2015
Hora: 15h
Lloc: Hospital Parc Taulí
Assistents: Maties Serracant, Tinent d'Alcalde de l'Àrea de Territori i Sosteniblitat, Xavi Guerrero, Regidor d'Espai Públic, Ramon Vidal, Regidor de Salut i membres de la PATT.
Reunió a porta tancada.
I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT: "IMMIGRANTS ARE NOT WILLING TO INTEGRATE"
Integration is defined as a dynamic and “two-way process” where all people are active agents in order to build a city with a common public culture.
Migrants in Sabadell make great efforts to be integrated in the society and be part of the community of citizens.
WELCOMING SESSIONS
Migrants who arrive in Sabadell participate in welcoming sessions where they are informed about the resources and services available in the city. In 2013, nine sessions were run to where 159 people attended.
xGETTING TO KNOW THE ENVIRONMENT AND INTRODUCTION TO THE LABOUR MARKET WORKSHOPS
Migrants who arrive in the city are also present in workshops to know the Catalan society and its juridical framework. In 2013, nineteen sessions were held to where nearly 300 people participated.
LANGUAGE
In 2013, 87% of the foreign non-EU students attended basic Catalan courses offered by the Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística.
Students attending basic Catalan courses in Sabadell, 2013
87% Foreigners 13% Spaniards
SOCIAL PARTICIPATION
Entities formed by foreign people participate in networks, together with other organisations of the city, in different participating bodies. They also take part in the celebration of the National Day of Catalonia, international days for Human Rights, local festivities, workshops, etc.
LIBRARIES
According to the Servei Municipal de Biblioteques, 927 out of 5,266 foreign people (17.6%) signed up for their library card in 2013.
LIVE DIVERSITY.
FACING RUMORS,
GET INFORMED, THINK AND ACT
I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT: "FOREIGN SHOPKEEPERS DO NOT PAY TAXES"
There is neither particular financial help for foreign shopkeepers nor a tax relief for those shopkeepers having a foreign nationality. Foreign shopkeepers have got the same tax and labour obligations as national shopkeepers. They can also be penalised for not complying the legislation. Health regulations are the same for all establishments.
THEY DO NOT HAVE A FLEXIBLE WORK SCHEDULE
Retail food establishments in Catalonia, whose owner is a small and medium-seize enterprise and its selling area is smaller than 150m2, can open at any time during all the year. There are only two holidays when they must close their establishment: January the 1st and December the 25th.
THEY ARE NOT THE REASON WHY LOCAL SHOPS ARE CLOSING
Autochthonous shops are not disappearing due to foreign shops. Actually, the fact that foreigners have set up their shops in neighbourhoods of the city which did not have much trading has revitalised these areas. In some cases, foreign shopkeepers have guaranteed a new trading generation for those shops whose owners were about to retire. They have also contributed to retrieve types of trading that were disappearing such as retail food establishments.
THEY ARE NOT FUNDED BY MAFIAS
The small foreign trade has a family dimension: it is usually the result of “solidarity loans” coming from the family circle. They get low prices because they group themselves when making large orders and because they accept a narrow profit margin.
THEY ARE MERGING THEMSELVES LITTLE BY LITTLE
There are initiatives from PIME-Comerç (SMEs), Confederació de Comerç de Catalunya and Gremi d’Hostaleria de Sabadell who have incorporated migrant shopkeepers to their associations. There are about 65% of foreign shopkeepers who do not know about these entities. It is important to stress the fact that 47% of shopkeepers having a Spanish nationality take part in these entities.
LIVE DIVERSITY.
FACING RUMORS,
GET INFORMED, THINK AND ACT
Hora: 16h
Lloc: Regidoria d'Acció Social (Rambla, 22).
Assistents: Gabriel Fernàndez, Regidor d'Acció Social, Personal Tècnic i representants de l'Associació Colors del Món.
Reunió a porta tancada.
Hora: 16h
Lloc: Teatre Principal.
Assistents: Montse Chacon, Regidora de Cultura, Personal Tècnic i Alumnes de l'IES Ribot i Serra.
Acte a porta tancada.
I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT: "IMMIGRANTS LOWER THE EDUCATIONAL LEVEL"
SCHOOL SCCESS DOES NOT DEPEND ON THE ORIGIN OF STUDENTS
As some studies show, such as Serra and Palaudàries’ study in 2010, school success is not related to the students’ nationality. It is the economic and social situation, together with the educational and family environment which are more likely to affect school performance. Regardless the students’ origin, schools and secondary schools adapt their methodology and resources in order to achieve a successful school performance for all students.
LIVING IN DIVERSITY IS GOOD
The Emeritus President William G. Bowen from the University of Princeton (US) states that there is a large variety of interests, knowledge and perspectives in classrooms where diverse ethnicities, religions and origins coexist. This proves that students are able to learn from their own differences and can observe their beliefs about themselves and the world, favouring a greater significant learning.
ACCESS TO PUBLIC RESOURCES (PLACES AVAILABLE FOR COURSES, GRANTS, ETC) IS EQUAL FOR EVERYBODY
Admission process is the same for all students. In case of having more application forms than places available, these are the criteria which will give more or less punctuation to each application:
- Relatives working or siblings studying in the centre.
- Closeness to housing or work.
- Annual household income.
- Family members with disability.
- Other complementary criteria such as the legal condition of large families or single parent families, students with chronic diseases, relatives having studied in the centre, etc.
STUDENTS' ORIGIN IS NOT, IN ANY CASE, A CRITERION TO SCORE HIGER THAN NATIONALS
The next items are taken into account in the scale for food subsidies given to students: student’s household income, (documented) specific situations such as large/single families, rehoused children, students or siblings having disabilities, and distance from their housing to the school centre. Furthermore, there is an evaluation for serious social needs carried out by the Social Services.
Therefore, children’s origin is not a requirement in this scale.
LIVE DIVERSITY.
FACING RUMORS,
GET INFORMED, THINK AND ACT