LEVEL 2. EXPLORE BEST PRACTICE

Introduction

Fundão MEDEIA is a municipal intercultural mediation programme addressing the absence of institutionalised mediation for migrants, refugees and Roma communities in a rural Portuguese territory. Four peer mediators deliver daily support across institutional, educational, professional, digital and cultural domains. Externally evaluated by the University of Beira Interior, it exceeded all POISE/ACM indicators and became a permanent municipal service.

The Challenge

What social issue does it address?

In a Portuguese rural territory facing demographic decline, migrants, refugees and Roma community lacked institutionalised, culturally appropriate mediation – resulting in compounded barriers to health, education, employment and legal regularisation, and parallel rather than genuine intercultural coexistence.

Why is it important?

It addresses a structural, nationally identified gap: the absence of stable intercultural mediation infrastructure, particularly in low-density rural territories where formal inclusion policies exist but are rarely translated into consistent institutional practice.

How does it contribute to the BRIDGE Challenge?

It directly tackles BRIDGE Challenge A.4 (fragmented management of cultural diversity and weak institutionalisation of intercultural dialogue) by converting a temporary, project-based response into a stable, permanent municipal public service.

How does it work?

Four peer mediators – each from the community they serve – provide daily in-person and digital support (TeleINCLUI-24) across eight action areas: institutional mediation, school integration, skills development, digital support, employability, community mentoring, intercultural education and dissemination, guided by an ACM-approved methodology.

What might inspire you?

Ideas for adaptation

1. Embed mediators permanently within the municipal structure, not as a temporary project.
2. Recruit peer mediators directly from the communities they serve.
3. Combine daily in-person mediation with 24-hour digital support (TeleINCLUI-24).
4. Apply systematic diagnostics to design demand-driven community actions.
5. Build a volunteer mentor network to extend mediation capacity long-term.
6. Commission independent evaluation to validate impact and guide continuity.
7. Use intercultural festivals as low-barrier spaces for community encounter.
8. Anchor the model in national policy recognition to secure institutional legitimacy.

Resources created