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.
International Migrants Day in the Lisbon City Hall
Purpose: Show political commitment towards interculturalism Stimulus/Rationale: It is important to show political commitment to Diversity and Migration, and a positive image of migrants as an asset...
Nga Kete Akoranga (NKA)
Purpose: Promoting cultural competence amongst Auckland’s staff: A training programme for staff to respond effectively to Māori people. Stimulus/Rationale: The implementation of a refreshed Ngā...
The Ubuntu Bridges Programme in Lisbon (“Programa Pontes Ubuntu”)
Purpose: Tackling social exclusion and restoring human dignity, empowering young people to make a change and to fulfil their potential, building bridges and promoting a culture of care, respect,...
The Auckland Plan 2050
Purpose: ‘Fostering an inclusive Auckland where everyone belongs’ Stimulus/Rationale: The Auckland Plan 2050 outlines a 30-year strategy for Auckland to tackle three key challenges: Population...
Multilingual initiatives improve the intercultural dialogue and the inclusive integration
Purpose: The purpose of the activity is to foster intercultural dialogue and inclusive integration through multilingual initiatives. The city of Limassol, Cyprus, takes significant steps to...
Boosting the citizens’ social life with art and festivities
The City Council of Limassol promotes access to culture for the whole population with a broad programme of free events and activities. The City Council uses interculturalism as a criterion when...
Bergen Inclusion Center
Purpose: To create a new Inclusion Centre, bringing all essential activities under one roof at an attractive location. Stimulus/Rationale: To co-locate inclusion services, which have previously...
SCOUT: aSsessing Competences fOr fUTure
Purpose: The integration into the labor market is an essential prerequisite for migrants and refugees so that to be capable of building up a new life in their host countries. Within this process,...
Montreal launches a policy of non-discriminatory access to all municipal services
On June 5, Rosannie Filato, head of public security on the Executive Committee, and Magda Popeanu, vice-president of the Executive Committee and head of culture and diversity in Montreal, unveiled...
Young Mayor
Purpose: Putting power and responsibility in the hands of young people. Stimulus/Rationale: Lewisham Young Mayor is a robust attempt to put real power and responsibility in the hands of young...
Lisbon’s ethnic economy
Purpose: The study aimed to support the development of immigrant entrepreneurship initiatives in Lisbon, and the main objectives were the following: Provide some basic socio‐economic features about...
Urban art for Intercultural Interaction - “o Bairro i o Mundo”
Purpose: Regenerating a stigmatised neighbourhood through large-scale art project Stimulus/Rationale: Quinta do Mocho was for many years the most stigmatised of neighbourhoods in Loures, associated...
Local Assemblies
Purpose: A network of citizen forums which empower local decision making and action Process: This programme started in 2008 and consists in a forum during which the Council talks to the residents,...
Welcoming internationals to the city
Purpose: Several years ago, the Stavanger Chamber of Commerce and Industries started a program to introduce international employees and their families to the city. The region’s Welcome Center is...
First Welcome
Purpose: The city is applying an intercultural approach to dealing with welcoming newcomers, via a two-stage process. The First Welcome deals with the basic issues of identification, certification,...
Having Faith in Lewisham
Purpose: Putting faith groups at the heart of community building Stimulus/Rationale: A large number of residents subscribe to a religion and of the rapidly growing number of faith groups (over...
Centre for Conflict Mediation
Purpose: The intervention is aimed at managing conflicts arising from neighbourly relations and proximity between people and is intended to improve social relationships so there is an alternative...
House of Peace and Human Rights
Purpose: The House of Peace and Human Rights aims at disseminating the culture of peace, the promotion of human rights, peace processes and the recovery of historical memory. It does so in...
Intercultural Museum
Purpose: The aim of the museum is to exhibit and tell the history of diversity in Norway, conceptualizing the museum as a space of dialogue that involves as wide and diverse a range of people as...
Maio - Diálogo Intercultura / May Intercultural Dialogue
Purpose: May – Intercultural Dialogue is affirmed in Setúbal as a moment of sharing and joint work, with the aim of promoting intercultural dialogue and coexistence, through the promotion of...
Educational equality in Oslo. Tackling educational segregation through raising standards
Purpose: The aim of this project is to combat educational segregation through organizational structures, activities and curricula that increase diversity and intercultural learning in public school...
School Approaches for Family Empowerment (SAFE)
Purpose: SAFE aims to reach and involve public servants, intercultural mediators, school principals and families. It has been developed to give the school a central role in the process of social...
Johannes Learning Centre - a bilingual school which teaches and hires minorities
Purpose: Johannes Learning Centre is Stavanger’s main vehicle for building language competence. Although originally all the staff were Norwegians, 40% are now of minority background. The school has...
Don’t Feed the Rumour
Fight against misconceptions, prejudices, rumours and stereotypes about migrants and the city of Amadora, and provide correct information on migration and ethnic and cultural diversity “Immigrants...
Safer Alta de Lisboa
A community-policing service based on intercultural principles Purpose: Since 2007, the Lisbon Municipal Police (LMP) has been developing a community policing strategy, seeking the maintenance of...
Give Something Back to Berlin
Purpose: A social enterprise that treats refugees not as victims but bringers of diversity advantage Process: The “Give Something Back to Berlin” (GSBTB) foundation is a fine example of a civil...
Siemens’ program for integrating refugees
Purpose: Erlangen shows that labour markets can open up to refugees under favourable circumstances Process: With a population of 100 000, the City of Erlangen is home to the University of...
District Mothers
Purpose: Migrant mothers reaching out to and integrating other migrant mothers Stimulus/Rationale: Process: The “Stadtteilmütter” (District Mothers) project is targeted at areas under Neighbourhood...
Intercultural Integration Plan 2015-2020
Purpose: Despite inter-ethnic strife in Ukraine one city offers leadership in pursuit of an alternative way Process: Whilst war and interethnic conflict has raged to the east (Donbass) and south...
A city international policy
Purpose: An aspiring intercultural city should have an international policy that seeks, at least in part, to promote a dynamic relationship with places of origin of major Diaspora groups. Such...