Intercultural cities: good practice examples
The Intercultural city aims at building its policies and identity on the explicit acknowledgement that diversity can be a resource for the development of the society.
The first step is the adoption (and implementation) of strategies that facilitate positive intercultural encounters and exchanges, and promote equal and active participation of residents and communities in the development of the city, thus responding to the needs of a diverse population. The Intercultural integration policy model is based on extensive research evidence, on a range of international legal instruments, and on the collective input of the cities member of the Intercultural Cities programme that share their good practice examples on how to better manage diversity, address possible conflicts, and benefit from the diversity advantage.
This section offers examples of intercultural approaches that facilitate the development and implementation of intercultural strategies.
The Quality of Life Framework
Purpose: Monitoring public perceptions of quality of life, including community, culture and social networks. Stimulus/Rationale: Auckland Council collaborates with other New Zealand councils to...
Auckland’s intercultural elections
Purpose: Initiatives to encourage minority communities to engage in political life. Stimulus/Rationale: Local elections take place in New Zealand every three years. Since 2016 Auckland’s election...
Auckland’s minority advisory bodies
Purpose: Advisory bodies in Auckland to represent cultural minorities and deal with diversity matters. Stimulus/Rationale: The Independent Māori Statutory Board (IMSB) is mandated through...
Auckland Council as an Inclusive Workplace
Purpose: Auckland Council has an inclusive workplace where all people can feel valued and respected, work flexibly and be part of an organisation that acts as a champion of diversity and inclusion....
Neukölln publishes "Normalising Integration - Living together in an intercultural metropolis"
Purpose: Policy and principles for an intercultural city Stimulus/Rationale: Process: "Normalising Integration - Living together in an intercultural metropolis" is both a comprehensive policy...
The Inclusive Auckland Framework
Purpose: Fully committed to the principles of the Intercultural Cities Network. Stimulus/Rationale: Auckland Council's Inclusive Auckland Framework outlines an organization-wide change programme...
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week)
Purpose: A celebration of the culture and language of the 700,000 Māori people living in New Zealand. Stimulus/Rationale: As an intercultural City, Auckland celebrates and encourages the use of...
Creative anti-rumour writing
Purpose: To raise public awareness, prevent and address the formation of prejudices and stereotypes linked to migration and cultural diversity through creative writing. Rationale: This initiative...
Espai Avinyó
Purpose: The Espai Avinyó aims to be a dialogue and a meeting space for promoting reflection on what cultural diversity implies in every sphere of society and on the challenges involved in...
Promoting multilingualism
Purpose: A language learning programme recognising and promoting the linguistic diversity in Barcelona’s neighbourhoods was launched to: foster multilingualism in the city and within the...
Intercultural Week
Purpose: The festival INCONTRI DI MOnDI is developing within the intercultural strategy of the Municipality of Casalecchio di Reno. The initiative, that is renewed every year since 2009, consists...
The “Second chance”: work qualification centre for migrants
Purpose: To give a “second chance” to refugees and other migrants who do not succeed in completing the professional, social and language training within the two years of the introduction programme...
The programme for unaccompanied minors (UAM)
Purpose: The purpose of the programme is to provide ongoing support and housing for unaccompanied children and young people, e.g. to include them in the Norwegian education system and help them...
Together for Stronger Communities
Purpose: Encouraging a sense of belonging and connection so that everyone can play their part in achieving Bradford’s ambitions Stimulus/Rationale: A greater sense of belonging and connection...
Women’s House
Purpose: The Casa de las Mujeres de Donostia is a space for women to meet, debate and reflect in order to influence policies, programmes and projects that aim to advance towards real and effective...
Participation and interaction through renovation of public spaces: the example of Tabakalera
Tabakalera is a former tobacco factory that was converted into a contemporary culture centre. Located in the Egia district, the building is an impressive space (13,277m2) that organises, since...
Interreligious policies - Interfaith Dialogue
Purpose: The Department of Civil Rights and Citizenship develops public policies for the protection of freedom of religion, belief, and conviction and to guarantee an enriching coexistence. These...
A global welcoming vision
Purpose: Reception is a fundamental stage in working towards more inclusive and cohesive societies in which people arriving from other countries can obtain the information, knowledge and skills...
Building a culture of human rights
Purpose: Improve capacities and raise awareness of Human Rights among citizens and organisations and mainstream a Human Rights approach within the City Council. Stimulus/Rationale: Sabadell...
Education projects for interculturality
Purpose: Education projects are aimed at building students competences – including intercultural competences-, raising awareness about diversity and promoting critical thinking. The City and School...
Welcome guide ¡Hola!
Purpose: To improve the welcoming and social integration of migrants and refugees through education and art. This was done through the elaboration of a Guide, providing key information and advice...
La Rosa dei Venti - Mediation desk
Purpose: Enhance social inclusion of women - both foreign and Italian - through cultural and recreational activities. Stimulus/Rationale: Within the framework of gender equality and...
Recognise and change
Purpose: The project aims to fight against discrimination and violence linked to the gender and cultural differences. Specific objectives: SO1: Increasing the awareness of the youth between 11 and...
Stronger communities – The Schools Linking Network
Purpose: Supporting children and young people to explore identity, build connections & strengthen communities so everyone can live well together. Stimulus/Rationale: Bradford works with primary,...
Database of refugees
Purpose: A database to protect private data and speed up the stream of information between different departments. Stimulus/Rationale: For a long time, data about refugees in Erlangen were...
XEIX
Purpose: The XEIX project aims at promoting commercial associations as a meeting point and generation of neighbourhood identity. The project is about fostering intercultural relations in...
The Copenhagen Host Programme
Purpose: The aim of Copenhagen’s Host Programme is to facilitate encounters between newly arrived migrants and Copenhageners who wish to volunteer as hosts to promote integration into Danish...
Action Plan for Inclusion and Diversity
Purpose: The city council of Bergen wanted to formally adopt a public statement of its intentions as an Intercultural city. Stimulus/Rationale: The primary driver for this initiative was political...
Intercultural public space
Purpose: The purpose of these actions is to encourage the creation of spaces and opportunities for positive interaction and the generation of ties and relationships on equal terms....
Setúbal - Office for Immigrants and Ethnic Minorities
Purpose: A transversal approach to managing intercultural issues on a municipality Stimulus/Rationale: The City Council, for more than a decade, has been working on the integration of immigrants,...
The Big Lunch
Purpose: A big lunch to promote community, friendship and fun Stimulus/Rationale: The Big Lunch is an idea which has grown in popularity across the UK, but the London Borough of Lewisham is...
Amadora Empreende
Entrepreneurship programme to encourage minorities business The Programme “Amadora Empreende” seeks to identify, in association with the youth and people in situations of social vulnerability,...
Campus Rütli
Purpose: A segregated and failing school is transformed into a centre of educational excellence Stimulus/Rationale: The Rütli school had become notorious all over Germany in 2006, when the...
EMPO Multicultural Resource Center
Purpose: The EMPO Multicultural Resource Center acts as a resource centre for migrants through providing information and counselling that enable participants to develop their own resources to...
Barcelona Centre for Linguistic Normalisation
Purpose: The Consortium for Linguistic Normalisation (CPNL) is a public body created from the common will of the Regional Government and numerous local, county and provincial councils with the aim...
Reggio Emilia – Burkina Faso: the true spirit of co-development
Purpose: In Reggio Emilia, the migrant inclusion is enhanced through projects for development cooperation with countries of origin. Creating thousands of workplaces for the agricultural development...
DNA Cascais: a creative approach to promote entrepreneurship
Purpose: DNA is a business incubator to: Develop innovative potential of young people Promote entrepreneurship Support the creation of new companies, organisation of seminars and conferences DNA...
Local Social Assessment (Diagnóstico social)
Purpose: To monitor citizens’ well-being, promote a participative and cohesive municipality and establish Networks that promote social development, fight poverty and social exclusion....
The Counsellor for Gender Equality
Purpose: The “Conselheira para a Igualdade” (Counsellor for Equality) is a person of reference appointed by the Cascais City Council to defend Gender Equality. Stimulus/Rationale: Gender Equality...
”Engage in Copenhagen” – a three year inclusion programme
Purpose: ”Engage in Copenhagen” was a three year inclusion programme, designed to function as a catalyst for the Municipality of Copenhagen’s new inclusion policy and vision for the city, from...
Immigration City Erlangen
Purpose: Revising the relationship between migrants and receiving societies Stimulus/Rationale: There is a popular fallacy that dominates Europe's immigration discourse: understanding immigration...
Barka
Purpose: Barka creates opportunities to return home for people facing homelessness or difficult social and economic situation, and they run a Social Economy Centre, supporting migrants on their way...
Measuring cultural empathy
A sociological study on cultural competences in Ukraine, leading to policy development Melitopol is a city of the Azov region where, for more than 225 years, there has been a harmonious coexistence...
Anti-Rumour Web App
Purpose: A game to raise awareness of rumours and stereotypes that negatively affect coexistence in Bilbao. Rationale: Awareness-raising and the fight against discrimination is a priority line of...
BizFeira - Bilateral overseas business development
Purpose: An online platform - BizFeira - that enhances entrepreneurship and internationalisation through establishing links between local business owners of all backgrounds with the Portuguese...
The Danish Centre for Arts & Interculture (DCAI)
Purpose: The aim of the Danish Centre for Arts & Interculture (DCAI) is to create a national platform that reflects the diversity of Danish society in the cultural sector, by building intercultural...
A Smile of a Child
Purpose: Therapeutic hospitality for refugees Process: Melitopol has taken in very many Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) as a consequence of the troubles in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine. “A Smile...
Close to Culture: Art, music and theatre prevent social exclusion and promote the democratisation of culture
Purpose: Apropa Cultura (Close to Culture) is a network of cultural facilities, such as theatres, concert halls, festivals and museums, whose main purpose is to encourage inclusiveness promoting...
Schilleria Girl´s Café - PolitTalk (Schilleria Mädchentreff)
Purpose: Promotion of the political participation of young women Stimulus/Rationale: Process: The Schilleria Girl´s Café is addressed at girls and young women, most of whom have a migrant...
241FE- 241 Female Entrepreneurship
Purpose: Women are the primary victims of the intertwined causes of conflicts, underdevelopment and migration. To address these issues, in a sustainable and humanitarian way, migrants should be...