A major challenge for the increasingly multicultural Europe, amidst the ongoing refugee crisis, is the smooth social integration of ethnic and cultural minorities (ECM), including their children. Migrant integration takes place at multiple levels, and one of the most sensitive fields is that of school education. There are many interventions focusing on teacher competence, the concept of intercultural education, and diversity management in the classroom. However, another important factor affecting the integration process is parental engagement and attitude. Both parents from the host societies and ECM parents have direct influence on the attitude, behaviour and performance of their children, and consequently the integration process as a whole. Positive parental engagement is of paramount importance for the social inclusion of ECM children.
The overall objective of the Parents4all project is to raise awareness, empower, and develop the intercultural competences among parents of the host society and parents belonging to ethnic or cultural minorities (ECM) in order to enable them to contribute effectively to the social inclusion of ECM school-age children.
Improved competences and increased awareness on behalf of parents are expected to have a positive effect on the interaction of pupils of different origins, cooperation with school, and social integration in general.
