Municipality of Venice Immigration and Promotion of Citizen’s Rights Service

1. Municipality of Venice Immigration and Promotion of Citizen’s Rights Service

2. Citizenship and integration Gianfranco Bonesso Anthropologist & Expert on Immigration Politics

3. Immigrant situation in Italy Italy becomes a migration country since 1970 (immigrants are more than emigrants) Immigrants regularly registered: 143.838 (1970) 2.786.340 (2004)

4. Venice(dec. 2005) • Total population in Venice 269.780 • Non nationals 14.769 (5,5%) • Most of the foreigners live in the historical centres: Mestre and Venice • Sectors of Employment : • Industry: shipbuilding industries, construction firms • Tourism: hotels, restaurants, maids • Services: caregivers – “badanti”

5. Foreign citizens resident in Venice (2005)

6. Asia East Europe Balcans * Bangladesh: 2.224 * Moldavia: 1.546 * Albania: 879 * China: 873 * Ukraine: 1.126 * Macedonia: 878 * Philippines: 703 * Romania: 933 * Serbia and * Sri Lanka: 329 * Montenegro:520 Some details on NATIONALITIESMain national groups in Venice

7. Variation in Venice (2000-2004) Immigrants presence in Venice: from 5.683 to 13.008  + 129% Male  + 108% Female  + 153% Children (0- 4 years old)  + 176%

8. First phase (1992/1995) Arrival of a large number of gipsy families from former Yugoslavia: two camps were set up to handle incoming immigrants Increase of immigrant workers in the city Second phase (1996/today) Creation of two interdisciplinary frameworks to handle immigration matters and refugees A PUBLIC RESPONSE TO MIGRATION QUESTIONSDevelopment of the Immigration Service in the Municipality of Venice

9. Human Resources • Immigrants Team 2 social workers, 2 educators, 4 help desk counsellors, 1 legal consultant, 1 person with cultural skills, 1 admin employee, 3 experts on immigration issues • Refugee Team 1 social worker, 2 educators, 2 cultural and linguistic experts, 2 immigration and asylum experts, 1 language teacher, 1 admin secretary. PLUS: 30 cultural and linguistic mediators/translators 4 Italian language teachers

10. Immigration Service offers: • legal advice (offered both on front-desk and by a telephone line); • linguistic/cultural mediation offered to schools and to social and health services; • professional and specialist social services; • specific aid for newly-arrived families; • training for operators, voluntary workers and citizens; • support for social problems; • Italian language classes and initiatives for young immigrants; • projects to promote intercultural relations; • in depth studies on immigration and migrating cultures in the city; • support to immigrant associations; • specific aid geared to refugees and asylum seekers; • The service also offers specific advice on immigration and migrating cultures: • to operators of public services and social private services; • to operators of associations and groups.

11. Users of Immigration Service during 2005Some data

12. Service Users • Foreign citizens (individuals and families) - focus on recent arrivals - • Italian citizens with immigration requests • Institutions and services providers • Associations, volunteers and private/social services • Refugees and Asylum Seekers • International and non governmental organizations

13. How to get in Contact • Front Desk(open to public 3 days a week or everyday by appointment) Individuals and Families Legal and Social Counselling • Call Center(2 hrs every day)General Information • AssociationsRequests of Support • SchoolsDirect request from teachers in schools • Services, Institutions, Private Organisations Direct Contacts forSupport and Advice

14. Ongoing Projects • “Oasi”: Orientation for newly arrived teenagers • “Mediazioni” : training for mediators; information for foreigner women, actions with teenagers • “Everybody at School” : support to children at school • “Participation and Political Representation” Project : support to immigrants' associations and promotion of the right to vote

15. Obstacles to Integration (1) ISSUES FOR MIGRANTS: • Strict rules for legal access and stay in Italian territory • Housing • Information in their own languages about citizens rights and obligations • Employment: temporary contracts, law-level jobs • Access for families to social services, healthcare and education • Equal opportunities in cultural, religious and linguistic fields • Help for weak clients (single mothers, asylum seekers, children and unaccompanied minors)

16. Obstacles to Integration (2) OTHER ISSUES: • Cultural separation and few “common spaces”in daily life (Cultural ethnicism as obstacle) • Lack of family network • Lack of oldest generation and of their knowledge • Relation with the country of origin and the rest of the family still living there • Relation with national community in Italy • Re-establish one’s own migrant project

17. Key words • Citizenship • Holistic approach • Empowerment • Community network • Advocacy • Communication/mediation • Participation • Intercultural exchange • Equal opportunity • Collective and individual welfare

18. Difference / EqualitySocial / Cultural • To individualize issues related to migrant experience and to the condition of migrant • To analyse issues related to cultural differences using a wide concept of culture • To avoid projecting what we believe “the culture”

19. Changes in migration field Guest Citizen Emergency Project Reception and solidarity Promotion of citizenship Aims Plural citizenship

20. Some Considerations about “Counselling and Information about Citizenship’s Duties and Rights” More than Information Counselling means: • Relationship with users • Accompaniment of users to the realisation of their rights • Follow up with users about their experience and outcomes • Getting in touch with services to improve the possibilities for access

21. Positive Impact of the Project • Overcoming the charitable dimension of help in order to reach the valorisation of the resources of people (individual empowerment) • Help in the application of the self-tutorship of rights (not only declaration but also and foremost application of rights) • Experimentation and use of new professional figures, such as cultural mediators • New spurs to the innovation of services and structures in order to facilitate the access of people (this simplification process is useful also to Italians)

22. Positive Impact of the Project • Professional training and updating for improving the skills and knowledge of the services in the territory • Diffusion of a culture of legality, of citizenship, of rights and duties, of asylum, rather than one related only to the charitable mechanisms of help • Counselling is related to the different dimensions of citizenship, its rights and duties, of the social and individual wellbeing, and thus is interested in people in their wholeness (social, economic, linguistic, cultural, relational needs)

23. Some indicators for integration Numbers of residents versus temporary habitants Numbers of “long term permits” and italian citizenship applications Users of public services for all citizens (percentage of immigrant users) Comparison in school abandon and educational career between italian and immigrant young people Partecipation (exspecially women partecipation) Association projects and issues Intercultural conflicts (and solutions) Cultural and social mixed places

24. Second generation. “Universal Children” My sons are universal children. They will be happy, will not have left a world as me, they will not have nostalgia as their parents, will not have need of things that they could not found here, they will have many worlds inside, more languages and more cultures. They will not be badly in different places. They will be children without rigid cultures inside of theirselves and for this reason more adaptable. They will be children of the world. a Srilankese Mother, Venezia 2002