Fresh Start
Fresh Start
The Fresh Start migrant entrepreneurship project sought to respond to the real-world impact of migration, especially forced migration as a result of conflicts and climate change pressures. With increasing numbers of people moving across the globe, there is a huge need to adopt policies which help to integrate migrants into host communities and to enable them to make use of the skills and expertise which they bring with them. The Fresh Start project addressed a number of SDGs, in particular, SDG4 on Quality Education for Sustainable Development, and SDG17 on Global Citizenship and Partnerships. It also addressed the need to develop a new generation of entrepreneurs.
Aims
The aims of Fresh Start were:
- To harness the prior expertise and resources of the migrant community in order to benefit the wider host community
- To enhance the integration and well-being of migrants and the host community
- To add value to the host community and migrant community
- To create positive perceptions of refugees in the destination countries
- To create connections with the entrepreneur community and the integration mediators in the destination countries.
The two-year programme which was funded by the European Union (EU) in 2017-2019, brought together three teams from three different countries: Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands; London South Bank University; and University College Leuven Limburg, Belgium. Fresh Start was designed to enable 120 participants (40 from each of the countries) to develop their entrepreneurial skills and their business ideas.