Purpose:
The city of Sabadell provides a variety of services in the field of language competences. First, there are programmes targeting women and youngsters to improve language skills. In addition, some initiatives aim to give a positive image of migrant/minority languages with the focus on bringing together the different languages present in the city as a common element of cultural expression.
Stimulus/Rationale:
Regarding the project ‘Hey Youngster, Sabadell welcomes you’, the Council considers that young migrants have to face a double transition: adolescence and the migration process. It is in adolescence that people begin to define themselves in society, when they start the process of building their identity, which will allow them to develop in different environments.
The communication limitations that many of the young people have when they arrive hinders their integration in their daily work both at school and in their day-to-day life in the city, and has consequences for their relationship with their peers and their environment. This project is developed taking into account both language learning and knowledge of the city and the environment and the management of migratory mourning.
Process:
Programmes implemented in the field of language competences and multilinguism
- Specific language trainings are offered to the migrant community in the host languages. The Women's Space Programme consists of relational learning spaces located in four different parts of the city (Sabadell Nord, Sabadell Sud, Can Puiggener and Torreromeu), where, through various activities, the participants work on issues related to their physical and psychological health (knowledge of their surroundings, women's health, personal growth, women's rights, gender violence, etc.). The activities range from talks, workshops, cinema-forums and visits to institutions to language training for those with little knowledge of the official languages. At the moment, the programme includes groups of recently arrived women and groups of Roma women. The project "Hey youngster, Sabadell welcomes you" was born in 2017 with the aim of offering a specialised welcome to young people who come to the city through family reunification. This group responds in different ways to the separation and reunion of their families. Transition can generate diverse reactions, such as excitement, anticipation and hope, as well as anxiety, anger or depression. In its seventh edition, 20 boys and girls aged between 12 and 19 participated in the programme, which is divided into two phases: in the first phase, they receive Catalan classes and, in the second phase, outings were organised to reinforce group cohesion through leisure.
- The city support projects that aim to give a positive image of migrant/minority languages with the focus on bringing together the different languages present in the city as a common element of cultural expression. For instance, through tales and songs as in the ‘Afrocatalan’ blog.
- The city provides language training in migrant or minority languages to minors in coordination with associations as it is the case of Arabic and Amazigh with the organisation “Anaruz N Àfrica – Associació catalano-Amaziga”.
Impact:
Regarding the project "Hey youngster, Sabadell welcomes you" there are around 26 young people participating in the programme every year, a figure that has been increasing progressively. In 2023 we have received more than 80 referrals and by 2024 we plan to increase the number of beneficiaries to be able to provide service to all. This increase in demand is due to the fact that it is a very consolidated programme widely known by high schools, youth care services, etc.
