The Newcomers@Work project was born out of the circumstancial urgency and common worries surrounding the social inclusion of young people with a refugee or migrant background.

So far, very few actions were specifically designed for the population of young people aged between 18-25 years old who have recently arrived at a European country and who face a multitude of barriers when accessing the social, political, economic and cultural life of the host society.

According to the 2019 Eurostat statistics, 39% of migrants between 18-30 years old are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. At the same time, when taking into consideration the risk factors for someone to become a NEET, our target group is characterized by at least three of these factors: low education, migrant background and low household income. Their road to unemployment and poverty seems as a “one-way-street”.

On the other hand, youth work, despite its crucial role for the empowerment of this population, has not made significant advancements towards this end. Youth professionals cannot provide effective supporting services such as quality training opportunities and guidance. The lack of specific skills, specialized tools, guidelines and procedures for this particular group of NEETs render youth workers and relevant stakeholders unprepared to deal with their interrelated problems, which usually include traumas, poverty, cultural distance and further discriminations.