To mark the completion of the MiFriendly Cities project, digital badges have been created for project participants, grantees and those trained and accredited.
Find out moreProject partners, participants and stakeholders from across Europe came together on March 10th to share learning about how to create a migrant friendly city.
Read moreHope House was officially opened in May 2021. It's a space for migrants, refugees and the wider community to use as a work and collaboration space, for exhibitions and other community activity.
Find out more*Project Update*
This website will remain ‘live’ to ensure visitors have access to our RESOURCES page for project information and publications, or to find links to our project partners that continue to run similar courses and activities.
In October 2017 the EU’s Urban Innovative Actions fund awarded more than £4m to Coventry, Birmingham and Wolverhampton for the MiFriendly Cities project, a 3-year initiative that developed innovative, community-led and sustainable approaches to enhancing the contribution of refugees and migrants across the region. Our exciting programme was designed to create opportunities for migrants and bring communities together, building cohesion across Coventry, Birmingham and Wolverhampton.
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Migrants and refugees helped develop this initiative and establish what makes a city ‘Migration Friendly’. With this grassroots approach we encouraged citizens across the community to work with local businesses, government, and voluntary organisations to build a MiFriendly region together. The project was shaped by the community throughout its 3-year duration, encouraging a spirit of solidarity, helping the West Midlands become a place in which everyone feels a true sense of belonging.
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The project was delivered by an innovative partnership of 11 organisations. These included the three city councils from Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Coventry, a multinational company, a university, a law centre, a consultancy and three migrant-run charities. All worked together to achieve one common goal, and to push the boundaries of what had been previously attempted in the EU.
Find Out MoreMiFriendly Cities has completed all of its programmes & activities and formally ended in May 2021. However, you can still learn about our innovative programme of activities and access our resources page for project info and publications.
Get Involved
Inger
Coventry
Coventry made me very welcome when I arrived as a migrant 20 years ago. We arrived before our belongings and our new neighbour immediately knocked with her spare kettle! Years later, and I still love Coventry for its curiosity and openness to new ideas, and many partnerships between different groups and communities
Debora
Coventry
We are so proud of being selected as City of Culture. There is such a diverse multi-cultural communities living together in harmony. Stoke Heath Community Centre, CV2 3QH, is working wonderfully with everyone who wishes to join our community projects
Neil
Coventry
For me a MiFriendly City is a place where all are welcome and there is opportunity for all to build a life for themselves and their families
Nicole
Coventry
It's a place where everybody is supported to make a meaningful contribution to their community, whether they were born in that city or have recently arrived.
Gamika
Coventry
A place of inclusion, opportunity and welcome.
Sunairah
Coventry
I am a migrant myself, and if I didn’t have the right support from other people in Coventry I wouldn’t be where I am today. For me, the support of your neighbours and community is what makes a place migration friendly.
Employers reached by the MiFriendly Employment Brokers
We’re aiming to reach 2000 in 3 years, creating links between employers and our migrant communities and highlighting the skills available.
Refugees and migrants trained in digital fabrication
Digital fabrication is a key skills need for the region, and we’re planning on training 250 future migrants in this exciting new skill.
Migrant entrepreneurs granted funding start-up social enterprises
We're supporting 16 refugee and migrant entrepreneurs to set up new businesses which have a social mission. Successful ideas get up to €5000 and mentoring to start up. So far 6 have gone on to register as businesses.
MiFriendly Cities ‘Share Our Journey’ Online Event, 10th March – Register now!
10th March, 2021
March 10th 2021 Register here For more information see a full agenda here Join us for a day of practical, […]
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Train to be a Citizen Social Scientist
January 2021
MiFriendly Cities is offering refugees, migrants and asylum seekers the opportunity to join an accredited course with experienced researchers from […]
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Media Lab
Tuesday 1st December
Migrant Voice and MiFriendly Cities are inviting you all to a Media Lab that they are hosting in the West […]
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Online CV Workshop
Friday 20th November
Photo by Dylan Ferreira on Unsplash Drop in for FREE support with your CV. 10am-11am. Because of the changes we have had to […]
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Hope House community space opens
May 13, 2021
On Wednesday 19th May, we celebrated the opening of Hope House. Attendees to this online event could see the space […]
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‘Digital Badges’ for participants to mark the completion of the MiFriendly Cities project
May 28, 2021
To mark the completion of the MiFriendly Cities project, and acknowledge the incredible contribution made by participants across the 3 […]
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Pamoja Music – funded by MiFriendly Cities – wins ‘Connecting Communities Award’
March 18, 2021
Pamoja Music UK, led by Coventry’s Mamajay Juliet and One Nation Studios, won the ‘Connecting Communities Award’ at the 2021 […]
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This project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund through the Urban Innovative Actions Initiative.
