The "Observatory for Migrants' Inclusion & Integration: Athens – Sicily” (OMAS) is a 16 month pilot project aiming to monitor civic initiatives for migrants' inclusion and integration in Athens and Sicily and to foster the promotion of good and exposure of bad practices. It foresees the mobility of 4 volunteers over a period of 6 months each. They will work for the establishment of an on-line observatory that will provide information in English, Greek and Italian.Context & Need AnalysisIn the past decade the issue of migration has constantly moved up the agenda of national and EU policy making institutions while its importance for societies and economies throughout the continent has increased (Eurostat, 2015). The rising numbers of refugees and migrants along with the crisis and its economic (recession), social (increased inequality) and political (rise of political extremes) implications urge for new inputs that will facilitate the transformation of migrants from pariahs to assets and will improve rather than aggravate the humanitarian status of both the origin and destination countries. In this setting, civic organizations must be well-equipped and strategically placed to play a central role in connecting the needs of European societies to the existing and potential competences of migrants who are in majority young, able-handed and minded.Athens and Sicily are the two (EU) regions that have been subject to the strongest pressure deriving from the increase of refugees' flow in the past decade and even more so following the conflicts in Syria and North Africa in the early 2010s. Given the indecisiveness of political leaders and EU institutions alike for a fairer redistribution of burden, the role of the civic society and watchdog institutions, as a counterweight to policy making deficiencies, is vital. Migrants’ engagement and empowerment can only be realized at a micro-level and necessitates direct involvement of organizations and citizens. However, prior to that, the exact situation must be established and a pool of good practices must be created, shared solutions must be searched and a debate on a civic level must be established.In this context, OMAS aims to:- Raise awareness about ongoing projects, facilitate the exchange of good and the exposure of bad practices regarding migrants’ inclusion and integration thus enhancing ties between migrants, host communities and local stakeholders;- Communicate bottom-up efforts taking place in Athens and Sicily as a lesson for other EU countries and their significance for the well-being of the EU;- Foster a debate among civic organizations, migrants associations, researchers and stakeholders from the regions of Athens & Sicily;- Suggest lines of action that will apply to both national and EU policy-makers and civic organizations in Athens and Sicily.The 2 mobility periods (1 at CESIE and 1 at Inter Alia) will have a similar structure and methodology, therefore also similar learning outcomes for all 4 participants. By volunteering in a foreign country and in an international organization youngsters will acquire and enhance competencies that complete their personal, social and professional profile. The learning outcomes are planned according to the European life-long learning key competencies, focusing on: communication in foreign languages, sense of initiative and entrepreneurship, cultural awareness and expression, and social and civic competences which will be the 4 main pillars of their learning process, all planned to be attained through non-formal learning activities and informally in their free time. Volunteers who will carry out their service at Inter Alia and CESIE in the context of the OMAS project will enhance their knowledge, skills and competences and will cultivate attitudes and behaviours which are essential for an inclusive society such as respect, empathy, tolerance and patience. Thus, their employability is going to be strengthened while their capacity to contribute positively to an inclusive and sustainable society will be improved.The OMAS project will facilitate partner organizations to contribute to the crucial process of migrants' integration while building and extending networks among experts, practitioners, policy makers and stakeholders, fostering a debate and on-the-ground collaboration by facilitating their interaction, suggesting common courses of action and making recommendations to all levels. The mobility activity, in line with the objectives of the “Observatory for Migrants Inclusion & Integration: Athens-Sicily”, will contribute to improving the quality of projects dealing with migration and the level of readiness of civic organizations to produce sustainable results. OMAS will enable the effective use of resources for the inclusion and integration of migrants, will increase accountability of organizations and policy makers and will facilitate the building and extension of networks working for the same cause.