The MiFriendly Cities Project, delivered across Coventry, Birmingham and Wolverhampton, has been selected as an outstanding example of political innovation in Europe, and has been chosen as a finalist in the Human Rights category in the Innovation in Politics Awards 2020!
Innovation in Politics Institute, a private, non-partisan organisation, supported by a European-wide group of concerned citizens from a broad political spectrum are the team behind the awards.
Looking specifically for projects that innovate within the nine category areas: community, democracy, digitalisation, ecology, economy, education, human rights, quality of life and regional development; with a specific requirement to be innovative and meet at least one of the additional criteria: participation, building trust and sustainability.
The MiFriendly Cities team submitted an application back in July, and have just been informed that 1058 jurors from 47 different countries have selected the project as ‘an outstanding example of political innovation in Europe’.
398 entries in total were submitted for the awards. Being announced as a finalist means, MiFriendly Cities ranks amongst the 10 best in its field, and amongst the 90 best in Europe.
FabLab Coventry and its Eco Furniture Factory proved a huge hit with the UK home office, Hannah Gregory who quoted:
We were really struck by the innovation of MiFriendly Cities’ approach – and the mutually beneficial connection between the research and the project
Hannah Gregory, deputy director, integration and vulnerability resettlement, asylum support and integration directorate
The MiFriendly Cities initiative aims to build stronger communities by encouraging employers, health services and the wider public to come together to drive change at both city and regional level.
Together, the partnership of public, private and voluntary sector organisations, including CTPSR, continues to provide a unique network of skilled individuals and knowledge to improve awareness around what constitutes a ‘migration friendly’ city.
This project has already established two eco furniture factories, which showcase migrant’s talents and encourage community contribution in a novel way.
Not only is this a huge achievement for the project, the team behind the project and the participants supported on the project; but it means MiFriendly Cities is now part of a wider community of the most dedicated and inspirational policy makers from all over the continent.
The winners of the category will be announced in November.
More information regarding the Institute and the awards can be found via the Innovation in Politics website: https://innovationinpolitics.eu/en/
