What?
Welcoming Bologna is a community development project in the Bologna area. Welcoming Bologna is inspired by the “Welcoming America” program, born in the United States and active throughout nearly the whole country.
How?
Welcoming Bologna seeks to involve players from different public and private sectors in an process of inclusion directed at both residents who have been well-established in the area of Bologna for many generations, and those who have arrived more recently. The project turns the diversity of the citizens into a true and real resource. We believe that integration of new residents can only happen if they establish strong inter-relational links with people.
The first stage of the project sees the formation of a work group made up of representatives from different bodies in the field of immigration in the districts of Bologna. They will go on to form the working task-force of Welcoming Bologna, directly inspired by the method applied in the United States, illustrated in an organised training seminar held in Bologna and led by Daniel Valdez, regional manager of the American organisation.
The project will involve the realisation of 15 initiatives thought of with and for citizens in different contexts and environments, regarding the daily life of the city. You can find news and updates on the “News” page of the project’s website.
At any time, other citizen bodies have the chance to propose initiatives that could be inserted into the “Welcoming Bologna” program through the “Take part” page. These initiatives would then be promoted through our communication channels.
The results and methodology of the project will be shared through a catalogue and toolkit, available in three languages and distributed on a European level thanks to the support of UCLG-United Cities and Local Governments.
The project collaborates with Bologna cares!, the communication campaign run by the Municipality of Bologna’s SPRAR project.
Welcoming Bologna is a project run by the Africa e Mediterraneo association in collaboration with the Municipality of Bologna and Lai-momo soc. Coop., co-financed by Cities Alliance, United Nations agency, with the support of UCLG-United Cities and Local Governments.