Communication strategies need to be re-designed and upgraded to become more impacting and effective, in order to respond to developments of the intercultural social reality of today´s Euro-Mediterranean region and the world in general. With this in mind, 8 Anna Lindh Foundation National Networks set out to build communication capacities of National Network members to enable them to open and develop a constructive, inclusive and far-reaching dialogue about the “other” being a refugee, a migrant, an Arab or a Muslim in their respective societies.

Hence the project aimed to promote better quality media reporting and explore ways on how to deliver the message more effectively to those who are anxious, refusing or fearing ʺthe otherness”, to fight xenophobia, nurture dialogue and social cohesion in Europe and the Mediterranean.

Throughout the course of the project 116 Anna Lindh Foundation network members in 6 European project countries attended a series of 3-5 training sessions on video production, editing, subtitles, infographics design and data journalism.

During the course of the project, a communication strategy paper was published, summarizing available knowledge about public perceptions and media reporting about the ʺotherˮ in each of the 6 national contexts, drawing conclusions and recommendations for future communications strategies.

The Learning and Sharing Meeting took place in the city of Olomouc, Czech Republic, in early September. 56 participants, trainers and facilitators from 9 countries met for 4 days to build upon the previous National training events, exploring effective ways on how to cooperate with traditional media, how to reach larger and new audiences by social media, how to apply non-violent communication (NVC) skills to debate the issue with the public.

Media and social activists from North Africa enriched the meeting with their account of ʺotherˮ in Tunisian and Moroccan societies; the ALF Intercultural Trends Report was introduced by one of its co-authors.

The project lead was taken by the National network of the Czech Republic whilst participants included people from Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Tunisia and Morocco as project partners.