Reception Systems for Refugees and Asylum Seekers: Exploring a Successful Italian Model

Description

In recent years, migration has become one of the central issues across Europe, and governments have focused on the phenomenon, highlighting the difficulties and risks associated with it.

Foreigners are primarily seen as a problem, not as a resource or an opportunity.

System operators are often unprepared to deal with the different cultural realities they interact with and are unaware of the different ways of welcoming migrants in different European countries.

This course aims to provide professionals in the sector (NGO workers, legal professionals, social workers, teachers, and ethnopsychologists) with a more comprehensive and direct understanding of the migration phenomenon and its potential as a resource.

During the course, participants will be offered an in-depth look at the work of Tahomà A.p.s. association, which has been active in migrant reception for many years.

It will allow participants to experience the Italian reception system firsthand, visit facilities, and meet the young migrants welcomed into the Italian government system.

The activities will combine observation and practice. Reception workers, intercultural mediators, psychologists, and professional educators will introduce the participants to the various practical and legal aspects of the Italian reception system (legal frameworks, intercultural communication, educational support), developing intercultural and communication skills needed to interact with migrants in an empathetic, informed, and professional manner.

The course will also provide the opportunity to network with system operators and exchange best practices, leading to significant improvements in reception methods.

By the end of the course, participants will have gained a more detailed understanding of the Italian reception system, discussed the different reception methods available in different countries of origin, and developed and acquired new techniques and approaches that can help them engage with refugees, asylum seekers, and young migrants in a more empathetic and effective way.

This way, they will be able to return to their professional contexts with new insights, practical tools, and a stronger network of colleagues committed to inclusive practice.

In collaboration with Tahomà A.p.s. association

Learning outcomes

The course will help participants to:

• Explain the main features of the European migration legislation and how the reception system works in Italy;
• Compare reception approaches across European countries, identifying the strengths and challenges of the different contexts;
• Acquire a new experiential-based perspective thanks to direct contact with young refugees hosted in Tahomà facilities;
• Promote a new vision of migration that sees diversity as a resource, shifting the focus from “problem” to “opportunity”;
• Exchange and adapt best practices from the participants’ different countries of origin;
• Build new professional networks between operators in the sector and exchange tools, strategies, and methodologies.

Tentative schedule

Day 1 – Course introduction

• Introduction to the course, the school, and the external week activities;
• Icebreaker activities;
• Presentations of the participants’ schools;
• Participant welcome and course program presentation;
• Circle time: participants share expectations, stories of field experiences;
• Overview of the Italian reception system for welcoming unaccompanied minors: the SAI system and its evolution.

Day 2 – The Tahoma model and comparison with Europe

• European migration legislation and the Dublin Regulation;
• Pathways to enter Italy legally: the asylum application process and its timeframes.

The Tahoma model

• Presentation of the Tahoma model: educational approach, individual support, and networking;
• Meeting with a member of the educational team and an open discussion on the system’s strengths and weaknesses.

Day 3 – Active and reflective training

• Brainstorming activities: critical reflections on what has been learned;
• Role-playing in complex situations: appeals, reunifications, problems related to obtaining documents, and emergency reception;
• Group discussion: different methodologies and problem-solving strategies.

Day 4 – Field experiences

• Guided visit of an SAI (unaccompanied minors) residential facility;
• Testimony from a young person who has been welcomed: personal experience, welcome process, and future plans.

Day 5 – Rights, law, and European challenges

• Comparison between the reception and legislative systems of the course participants;
• Discussion of the different reception methods and exchange of best practices;
• Participants’ feedback: summary, proposals, recommendations, and key takeaways.

Day 6 – Course closure and cultural activities

• Course evaluation: round-up of acquired competencies, feedback, and discussion;
• Awarding of the course Certificate of Attendance;
• Excursion and other external cultural activities.

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