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?
THIRD ANTI-RUMOUR AGENTS MEETING (APRIL 28TH 2015)
Third Anti-rumours Agents meeting was held on Tuesday April 28th, at 6.p.m., in the conference room of the building Casal Pere Quart (69 Rambla, Sabadell). The goal of this meeting was to think over the continuity of the project and the sustainability of the network.
Agenda:
6 p.m: Welcome
6:10 p.m: Presentation of the experience La família del costat, àpats interculturals entre veïns i veïnes by SOS Racisme.
6:25 p.m.: Coffee break
6:35 p.m.: Group picture
6:45 p.m.: Group activity
20 p.m.: Evening close
SECOND ANTI-RUMOUR AGENTS MEETING (FEBRUARY 9TH 2015)
Second Anti-rumour Agent meeting was held on Monday Fabruary 9th at 6 p.m., in the conference room of the building Casal Pere Quart (69 Rambla, Sabadell). There were several subjects to discuss during the meeting: talk about the project Communication for Integration and inform the members of Sabadell Anti-rumour Network about its stage, watch the video of the Coexistence rap, evaluate the activities carried out and share experiences among anti-rumour agents.
At the end of the meeting, agents took a group picture for the photocall No t’encanxis als rumors (Do not stick to rumours).
THEATRE COMPANIES IN SABADELL PARTICIPATE ACTIVELY TO COMBAT RUMOURS AND STEREOTYPES AGAINST FOREIGNERS
During May and June, El Ciervo, Kakaiba, Pendientes de un Hilo and Aferssi Teatre, as well as actors independently, have participated in a training workshop on Forum Theatre techniques related to rumours and stereotypes against immigration.
The sessions were held twice a week during two hours and a half in the building Estruch. Almost fifteen people have learned strategies and techniques to dismantle rumours and stereotypes against foreign population through performing situations we can experience in real life and becoming aware of their own rumours. Games, improvisations, body and emotional work and other theatre tools, helped actors to learn more about this technique, getting ready to adopt an active role as anti-rumour agents in their lives.
Theatre Forum or Theatre for development, or the so-called Theatre of the Oppressed, is a technique created by the Brazilian dramatist and pedagogue Augusto Boal during the ‘60s. The methodology of this technique is based on real life problematic situations which are performed during the play to create a thought- provoking impulse to the audience, starting a dialogue with them and inviting them to perform their opinion about the topic. From that moment, the audience starts thinking about more constructive solutions that can be used in our daily life. Therefore, audience becomes an actor (spect-actor) and gets ready to act in their surroundings. This is a pedagogic technique which transforms, not only individuals but the whole society, asking for their commitment. Theatre for development invites citizens to adopt an active role in social conflict resolution by finding, all together, more constructive alternatives that facilitate exchange, integration and coexistence.
As a result of this training, on June 4th from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., actors participating in that workshop will run a Forum Theatre session at Estruch Bar (140 Saint Isidre, Sabadell) where they will perform different situations that occur in our environment. At the same time, they will invite the audience to participate in the performance. Admission is free, however, capacity is limited.
This workshop is an activity integrated in the program Sabadell Anti-rumour Network which has been shaped from January 2014 until May 2015, thanks to the collaboration of Sabadell City Hall, entities and individuals. Within the framework of the European project C4i Communication for Integration, the network is working to fight intolerance, xenophobic demonstrations and in favour of social cohesion and coexistence.
Hora: 17h
Lloc: Edifici Consistorial (Pl. Sant Roc, 1), Saló de Plens.
Assistents: Alcalde, Tinents d'Alcalde i Regidors del Consistori.
Acte obert.
El proper dijous, 25 de febrer, a les 5 de la tarda, tindrà lloc la sessió ordinària del mes de febrer del Ple municipal a l’Ajuntament.