ALFIRK – Collaborative Networks for Migrant Parent Empowerment

This project seeks to address barriers in increased parental empowerment in education processes, particularly among migrant parents, by establishing migrant parent empowerment networks.

These networks will work to empower migrant parents at three levels:
(1) the family level, which reflects parents’ ability to manage issues of the family within the social context,
(2) the service system level, which reflects the degree to which parents are able to effectively work with the school system, and
(3) the community/political level, which reflects parents’ advocacy for improved services for migrant youth in general.

These networks will overcome existing barriers by giving migrant parents structured opportunities to advocate for themselves in settings where multiple stakeholders are present. This collaborative approach is reflected in the project name “ALFIRK”, which means “the flock”. Specifically these networks will achieve increased migrant parent empowerment by involving parents in the decision-making process, partnering with a wide variety of stakeholders, and facilitating local and international exchange of practices.

Time frame: September 2015 – September 2018
Partners: european forum for migration studies – leading partner (Germany), Risbo (the Netherlands), Leeds Beckett University (United Kingdom), Migration Policy Group (Belgium), Economic and Social Research Institute (Ireland), Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (Spain), and Multi Kulti Collective (Bulgaria).
Funding: European Commission, DG Education and Culture, Erasmus+