Migration is often discussed through numbers, headlines and political debate. Yet behind every figure is a person, a family, a journey and a lived experience.
Recent news across Europe shows why this matters. According to an Associated Press report citing the International Organization for Migration, fewer people have reached Europe by sea in 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, but deaths and missing persons on migration routes have increased. By mid-September, nearly 60,000 people had reached European shores by sea, while almost 2,300 people had died or gone missing during these journeys.
These figures are a reminder that migration is not an abstract issue. It is deeply human. It is shaped by safety, conflict, opportunity, displacement, fear, hope and the search for dignity.
At the same time, migration continues to be one of the most polarising topics in Europe. In the UK, reports of anti-migrant protests around small boat arrivals and the temporary closure of a Portsmouth lifeboat station show how fear and hostility can quickly affect local communities, volunteers and public services. In another recent example, The Irish Times reported that Russia-linked accounts amplified far-right narratives online during the Ceuta migration crisis, highlighting how migration stories can be distorted and used to fuel division.
This is exactly the kind of challenge that the OPEN EU project seeks to address.
OPEN EU was created in response to rising harmful narratives around migration, belonging and identity. The project focuses on challenging “othering” — the process of presenting migrants and displaced people as fundamentally different, separate or threatening — and replacing fear-based narratives with stories rooted in equality, empathy and shared humanity.
This is not about ignoring difficult conversations. Communities across Europe do have questions, concerns and pressures linked to migration, housing, integration, services and belonging. But when public debate is driven only by fear, misinformation or stereotypes, it becomes harder to build trust and harder to find constructive ways forward.
OPEN EU responds by creating safe spaces where local people, migrants and displaced persons can listen to each other, share experiences and take part in meaningful dialogue.
Storytelling is central to the OPEN EU approach because it helps people see beyond labels.
A person is not simply “a migrant”, “a refugee”, “a newcomer” or “a local”. Every person has a background, a voice, a family, a history and a future. When people are given space to tell their own stories, complex social issues become more human and more relatable.
Through inclusive digital storytelling, podcasts, workshops and community learning, OPEN EU supports people to share lived experiences in a way that builds empathy and understanding. The project brings together local people, migrants and displaced persons, while also supporting adult educators, inclusion actors and community development practitioners to address prejudice, discrimination and anti-immigrant narratives through learning and dialogue.
This is especially important at a time when online spaces can quickly amplify fear. A single image, headline or post can shape how people understand a situation before they have had time to question the source, context or accuracy.
Recent reports around migration and misinformation show why media literacy is essential. When narratives are manipulated online, they can increase mistrust between communities and make people more vulnerable to polarising content.
OPEN EU recognises that inclusion is not only about welcoming people into a community. It is also about helping people think critically about the stories they see, hear and share.
By supporting media literacy, OPEN EU helps communities ask important questions:
Who is telling this story?
Whose voice is missing?
Is this information accurate?
Does this narrative build understanding or increase fear?
How can we listen to people directly affected by the issue?
These questions are vital for adult education, civic participation and community cohesion.
European policy is also placing renewed attention on migration, asylum and integration. The EU’s new migration and asylum rules entered into application in June 2026, including changes to asylum procedures, responsibilities between Member States and reception conditions. The European Migration Network has also highlighted the importance of early integration measures, including activities that support self-sufficiency and participation during the asylum and reception process.
But belonging does not happen only through policy. It happens in neighbourhoods, learning centres, community spaces, conversations and everyday interactions.
That is why OPEN EU focuses on local learning and community-based dialogue. The project brings together migrants, displaced persons, host community members, adult educators, inclusion advocates and local actors to support understanding across different experiences and backgrounds.
Through Communities of Practice and Festivals of Belonging, OPEN EU aims to create spaces where diversity is not treated as a problem to be managed, but as a shared strength to be understood and celebrated.
The challenges are real. Across Europe, migration is often surrounded by fear, misinformation and division. But OPEN EU is built on the belief that another approach is possible.
By combining adult education, storytelling, empathy and media literacy, the project offers a positive response: one that does not reduce people to statistics, labels or headlines, but instead creates space for human stories, critical thinking and shared learning.
Behind every migration story is a person.
Behind every community is the possibility of dialogue.
And behind every act of listening is an opportunity to build a more open, inclusive and connected Europe.
