MIPEX: it's good to share

Jim Hollington, MIPEX Director, blogs about a British Council project that tackles one of the world’s most controversial issues.
A job in cultural relations is nothing if not varied.
Student exchanges and showing the work of UK artists are among the things we’re best known for, and long may they continue. But it’s only part of the British Council story.
In eleven years I’ve worked in Indonesia, China, France and the UK, on projects ranging from rebuilding a former steelworks in Shanghai (for Antony Gormley’s Asian Field) to managing the quarantine of hundreds of schoolchildren during the height of H1N1.
We’ve just launched the results of the third edition of the Migrant Integration Policy Index, and I’ve been involved in this for the last eighteen months.
But why are we supporting a survey of the laws and regulations that support migrant integration? What’s the link with travelling artists and schoolchildren on exchanges? And why is an organisation like ours trying to shed more light on migrant integration in the EU and beyond?
These are fair questions, and ones that I’ve been asked a lot recently.
Cultural relations work builds trust through exchange between societies. Education and the arts will always be at the centre of this exchange, and it’s our bread and butter at the British Council.
But it’s just as relevant for us to exchange experience about how different societies function, supporting all their citizens to succeed. It’s undeniably useful for the UK to learn from others as well as share good practice.
The British Council is in a good position to help. At arm’s length from government, and with a worldwide network of friends in government, industry and civil society, we have over 75 year’s experience of building mutual exchange. We know that sharing the UK’s mistakes is just as valuable as sharing our successes.
Migrant integration wasn’t a difficult choice as a topic. After all, it’s something that countries around the world are struggling with. There is no shortage of different approaches, but there is a shortage of facts. We and our partners realised that to build effective and honest exchange our best contribution would be to provide reliable information.
I won’t go into detail on how the index was prepared – let me just say that managing over 100 partners in 31 countries wasn’t an easy task. I also won’t go into details about some of our nervousness about the reaction to the results in countries whose relative position has dropped since the last survey.
But I will tell you about the results. An impressive and comprehensive piece of research; a brilliant website that lets you play with the data in all kinds of ways; and a programme of launch and training events in 27 countries that can only help to improve the laws that affect migrants.
And along the way I’ve added an understanding of labour market rules to the eclectic list of things I’ve learned (from rethreading a film projector, to toasting etiquette at Chinese banquets) throughout my career.
I wonder what’s next…?
Source: British Council Voices