Toolkit launch: Inclusive cities for all!

Date: 12 – 14 May 2022

Place: Amsterdam & Utrecht

Hosts: Here To Support, Pakhuis de Zwijger & BAK

Undocumented people face many challenges in accessing basic and human rights in European cities. Since 2019, a network of grassroots, migrant-led and cultural institutional organisations have collaborated to co-create a Toolkit for Inclusive Cities: a collection of innovative and creative practices and ideas to make cities more inclusive, focused at undocumented people. These three days, the European network City Rights United launches its toolkit ‘Inclusive European Cities for all’ and invites you to join the conversations, presentations and debates to learn more about and engage with the practices that help make our cities more inclusive.

The full Thursday program you can find on the website of Pakhuis de Zwijger. For the program on Friday and Saturday, you can follow the event on Facebook or check our website.

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Pakhuis de Zwijger

Thursday 12 May 

In a diverse thematic evening (7-10PM) full of programmes, the European network City Rights United launches its toolkit at Pakhuis de Zwijger Amsterdam.

With various (inter)national speakers and in a mix of plenary and break-out sessions, we dive into the best practices from Europe that the City Rights United team collected. Throughout the evening, there is a walk-in marketplace with t-shirts and other merchandise run and developed by undocumented people!
The evening starts with a showcase of the toolkit. Afterwards there will be opportunity to dive deeper into specific parts of the Toolkit, practices and campaigns. During 1-hour long focus sessions we will zoom into the topics of Regularisation, A roadmap to the City ID, From education to legalisation and the Migrant media representation in Europe. After the break-out sessions we come back to the plenary room for closing remarks on local impact and advocacy by undocumented people. The evening will be finished of with a fashion show and music representing the partners of the City Rights United project hosted by clothing brands Top Manta and PrintRights.
Register here

With various (inter)national speakers and in a mix of plenary and break-out sessions, we dive into the best practices from Europe that the City Rights United team collected. Throughout the evening, there is a walk-in marketplace with t-shirts and other merchandise run and developed by undocumented people!

Register here for the conference in Pakhuis de Zwijger (access to this offline event is free, registration necessary).

7-8 PM | Plenary opening

8:15-9PM | Breakout sessions

9:15-10 PM | Plenary closing

  • From toolkit to transformation: what can cities do to be more inclusive for undocumented people? Round-up session with various policymakers and special fashionshows by PrintRights & Top Manta.

Program BAK

Friday 13 May & Saturday 14 May

The conference continues on Friday and Saturday in BAK – Basis voor Aktuele Kunst.

Friday morning from 10:00 – 12:00 the conference continues with a get-together in Utrecht with local stakeholders. The day will continue with a hosted conversation around ‘Nothing about us, without us’. A space for undocumented people to discuss together strategies of advocacy.
In the afternoon, there is a chance to participate in an ‘activist football tournament’.
In the evening we will come together in the Auditorium of BAK to discuss strategies of institutions like BAK to provide space for activism and with a special focus on the role of food in activism. How can food bring us together and empower undocumented people in the city?
On Saturday the focus will be all about the future, the group will dive into questions on how to proceed with the practices and optimize the impact of the shared knowledge and practices. These sessions will be by invitation only, please reach out to us if you want to participate. The day will be closed with a collective lunch hosted in BAK by the Basic activist kitchen
Website BAK

10.00–12.00 hrs: GATHERING
Unite for City Rights: An Inclusive City for All
In this gathering, City Rights United partners and local Utrecht organisations gather to exchange and discuss practices in the CRU toolkit vis-à-vis local initiatives from Utrecht. What practices can be an inspiration for struggles in Utrecht, and what practices from Utrecht could inspire the CRU partners? With a.o. Villa Vrede, Utrecht, …..,  and moderated by Here to Support, Amsterdam.

12.00–13.00 hrs: BREAK

13.00–14.30 hrs: GATHERING
Do’s and Don’ts for Academic Research By and With Undocumented People

This gathering revolves around the good (and bad) practices in collaborations between researchers and undocumented people. Using past experiences from the room as a point of departure,  the group participants discuss and develop ethical guidelines for research conducted with and for undocumented people. Moderated by researcher Jordan Dez 

14.30–16.00 hrs: OPEN ROUNDTABLE

Seat at the Table: ‘Not About Us, Without Us’

Strategies and examples of successful advocacy by and with undocumented people and migrants.

Often undocumented people and migrants of color are excluded from decision-making processes in the cities. During this conversation we will discuss strategies for undocumented people to get that seat at the table. What needs to change? What structures do we need to fight? What struggles need to be overcome? How can we organise? This roundtable is a space ‘Not about us, Without US’. Undocumented people are especially invited to take the stage and talk during this semi-structured conversation. 

16.00–19.00 hrs: Activists Football Tournament 

After all the talking, we get up and move our bodies. Join one of the activists teams or just come and support on the side. While having fun, we network, get to know each other and let our energy out in a playful way. 

Sports bring people together, so let’s use the power of football to come together in an a-typical way for a conference. 

At the end of the football tournament, we will share a meal together before we go back to BAK.

17.30–19.00 hrs: GATHERING (invitation only)

LGBTQI+ Meetup 

A safe space for LGBTQI+ migrants and refugees and those working with, to talk about specific struggles for LGBTQI+ refugees when arriving in Europe and during their asylum process.


20.00–21.30 hrs: PANEL CONVERSATION

Food & Activisms

Following a Word of Welcome and short introduction to BAK’s and Mångkulturellt centrum’s contribution to the CRU toolkit, this panel conversation focuses on the roles of food in mutual support and political organizing: from mutual aid and material distribution to creating spaces of conviviality, storytelling, pedagogy, and solidarity.

With contributions by: Ex OPG –Je so’ pazzo, Naples; the basic activist kitchen, Utrecht; Abarka, Barcelona; and Between Borders, Amsterdam; 

City Rights United Workshop in Naples

Date: 10 – 14 February 2022

Place: Naples (& Zoom)

Host: Ex-Opg

In February 2022 the partners and network of City Rights United met again on-site, this time in Naples hosted by the partner Ex OPG. During the day a series of ‘deep working’ sessions were organised for and by the partners to work on their contributions to the Toolkit. The evenings at Ex OPG were used to zoom into specific topics explained by the community in Italy and to get to know the Naples context and community better.