Facilitating the meaningful social mixing of people of different backgrounds is increasingly important to ensuring migrant inclusion at the local, national and even global levels.

Based on research of the intergroup contact theory premise that social mixing cultivates trust and decreases prejudice under the right circumstances, this International Organization for Migration (IOM) publication comes as a guide to project managers and other practitioners.

The report brings evidence-based recommendations on achieving maximum positive impact through social mixing activities. It includes:

• a guide to understanding social mixing barriers, as well as their corresponding solutions;
• the core principles of meaningful social mixing;
• examples of successful activities;
• advise on monitoring and evaluation;
• a checklist to assist project managers during the activity design process;
• a list of related resources.

The principles of social mixing / ©IOM 2021

The recommendations are meant to be applied in various environments, such as workplaces, schools, shops, as well as in the digital space, thus making the publication additionally relevant in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. For additional insight on social mixing carried out in the age of social distancing, see IOM's dedicated digest here.

The current publication is part of the Diversity, Inclusion and Social Cohesion (DISC) initiative.