Registration Now Open - Virtual Conference

Social Innovation for Refugee Inclusion (SI4RI)

Sowing Innovation in the Cracks of Crisis

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Date & Time: Monday and Tuesday, 4 and 5 October 2021, (14:15-18:00 CEST, 8:15-12:00 EDT)


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The Migration Policy Institute Europe (MPI Europe), the United States Mission to the European Union, the Mission of Canada to the European Union, and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) are pleased to invite you to the fourth annual Social Innovation for Refugee Inclusion (SI4RI) conference, "Sowing Innovation in the Cracks of Crisis". The virtual conference will explore how the diverse landscape of partnerships, social enterprises, participatory models, and community-led initiatives spearheading social innovation for inclusion has fared during COVID-19. It will also discuss how this ecosystem can emerge strengthened from the pandemic, and be a vital force in addressing new humanitarian challenges.

In recent years, as migration and global displacement have changed the fabric of communities on both sides of the Atlantic, many public, private, and community-based actors have joined forces around a common goal: shaping inclusive, cohesive, and prosperous communities in diversity. Mobilizing untapped resources, they pioneered hundreds of innovations for newcomer inclusion-from skill-profiling apps to co-housing models-often benefiting from the leadership and entrepreneurial energy of refugees and migrants. Yet important weaknesses have remained. The spread of innovations has been geographically uneven, and promising solutions have often lacked the tools to deliver change at scale.

Over the past one-and-a-half years, the outbreak of COVID-19 has tested the adaptability and resilience of this young and evolving field. The pandemic has exacerbated disadvantage for refugees and migrants in job markets, education, and civic life. At the same time, it has upended forms of outreach, engagement, funding, and service delivery upon which social enterprises and community-based initiatives often rely, forcing them to innovate.

At the present juncture, as the dramatic situation in Afghanistan evokes memories of recent displacement crises, there is renewed urgency to examine how social innovation can contribute to the safety and inclusion of those seeking protection, while catalysing solidarity and cohesion within communities.

SI4RI 2021 will include insights and experiences from Europe and North America, as well as select voices from other regions. Social entrepreneurs, community-based organisations, and refugee and migrant associations will participate alongside representatives from the private sector, academia, and authorities at local, national, and EU level. Participants will engage in a community of dialogue and practice to discuss rapidly evolving challenges and promising responses. Breakout sessions will allow attendees to engage in depth with key themes: advancing digital equity and inclusion; promoting the participation of migrant women; exploring inclusive narratives to foster social cohesion; leveraging small and rural communities' innovativeness; and more.

We hope you will be able to join us for this very timely event! Registration is now open here [ [link removed] ]. On the conference website [ [link removed] ], you will find also find the conference programme and speakers, which we will keep updating over the coming weeks.


For any questions, please email [email protected]

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For more information: [email protected] | www.mpieurope.org


Migration Policy Institute Europe
Residence Palace 155 Rue de la Loi, 3rd Floor 1040 Brussels


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