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1 The practice
2 Hints for an evaluation
2.1 Strenghts
Interculture map perspective:
It is run "by exiled journalists for exiled journalists" and so is completely in the hands of those who know the needs of the groups they are meant to serve.
The network itself is extremely intercultural in that it brings together exiles from all over the world. The common bond between them is journalism, not ethnicity, religion or country of origin. In this sense it can be seen as a positive contribution to co-existence between worldwide cultures, not just between an immigrant group and the host community.
If opinions on the merits of intercultural living were left solely to the British press, it is arguable that those arriving in the UK from abroad would finder it harder to be accepted and understood than is currently the case.
The project is innovative because "EJN" are the only organisation of this type in the country. They are also very vocal and happy to challenge the government, for instance regarding deportation cases.
Exiled journalists often are fleeing from extremely traumatic situations themselves and so as well as atempting to address society "EJN" also seeks to directly help the problems faced by their fellow professionals.
The organization's perspective:
The dedication of its members has lead to substantial achievements in a relatively short space of time. As Forward explains, “We have been able to implement many things: we now have a full time coordinator, me, put out a regular bulletin featuring refugee issues and also employ a part time administrator.”
However the network has not only been successful on a practical level, but has helped create groundbreaking practices, “Encouraging people to contribute their experiences in UK, and other parts of the world, has been a significant achievement.”
2.2 Lessons Learnt
One of the exportable factors is the fact that projects, which are originally set up by natives of a country can nevertheless be heavily influenced and eventually controlled by immigrants themselves. Natives to a country very often have the necessary resources and networks to set up projects (e.g. funding knowledge, contacts etc) but this does not mean that once projects have momentum the groups which are targeted cannot "take the reigns".
Furthermore the importance of networking and cooperation between people in vulnerable situations is clear. When people pool resources and share ideas, new solutions to problems can appear. Whilst journalists who are not living in exile may well be able to adequately cover some of the issues faced by their fellow professionals fleeing persecution, it makes far more sense to have a project organised by those who really know what it feels like to be in such a situation.
The exportable nature of the project can be observed in the Mediawise "RAM Project report", "Exiled Journalists in Europe" (available www.mediawise.org.uk). In the report is detailed how similar projects are underway in other countries (for instance in Belgium) inspired by the success of "EJN" in the UK.
People develop skills and expertise in certain fields. Although often these attributes are tested when borders are crossed they still exist. There are skilled people lying dormant in society, who with some retraining and cultural adjustment can provide a valuable service to their new countries.
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