2015
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.
L'alcalde de Sabadell, Juli Fernàndez, presideix el Ple Municipal.
Hora: 5 de la tarda
Lloc: Edifici Consistorial
EUROPEAN REPORT ABOUT INTERCULTURAL CITIES: SABADELL ONE OF THE MOST ACTIVE AND DEVELOPED CITIES MANAGING DIVERSITY POLICIES (OCTOBER 2014)
Last October 2014, the European project Intercultural Cities evaluated Sabadell, which joined the program in 2011, as it is one of the members in the RECI (Spanish Network of Intercultural Cities).
The program Intercultural Cities was created to offer tools to its partner cities in order to develop diversity policies, build a positive speech and promote positive social integration among the population. The goal of this evaluation was to measure the impact of this program in the management of intercultural diversity in the city. As a result of this evaluation, Sabadell City Hall was considered one of the most active and developed cities on diversity policy management in Spain. The report “Intercultural cities, Sabadell Case Study” highlights the implementation of innovative services and structures in the city, necessary to promote diversity. In concrete, Sabadell has been able to develop the following:
An intercultural strategy which has reached an agreement in the political and citizens sphere. This consensus led to the creation of a municipal agreement on racism, xenophobia and homophobia “Sabadell lliure de racisme, xenophobia i homophobia” (on January 24th) and the motion for driving sensitivity policies on rumours “Impuls de polítiques de sensibilització per desmuntar rumors enfront la diversitat i en pro de la convivència a Catalunya” (Decembre 2014).
An strategy which has focused on driving actions in learning environments, such as promoting the language; exchange of ideas and knowledge (the gastronomic month), open-door event in places of worship, kitchen 2.0; sensitization as, for example, values-based education within the program Ciutat- Escola and the project to create a Coexistence rap; creation of intercultural public spaces such as libraries and the building Estruch Fàbrica de creació. This strategy has also counted with the support of the media to fight racism, xenophobia and intolerance.
According to the report, as a result of the strategy implementation, there has been a change in the perception and attitudes towards diversity. For instance, employees of the administration seem to be more open-minded about intercultural concepts and ideas; teachers, students and parents, now feel more comfortable when interacting with people from other cultural backgrounds; people have improved their communication and relationship in the neighbourhood. Furthermore, foreign people themselves feel more integrated, participate in associations and detect a better social cohesion.
Thanks to the commitment of the whole society with the program Intercultural Cities, Sabadell has been able to join the project C4i: Communication for Integration in order to fight rumours and prejudices on foreigners, together with other 10 European partner cities. Sabadell has shared its experiences and it is now internationally known as a successful example in cultural diversity management.
In order to elaborate this report, specialists from the program Intercultural Cities interviewed representatives of associations, citizens and city managers during October 6th-9th 2014. Nowadays there are more than 80 cities joining the network.
This experience brought the Council of Ministers and the Council of Europe to recommend the development of this strategy to other cities of the State members. (See the Letter sent from the Council of Europe to Sabadell City Hall and the Text recommending the strategy, dated on January 21st 2015.)
Based on the results of the experience in Sabadell and in other cities from the program Intercultural Cities, last January 21st, the Committee of Ministers adopted the Recommendation CM addressed to the State members. This was aimed to promote and support the implementation of an intercultural strategy for integration in the cities. In concrete, the text points out that the intercultural mainstreaming for integration should: promote a public speech that emphasises the values shared in the community and a speech that aims to build a plural and diverse urban identity. It should guarantee that policies, institutions and services conform to a diverse society. Furthermore, it should fulfil an intercultural competence among civil servants and local agents, as well as nurture active participation from the local government.
This recommendation invites the State members to use the guide “Step by step: Practical guide for applying the urban model of intercultural integration.”