Sofia Development Association held an INTEGRA awareness building workshop with students from three Sofia secondary schools, Sofia University, New Bulgarian University and Technical University on April 22, 2019. The students gained understanding of migrant integration, put themselves in the shoes of migrants and third country nationals to imagine the challenges they face trying to fit in our society, the complexity of the adaptation process and the diversity of individual experiences.

With the participants’ active participation, sharing personal stories and stories of individuals they know, with case studies and quizzes, students identified many integration benefits for the receiving society, such as a committed workforce, new business and job creation, transfer of knowledge, new ideas, a commitment to social activism. The students developed positive narratives to counter disinformation and hostile attitudes. Here are some ideas what we can learn from migrants: courage, decisiveness, different perspective, perseverance, motivation, gratitude. Participants embraced the principles of solidarity, respect for human rights and dignity, freedom and the rule of law.