FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND CITIZENSHIP

Call for proposals JLS/FRC/2007

Specific transnational projects
Directorate-General Justice, Freedom, Security
European Commission

TITLE: “Living Together: European Citizenship against Racism and

Xenophobia”
Transnational Consortium:
Spain:
- Leader: Observatorio Español del Racismo y la Xenofobia (OBERAXE)
– Monitoring Centre of Racism and Xenophobia.
- Other: Casa Árabe, Movimiento contra la Intolerancia, Cruz Roja,
CEPAIM y Diputación de Barcelona.
Portugal:
- ACIDI
- CIG
The Netherlands:
- Rotterdam Erasmus University
Sweden:
- Centre Mot Racism.
Finland:
- Ministry of Interior
- Finnish League and Human Rights

Project length: 18 months (December 2008 – June 2010)

The project is focussed on the following priorities of the call for

proposal:

One of the aims of the program is:

 to fight against racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism and to
promote a better interfaith and intercultural understanding and
improved tolerance throughout the European Union;
In 2008 the EC will give priority to projects which aims are framed within the
following priority, among others:

Combating racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism

 supporting actions aimed at fighting traditional and new
stereotypes whose persistence or diffusion are at the roots of
racist attitudes, speech, discriminatory action and violent
incidents;
 encouraging initiatives aiming at fostering the divulgation at large
of the unsoundness of such stereotypes, as well as those aimed at
fostering mutual understanding between majority and minority
populations;
Projects prepared by diverse teams that present projects aimed at
developing crosscommunity approaches will be prioritised.

Project aims:

General aim:
To promote a European discourse of tolerance based in the generation of
coexistence and respect arguments, recognition of the difference and
building a European citizenship away from any kind of racism and
xenophobia.

Specific aims
1. To identify and analyse prejudices, stereotypes and fears of the
citizenship that are generating racist and xenophobic discourses, and
discriminatory actions, identifying main “social believes” that are
creating the legitimisation of racist attitudes in different European
countries.
2. To detect and collect discourses of tolerance, coexistence models and
mechanism that are being developed in different European countries
with the aim of getting to know diverse strategies in the fight against
racism, xenophobia and discrimination due to origin, and identify best
practices that promote the dialogue among different communities
and sensibilities from a down-up approach.

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 3. To build a Decalogue of common arguments that, supported by a
cognitive, social and discursive dimension, could neutralise the racists
and xenophobic discourses and constitute a powerful tool for social
agents as teachers, policy, social leaders, professionals from mass
media, etc…
4. To generate a transnational mechanism of surveillance and reaction
since to new racist discourses.

Project phases:

1. Kick off phase (15/12/2008 – 30/01/2009)

2. Definition and design of common methodologies (1/02/2009 –

28/02/2009).
a. 1st transnational working meeting, where a common
methodology should be agreed on the following:
i. Focus groups (composition, structure, etc.…)
ii. Identification and collection of tools, models, discourses,
etc… related to the fight against racism, xenophobia and
the discrimination on the grounds of racial and ethnic
origin.
iii. Forums/working round tables (composition, structure,
etc…)
iv. Structure and initial proposal of foreseen documents.
v. Network of European Organisations (composition,
structure, etc…)

3. Research, work-field (1/03/2009 – 30/06/2009)

a. Call for focus groups in Spain, Portugal, Finland and Sweden (at
least 2 per country):
i. Identification of participants.
ii. Holding of the groups.
iii. Elaboration of conclusions report, imaginary.
b. Identification of discourses, initiatives, tools, models, etc… of
tolerance and coexistence:
i. Definition of common criteria:

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 1. Discourses and arguments both political and from
ONGs working in the field.
2. Projects, initiatives in the fight against racism and
xenophobia.
3. Models of coexistence, dialogue and citizenship
participation.
ii. Design and elaboration of a common space where to
include all the collected information.

4. Proposals of common arguments of coexistence and respect,

recognition of the difference and building of a European citizenship
(1/07/2009 – 30/11/2009)
a. Constitution and holding of 4 multidisciplinary expert
Forums/round tables in Spain, Portugal, Sweden and Finland.
Particularly the cities involved in the project will provide case
studies and their specific experience in how they have
developed a tolerance and coexistence discourse.
i. Composition, structure and call (university, NGOs,
national, regional and local public authority, etc ...)
1. Experts Forum/round table for the development of
proposals aimed to public authorities (educative
institutions, public health, etc) in order to build
arguments and mechanisms to fight racist and
discriminatory attitudes and discourses.
2. Experts Forum/round table for the development of
proposals that could be used by NGOs to set up
awareness campaigns, arguments and
mechanisms to fight racist and discriminatory
attitudes and discourses.
3. Experts Forum/round table for the development of
proposals aimed to mass media in order to avoid
racist, xenophobic and discriminatory attitudes
and discourses.
4. Provide a conclusions report for every round table.
b. Holding of the second transnational working meeting.

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 c. Elaboration of a citizenship, tolerance and dialogue Decalogue
built from the forums/round tables conclusions.
5. Develop a surveillance and reaction transnational mechanism behind
new racist and discriminatory discourses (1/12/2009 – 15/06/2010)
a. Creation and constitution of a European organizations network
adhered to the Decalogue that will act as a transnational
mechanism of surveillance and reaction behind new racist and
discriminatory discourses.
i. Network structure and composition.
ii. Tools and coordination mechanism definition,
surveillance and reaction behind new racist discourses:
early warning system.
iii. Tools and mechanisms definition in order to provide the
Decalogue dissemination and its use by the social agents
in the different countries.
6. Evaluation, transferability and sustainability analysis and project
closing (15/05/2010 – 15/06/2010)
a. Final transnational conference.
b. Final external evaluation.
c. Final project report.

Results/Products:

• Different participant countries NGOs and associations involved in the

foreseen activities during the project. Tools for their implication and
participation promotion: dissemination list, suggestions mailbox,
forums.
• Focus groups holding - at least 2 per country (Spain, Portugal, Finland
and Sweden)– where discourses and citizens real imaginary appear.
• Initiatives, tools models, etc repository to fight racism, xenophobia
and discrimination on the grounds of ethic and racial ground:
identified in European countries end developed both in the public
(national, regional or local) as well as private area:
o Political and NGOs working in the subject discourses and
arguments.
o Projects, initiatives.

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 o Coexistence, dialogue, citizenship participation, etc models.
• Constitution and holding of 4 multidisciplinary experts Forums/round
tables (university, NGOs, national, regional and local authorities, etc)
• Conclusions report for each round table (4 reports).
• Elaboration of a citizenship, tolerance and dialogue Decalogue built
from the forum conclusions. Available in the languages of the project
(English, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish and Finnish) both in
paper and digital format edition. The Decalogue will be also
developed as audiovisual material in order to be disseminated in
digital format to the different involved agents.
• European organizations Network performed and started.
• 2 transnational working meetings, one at the beginning of the project
and the other one in the middle.
• Final transnational conference.
• External final evaluation report of the project.
• Final execution report of the project.

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