Among the main goals of the project Comune dei Popoli is the organisation of meetings involving migrant communities and associations, with the aim of setting up a dialogue between the parties, identifying the needs of citizens and connecting them with local institutions in order to find shared solutions.

 

comune dei popoli

Round table on territorial development – What is it about?

In particular, the territorial round table of the Comune dei Popoli aims to identify the needs of foreign citizens by organising meetings, and to encounter the institutional bodies with which the Municipality of Syracuse has signed the Programme Agreement (Job Centre, INAIL, Education Authority, UEPE, USSM) in order to submit the needs that emerge and work together on common solutions. It also sets out to co-design, together with third sector bodies, migrant communities and institutional bodies, interventions to promote the autonomy of foreign citizens in the territory by bringing together human and economic resources.

 

comune dei popoli

What are the needs emerged during the round table on territorial development?

Critical issues concerning housing include: excessively high rental prices, lack of help to cover housing costs, and difficulties in renting properties for families with children. Possible solutions include shelters, guarantee funds supported by entrepreneurs and subsidies for landlords to encourage renting.

The critical issues concerning employment are: difficulty in obtaining a place to sell at the market despite the valid licences; access to credit opportunities to start self-employed businesses; lack of supporting services in the work-search process (such as support in the preparation of CVs and support in active research).

Health is also among the topics that brought out needs and demands. In particular, the difficulty of accessing INPS offices and making appointments to obtain documents necessary for medical treatment, as well as the possibility of renewing health cards with an expired residence permit and accessing medical care, emerged from the discussions at the round table.

As far as documents are concerned, possible solutions to the most common difficulties were found, including: the reduction of response times at the Syracuse Police Headquarters; the implementation of more opening days at the Immigration Office in Syracuse; the improvement of spaces and methodologies for foreign users at the Police Headquarters; the reduction of response times of the Court for appeals by asylum seekers.

comune dei popoli

Cultural activities are also part of the integration process, so when analysing the critical points and needs of migrant communities, this aspect must also be considered. The proposals and possible solutions that emerged concern the establishment of associations to carry out new actions of participatory democracy; the recovery of the Mosque as a common good; the promotion of free sports activities on the basis of income; more CPIA separate school sites for easily accessible English language courses; meetings at the Comune dei Popoli for migrant communities.

As far as children are concerned, the school canteen fees are too high for many families, and there is a lack of punctuality in the payment of the childcare bonus. The need for a council summer camp to help working parents was also emphasised.