On Thursday, 7 May 2026, the 2nd Awareness Event of the YMCA HELIOS+ Centre was held online under the title “Raising Awareness & Knowledge Exchange Event on Municipal Integration Practices”, bringing together 63 participants from municipalities, development agencies, organizations, and services from across the Region of Central Macedonia.

The event was organized within the framework of the HELIOS+ Project and aimed to strengthen knowledge-sharing and collaboration among local authorities and professionals working in the field of refugee and migrant integration, through the presentation of European municipal practices and the exchange of experiences.

During the event, good integration practices from European municipalities and organizations were presented, focusing on topics such as reception and accommodation policies, social services,

intermunicipal cooperation, labour market inclusion, and local integration governance.

More specifically:

  • The Municipality of Padova presented the Italian reception and integration model through the Embracing and SAI programmes.
  • The Municipality of Pamplona introduced the “Dialogic Approach”, a methodology based on active listening and preventive dialogue for supporting vulnerable individuals and groups.
  • The Coimbra Region presented its intermunicipal cooperation model and the challenges of coordinating integration strategies across 19 municipalities.
  • The Municipality of Fundão highlighted innovative local integration policies and support mechanisms implemented in a small municipality in Portugal.
  • The City of Zagreb presented the gradual development of integration policies in Croatia, including language learning, legal counselling, and social support services.
  • The Warsaw Family Support Centre showcased integration practices implemented in Warsaw, particularly in response to the arrival of Ukrainian refugees after 2022.

Particularly noteworthy was the participation of representatives from 19 municipalities of Central Macedonia, including the Municipalities of Thessaloniki, Pavlos Melas, Pylaia-Chortiatis, Thermi, Serres, Katerini, Polygyros, and Kassandra, among others, as well as staff from the HELIOS+ Project, the Metropolitan Development Agency of Thessaloniki, Solidarity Now, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The event underscored the importance of intermunicipal cooperation, knowledge exchange, and the adaptation of integration policies to the local needs and capacities of each area. It also offered practical examples and tools that may be applied within the Greek context, fostering dialogue and networking among participants.

The online format of the event facilitated the participation of stakeholders from across the Region of Central Macedonia, contributing to broader collaboration and the exchange of experiences on issues of social inclusion and community cohesion.

The Helios+ Project is implemented in cooperation with IOM Greece and funded by ΕΣΠΑ through ΕΥΣΥΔ – ΜΕΥ of Ministry of Migration and Asylum (Υπουργείο Μετανάστευσης & Ασύλου) and with the co-financing of the European Union.

Here you may find the presentations from the municipalities of Coimbra, Fundao, and Warsaw.