The international project *VOICES From Migration*, co-funded by the European Union, concluded its third and final international event in Thessaloniki. Designed to strengthen active citizenship among young people, this closing chapter brought together university students from across Europe to engage directly with migration narratives and transform them into drivers of positive change.

Over three days (5, 6 & 7 September 2025), Thessaloniki hosted participants from 18 EU countries alongside local students from Perrotis College – the American Farm School. Through immersive, hands-on activities, students stepped outside their comfort zones and took on the role of journalists for a day. By interviewing migrants from diverse backgrounds and collecting their personal testimonies, participants contributed to a broader initiative dedicated to preserving European Oral History.

The Project

Launched under the European Commission’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Program, VOICES was developed by a consortium led by the European university college Association (EucA, Belgium), Perrotis College (Greece), and the Municipality of Rosarno (Italy). Its mission is to provide young people with the tools, skills, and awareness to engage meaningfully with migration, integration, and European identity.

Previous events in Brussels, Belgium, and Rosarno, Italy, equipped university students with practical training in interviewing techniques, storytelling, and policymaking. By listening to migrants’ lived experiences and transforming these narratives into policy recommendations, students gained valuable insights and the confidence to shape more inclusive futures.

VOICES in Thessaloniki

The Thessaloniki event, hosted by Perrotis College, immersed participants in a program centered on history, dialogue, and active citizenship. In collaboration with My House of European History, the initiative examined the migration patterns that have shaped the region — from the economic migration of Eastern Europeans in the 1990s to more recent flows along the Eastern Mediterranean route involving Albanians, Middle Eastern, and North African workers who settled in Greece.

Participants also applied their training through practical activities, interviewing migrants and capturing personal stories. These collected testimonies now form part of a growing archive that preserves Europe’s diverse oral history and informs future policy discussions on migration and integration.

What’s Next

Although Thessaloniki marked the final international event for university students, VOICES is moving into its next phase, focused on policymakers and high-level EU representatives.

Between January and May 2026, the project will support the adoption of a Local Anti-Racism and Integration Action Plan by the Municipality of Rosarno, along with other local authorities in southern Italy. This phase will culminate in two international conferences targeting policymakers, ensuring that the voices of migrants and young citizens continue to be represented at the decision-making table. In doing so, VOICES will contribute directly to the implementation of the European Plan Against Racism 2020–2025.

For more information, contact info@euca.eu or visit euchangemakers.com