Acknowledgment for participants in welcoming programs and Anti-rumour Network takes place in Teatre Principal of Sabadell (June 4th 2015)
ACKNOWLEDGMENT FOR PARTICIPANTS IN WELCOMING PROGRAMS AND ANTI-RUMOUR NETWORK TAKES PLACE IN TEATRE PRINCIPAL OF SABADELL (JUNE Tth 2015)
Yesterday, Thursday June 4th, at 6.p.m., the acknowledgment for participants in welcoming programs and Anti-rumour Network during 2014-2015 took place in Teatre Principal of Sabadell. The motto was “Promoting coexistence”.
We counted with the presence of Mayor Joan Carles Sánchez; Xavier Bosch, director general of immigration in Generalitat de Catalunya; Josep Oliva, deputy delegate of Social Welfare, Public Health, Consume, Equality and Citizens of Diputació de Barcelona. Mr. Quim Carné, councillor of Civil Rights and Citizenship, was also present in the event. Other representatives of political parties in the government, entities involved in the welcoming network of the city, as well as participants in welcoming programs and anti-rumour network attended the act too.
During the celebration we watched diverse presentations of the programs carried out in the city. Besides, the effort made by participants and entities of Sabadell who are working to implement these programs was acknowledged publicly. It is important to mention the work made by Càritas Sabadell, CNL (Centre for Linguistic Normalisation), CEAR (Spanish Refugee Aid Commission), Red Cross, SCAI (Community Service for Welcoming Immigrants) and FAIV (Federation of Associations for Immigrants in Vallès).
This time we also wanted to acknowledge the citizens commitment in Sabadell Anti-rumour Network. Since last year, this network has been thriving thanks to the participation of the citizens in the European project C4i: Communication for Integration, which is based on the partnership of Sabadell and 10 more cities. This project was co-funded by the Council of Europe and the European Commission, aimed to fight prejudices and stereotypes against foreign population by providing citizens with well-founded data in order to dismantle misconceptions. This is the job of several anti-rumour agents who participate in the network.
Nowadays, the anti-rumour network is made up of members from the current Comissió de la Convivència de Sabadell (Sabadell Coexistence Commission) in where many stakeholders are involved: different entities in the city, political parties, associations of immigrants, neighbourhood associations, professionals from the City Hall, education centres, entities, as well as citizens who have attended anti-rumour agents training (198 people during 2014-2015).
In this event, the video summarising the project Sabadell ciutat diversa, which finishes in June 2015, was displayed too.
Journalist Carles Baldellou presented the act and leaded it together with the collaboration of the singing group Fa x Mi, which was created three years ago with the purpose of improving students’ oral expression during the singing sessions carried out by the CNL in Sabadell. They sang several songs that provided a cheering environment. All participants in the event received a certificate of attendance.
Information about welcoming programs and participants
As its master plan establishes, the Department of Civil Rights and Citizenship aims, among other issues, to keep developing important tools to welcome newcomers and answer their basic needs with standard resources available in the city by accomplishing the following law on welcoming immigrants in Catalonia, Llei d’Acollida de les persones immigrades i retornades a Catalunya, passed on May 7th 2010.
The first Welcoming Sabadell Plan compiles all these tools, which are from welcoming letters, translated into different languages when a foreign person registers for the first time in Sabadell, to welcoming sessions, getting to know the environment workshops and introduction to the labour market workshops, Catalan courses, Spanish courses, literacy courses, etc.
During 2014-2015 almost 3,000 people have participated in welcoming programmes carried out in the city either by the Department of Civil Rights and Citizenship or the entities mentioned above.
Some important figures: there have been 31 welcoming sessions held, as well as workshops to know the environment and introduction to the labour market workshops which counted with 536 participants. There have been 27 Catalan courses (initial and basic level) run by the CNL to where 471 people attended, specific programmes for women which had more than 400 participants. There have been more than 8,700 visits attended by the SCAI (Immigrant Welcome Service) and thirteen youngsters engaged in the communication, growing and exchanging activity Jove: què, véns?
