ASAP Staff exchange programme 2006 - 2007

Summary

The Staff Exchange Programme was organised within the partners of ASAP during the year 2006 and spring 2007. Total budget for the staff exchange was 132 860€, appr. 115 000€ of which was used (appr. 85%). Altogether 106 persons participated the programmes in different countries in 19 groups, 11 of which had participants from more than 1 country. The visit normally took 5 days, although there were some 3-4- day visits as well.

The participants were divided into groups according to their wishes of destination, profession and interests on what to see and learn which information was collected with the applications. Each country chose the participants themselves and organised flights and other travelling arrangements for the participants of their country within the limits of country’s` own budget. There were 41 participants from Finland, 31 from Poland, 16 from Lithuania, 9 from Scotland, 6 from Austria and 3 from Italy.

The participants work with asylum seekers and have different professions - teachers and other educational staff, lawyers, social workers, reception centre counsellors, health care personnel, client supporters, careers advisers, volunteers & NGO people and students. They were divided to groups mainly according to their profession.

The programmes were organised in partner countries as follows: 4 groups visited Scotland, 4 Finland, 3 Lithuania, 3 Poland, 3 Austria and 2 Italy.

The programmes consisted of general view on asylum seeker (and refugee) matters / policy, services and actors of reception of asylum seekers and the asylum application procedures, visits to the different partners of the project and presentations & visits to different projects, NGOs and reception centres working with asylum seekers and refugees. Some of the receiving countries provided a fixed programme, the others formed programmes according to the professions and interests of the visiting group.

The receiving country helped with accommodation possibilities. Reporting of the visit was done in different ways – some countries did a collective report, while some demanded individual reports from each participant. Evaluation of the programme was done partly by separated evaluation forms, partly by participants´ reports.

I want to thank all the coordinators and other actors in each partnership for the great work you did for the visiting groups!


Suvi Kaljunen, coordinator of the Staff Exchange Programme