Masterclass Polyvocal Policymaking (Advocacy Academy):

By prioritizing refugee and immigrant experiences, we work to address the disconnect and promote meaningful dialogue between refugees, policymakers, decision-makers or other institutes working with or for refugees and immigrants. Building on prior research and ongoing activities of Refugee Academy, we have designed the Advocacy Academy program for policymakers, based on a masterclass Polyvocal Policymaking. This two-day masterclass was co-created by Elena Ponzoni, Halleh Ghorashi, Domenica Ghidei, and Mohammed Badran (SYVNL, work package leader), with the input of experts in refugee-led advocacy such as Adel Al Baghdadi.

The masterclass consists of: 1. A theoretical part in which central notions are explained and 2. A more practical part where through plenary discussions and (group) exercises, we connect theoretical notions with the local context and with the experiences of participants. Together we map the existing participatory spaces to which refugees and migrants do/do not have access and what are the conditions for meaningful and sustainable participation in each space.

• Time frame Advocacy Academy: Mar 2022-Jul 2022: Co-creation of Advocacy Academy program
• Aug 2022-Jan 2023: Providing the two-day masterclass for policymakers in the Netherlands, Croatia, Malta and Greece
• Feb 2022 – Apr 2023: Train the Trainers workshop for CSO’s