Project Summary EN

16 Micro-Social Network As a lead on from the delivery of the training, participants have established micro-social networks in their locality. These Networks have provided an opportunity for migrant women to maintain contact with one another and to build on what it is that they had learned from the training. The Networks have made good use of social media to allow for ease of maintaining contact, including the use of Facebook and WhatsApp groups. These Networks have taken a range of forms and have been based on the individual circumstances in each country and the expressed needs of the migrant women. Common themes around which Networks have been established have included: • Arts and Culture – this has included the forming of the Integration Choir in Meath that performed at the final Conference and was based on the shared love of music amongst the group. Other groups have included a range of arts and craft activities and visits to heritage and culture sites, such as museums. • Food – this has been a shared theme amongst many of the Networks and is reflected in the nature of many of the events that have been delivered. Each migrant community will have their own foods and there has been a willingness to cook and share these with other cultures through the Networks. • Physical Activities – Networks have sought to use exercise, such as walking or fitness groups, in many of their activities, making use of the natural environment around them. These Networks have not worked as had been anticipated in the original Work Plan but have nonetheless been successful in maintaining the momentum achieved by the Project. The formation of groups such as Women Without Borders in Meath will ensure that the work is maintained and built on. There are also plans in place to deliver the training elements again in the future to migrant women identified through these micro-social networks. Migrant Integration Workshops Each partner organised at least 2 migrant integration workshops in the latter part of the Project targeted at migrant women engaged in the local micro-social networks. The purpose of the workshops has been to identify and seek to address barriers that the migrant women have identified that are impacting on their integration with host communities. The workshops have been supported by public sector agencies that offer services to migrant communities, with the focus