28 July 2022
Austria
Under the title ‘Migration and Society – A whole of government process with a whole-of society participation ‘representatives of ICMPD, the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) and the University College of Teacher Education Lower Austria (PH NÖ) met to discuss the results of the joint project ‘MIGRATION.DIGITAL.PEDAGOGY‘ (MiDiP). External experts were invited to join the discussion on social peace, diversity and public safety to provide an additional perspective.
The MiDiP project is part of the Austrian migration communication initiative MAKING A CHANGE.TOGETHER, which builds on the findings of the report of the Migration Council for Austria. Based on the participation of broad sections of society, the process aims to offer guidance and a basis for decision-making in the field of migration policy.
In a panel discussion at the event, both the initiative and the research process were discussed together with Lukas Gehrke (Deputy Director General of ICMPD), Peter Webinger (Head of Section V, Migration and International Affairs at the Federal Ministry of the Interior), Univ. Prof. Erwin Rauscher (Rector of PH NÖ), as well as Univ.-Prof. Kyoko Shinozaki (Univ.Prof. for Social Change and Mobility at the Paris Lodron University Salzburg) and Univ.-Prof. Christian Stadler (Professor for Philosophy of Law at the Faculty of Law Vienna).
Deputy Director General Gehrke emphasised the importance of having an objective and evidence-based discourse on migration among children and young people. The great contribution of this initiative was that by using age-appropriate materials, it enabled a broad public discussion about migration and its complex interrelationships. This was a fundamental prerequisite for shaping migration policy, according to Gehrke.
Project background and methodology
With pedagogical-didactic support, the project partners developed materials specifically targeting children and young people. They allow them to interactively explore the topics of migration, society, education, democracy and the rule of law and to experience social cohesion in a playful and innovative manner.
At the same time, ICMPD and the Federal Ministry of the Interior have launched a socio-scientific research process. Its intention is to survey and scrutinize the main topics, assumptions and recommendations of the report of the Migration Council for Austria among the Austrian population. Relevant actors from state and society are being involved in this process to improve understanding of perceptions on migration across the population. Such a participatory approach should contribute to the political decision-making in this highly complex policy field and foster an objective discourse on migration in Austria.
For a German version of this article, click here.
