ACUME is a Leonardo da Vinci funded Project that was executed along 24 months, from October 2011 to September 2013.
The Consortium was formed by 6 European partners belonging to Spain (INCOMA), Italy (Università per Stranieri di Siena, CREA, Dida Network) and Austria (FH Joanneum), each of which brought their personal expertise on the matter and worked closely together throughout the whole project lifetime.
The project aimed at analysing, defining and unifying the Professional Profile of the Intercultural Mediator in Europe adapting, integrating and transferring an already existing Spanish training course for Intercultural Mediators. First, the professional profile of the Intercultural Mediator was analysed in the different participant countries taking into account the tasks developed in each country so that to adapt, in a second step, the training to the detected needs. The course was complemented with a system for the assessment of the trainees' entry and exit competences in order to finally define the Training Pathway for the Intercultural Mediator. The model was shaped according to the VAE (Validation des Acquis de l´Expérience) which allowed to give a modular approach to the course, providing in such a way the possibility to design tailor- made lessons depending on each individual´s needs and previous experience.
The project also transferred a second product, CCLVET methodology that aimed to develop an awareness of cultural differences, providing materials and management techniques to be implemented under a multicultural environment.

Abbiamo sviluppato materiali per la formazione che mirano all'integrazione dei migranti

Applichiamo specifici protocolli per assistere i migranti e abbiamo implementato metodologie per la realizzazione dei servizi indirizzati ai migranti

Noi collaboriamo con autorità locali, inclusi enti pubblici e istituzioni internazionali o organizzazioni non governative.

Forniamo formazione specifica per operatori direttamente coinvolti nei servizi indirizzati ai migranti

ACUME stands as an existing Good Practice that could definitely reinforce LL2II execution. As highlighted above, it pretended to create a recognised qualification of the Intercultural Mediator on an European level.
Intercultural mediators are key individuals in the integration of immigrants due to the tasks they daily undertake, facilitating communication between public service employees and immigrants, and thus improving the quality of service and care offered to them.
Sometimes, methodologies implemented when identifying and welcoming refugees or asylum seekers are not the correct ones and it is here that trained intercultural mediators take central stage. The work they carry out often results in their public service colleagues being better informed and prepared to meet the specialised needs of immigrants. In this sense, ACUME brought with it a positive step towards the integration of immigrants, not only because of its direct capacity building purpose, but also because thanks to it, local bodies have the opportunity to observe good praxis implemented by intercultural mediators and adopt and assimilate these behaviours.
Thanks to the development and transfer of the training proposed by ACUME, receptors are now given with a standard tool that enables them to go through teaching units already tested at an international level and that are conceived under a same umbrella (Spanish and Italian institutions establishing the Professional Profile).
The innovation of this project also lies in the integration of the French VAE (Validation des Acquis de l´Expérience), what allows a modularisation approach that could be customised depending on the target trainees in order to recognise "informal" intercultural mediators (people who have worked as intercultural mediators for a long time but do not have any diploma).
The course, that contemplates both e- learning and physical lessons, examines the professional profile of the social and inter- cultural mediator: intervention strategies, conflict resolutions, techniques to improve communication, social research tools or mediation techniques. In addition, the ACUME course designed at Italy, contemplated the reinforcement of linguistic skills, as they are considered essential in this field. A whole range of public services from schools to health and social care, request the figure of specialised technicians or cultural mediator in the first place because these entities struggle to communicate effectively with foreign users. This difficulty in communication creates incomprehension on more than one level: missed appointments, a poor or absent understanding of the service user's needs, operational delays or poor access by foreigners to preventative health services.
The course is based on the development of competences through interactive methodologies, case- studies, discussions, project work and exercises. Throughout the project lifetime, contents were adapted, integrated and tested. Once the content was established, the project foresaw a pilot testing in which potential final users experienced the model and determined points to be refined. After the model was tested and feedbacks were considered, the training pathway was defined among all partners. At a final stage, the model was reviewed in a real work context. Beneficiaries were observed in their workplace when carrying out their professional activities and the consortium had the opportunity to check the impact of the training, ensuring the correct implementation of the profile.
Most of the ACUME pathway meets one of the main purpose of LL2II project, that is, training technicians and other operators working with migrants and providing a transnational learning. The contents were translated into Spanish and Italian what turns ACUME in a potential resource to be integrated within LL2II.