Partner

JRS Belgium is an NGO that accompanies, supports and defends the rights of refugees and other forced migrants, enabling them to take control of their own future. Specifically, JRS Belgium visits people in detention on a weekly basis, offers vulnerable families comprehensive support to prevent detention, promotes real alternatives to detention and raises awareness on these issues through advocacy and collaboration with other organisations. JRS Belgium strives for a warm and supportive society in which detention for migration reasons no longer has a place.Since September 2020, JRS Belgium has been offering comprehensive home support to families without legal residence with minor children in Belgium through the Plan Together project. Two family counsellors provide legal, social and psychological support. Together with the families, they build a legal and sustainable future perspective — in Belgium, in another European country, or in the country of origin. With Plan Together, JRS Belgium proposes a tested and proven methodology as a dignified alternative to detention — a model that can serve as inspiration for future policy.

Amal is the Agency for Integration and Civic Integration of Ghent. Amal has been supporting international newcomers in finding their way for about 50 years now. Together with our partners in Ghent, we offer newcomers custom-made assistance. We refer them to Dutch classes, organize lessons with practical tips about life in Flanders, help them in their search for a job, education, leisure activities and many more. This way, people get to know the city and each other, and feel at home. Integration works both ways. That is why we make Ghent organizations and city services more accessible to international people . We provide advice and support regarding language and diversity policies and offer assistance through public service interpreters and translators.

Parents for Inclusion is a volunteer organization consisting of, for and by parents of children with specific needs. We aim to support the right to an inclusive life by empowering parents and assisting them in situations in which they encounter difficulties. The experiences, questions and concerns of parents guide the direction of our organization. The intersection of parenthood, inclusion and diversity is central to our work. In this way, we strive to make inclusion possible for every parent and their child. In collaboration with CESSMIR, and more specifically the master thesis workshops on DisCrit, we exchange experiences and insights with other partners on these themes, both from research and from practice.

Catholic Education Flanders is the umbrella organisation of more than 2,400 Catholic educational institutions in Flanders and Brussels, representing over 935,000 pupils and students. We support schools in their pedagogical project, represent their interests and offer assistance with pedagogical, legal and administrative issues. In addition, we collaborate with research institutions, such as CESSMIR, and participate in their advisory board.

Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen is dedicated to protecting the rights and promoting the well-being and social participation of refugees and asylum seekers in Belgium. We provide practical and legal support, foster integration, and collaborate with various organizations, including CESSMIR, to strengthen the position of refugees.

The Stedelijk Opvanginitiatief (SOI, Municipal Reception Initiative) is part of the City’s Asylum and Refugee Team and offers small-scale, high-quality reception and support to 103 applicants and beneficiaries of international protection. Families, single persons and people with medical needs are accommodated in Doornzelestraat. The Youth Programme accommodates 22 unaccompanied minor boys.The Asylum and Refugee Team develops a network of partners who work with or for applicants and beneficiaries of international protection. We closely monitor trends and set up collaborations with service and support organisations in order to exchange relevant information, find structural solutions and make the most of opportunities for the target group. We are committed to sharing information about the work of the municipal reception initiative, the target group and current developments. We also strive to create a nuanced image in order to generate support among the general public.

In 2019, several institutions in Leuven decided to join forces. Since then, these core partners have formed an evolving network, an interesting model of collaboration for psychosocial and mental health care in Leuven. Across institutions, and not unimportantly across the cultural differences between these institutions, a shared transcultural vision and practice is growing. It is a way of thinking and working that is fruitful and bears fruit even beyond the direct work with migrants, refugees and newcomers.This collaboration led to the creation of the Transcultural Care CGG VBO team in 2019. With the help of subsidies from the city of Leuven and the OCMW (Public Social Welfare Centre) of Leuven, the Transcultural Care CGG VBO team provides the following services: – Offers transcultural psychotherapeutic and psychiatric treatments to people with a migration or refugee background. These consultations often take place in collaboration with a (social) interpreter or an intercultural mediator. Important referrers and partners are OCMW Leuven, De Nomade, CAW Leuven, the district health centres and psychiatric hospitals. – Contributes to the development of new initiatives in the field of mental health care for newcomers within a broad partnership and responds to the acute needs of vulnerable groups (e.g. refugees from war zones). – Provides monthly supervision sessions for intercultural mediators and culturally sensitive support workers. In addition, the team organises a bi-monthly transcultural intervision session for other Leuven-based social workers from the region who are interested in the transcultural vision. Finally, the team members provide short- and long-term supervision and case discussions at the request of external organisations. – In collaboration with KU Leuven and UPC Kortenberg, the Transcultural Care CGG VBO team has established the Permanent Training Programme in Transcultural Mental Health Care. Several team members are part of the permanent core of trainers. – Organises regular training courses and study days on transcultural mental health care and translates transcultural insights into scientific publications.The CGG-VBO is a member of the CESSMIR sounding board group.

KASKcinema, the quirky cinema on the Bijloke site, shows films outside the mainstream circuit. Three evenings a week, it screens classics from the canon of film history, unreleased contemporary festival films and more artistic and experimental work. Twice a year, CESSMIR and KASK organise a movie screening together.

Minor’ is the Latin word for minor, ‘Ndako’ means household or shelter in Lingala, a Congolese language. The combination reflects what we want to be: a warm nest for minors and living together in harmony regardless of differences.In 2002, Minor-Ndako started the reception of 15 unaccompanied minors in Brussels. Today, we have 10 branches spread over 9 municipalities, from Kortrijk and Ghent to Brussels and Leuven. Part of the assistance is aimed at children and families from Brussels and the surrounding area, but unaccompanied minors remain the largest group. In 2024, our team of 138 FTE supported 390 children, young people and families (of which 298 are UAM).Minor-Ndako is an NGO working in the framework of the Youth Care of the Flemish Community.They regularly collaborate with CESSMIR, for example in the masterproefatelier ‘Nachtvlucht’ (Night Flight). Nachtvlucht is a collaboration between supervisors from various study programmes, master’s thesis students and social partners. Together, we are trying to gain more insight into sleep (problems) among people living in collective reception centres.

Fedasil Gent Boot is one of the federal reception centres that has been providing shelter to around 250 applicants for international protection since 2020. They are involved in the CESSMIR master’s thesis atelier “Nachtvlucht” (Night Flight), a collaboration between supervisors from various study programmes, master’s thesis students and social partners. Together, we are trying to gain more insight into sleep (problems) among people living in collective reception centres.