ADVISE

On the occasion of the European Action Week Against Racism on the 21st of March 2016, a consortium of NGOs from 5 European countries launched the ADVISE project, which stands for Advocates Against Islamophobia in Education. The project ended in 2018. 

The consortium brings together Fryshuset, Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations, International Alert, Etudiants Musulmans de France and Symbiosis, as well as the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) as policy advisor. The project aims to identify and address gaps in nation-al policies to protect against Islamophobia in education and to develop advocacy strategies towards stakeholders (such as education authorities, policymakers, student unions, educators and human rights NGOs). This is in order to make progress in introducing better protection for students who face Islamophobia in education, and mechanisms for reporting and recording of incidents of Islamophobia. 

The project took place in 5 countries: UK, France, Belgium, Sweden, and Greece. The ADVISE project is training and empowering around 60 young people between 14 and 35 on how to advocate against Islamophobia, with a focus on improving reporting, recording, and support mechanisms in the education sector. Through this project, the young people developed more of a voice in their community and bring evidence to decision-makers to push for more protective policies in education. 

By forging a network of advocates across Europe, they are also learning from other anti-discrimination movements.