council members.