25 children who have migrated alone to Catalonia met on Thursday, June 20, the volunteers with whom they will form a tandem within the framework of the mentoring program promoted by the Generalitat. They are men supervised by the DGAIA who reside in centers and flats of Barcelona and several municipalities of Baix Llobregat. Suara Cooperativa participates in the accompaniment of the project.
With these new couples trained, there are already nearly a hundred single young emigrants who participate in this initiative of social mentoring throughout the country. Specifically in Girona, Barcelona, Canet, Arenys de Mar and Barcelona. Throughout these 6 months, more than 300 people have registered as volunteers, and once an interview with a psychologist is completed and they participate in compulsory 12-hour training, mentors and mentors are paired with a young person. without family references in Catalonia.
The mentoring program wants to be an instrument so that these young people can link with the host society and build their life project. Therefore, mentoring consists of periodic meetings between the young person and mentor, which focuses on knowledge and participation in the host society, accompaniment in language and work training and, in general, in the achievement of objectives. marked in the individual educational project defined by the professionals who support them. As for activities, there are couples who usually stay and make conversation while walking through the town, there are others who take advantage to play sports or even school review, all activities are welcome if they are made in order to strengthen the bond.
The objective of the program is to weave a relationship of equal to equal, that provides emotional stability and opportunities to the young person and is also an enriching experience for the mentor. In fact, thanks to the mentoring program, there is an opportunity to get to know each other among Catalans: those who have been or have been living here for a long time and those who come with the intention of starting a new life. Knowing the migratory story in the first person and getting involved is a good formula to build a true welcoming society.
During the meeting, the Minister of Labor, Social Affairs and Families, Chakir el Homrani, took stock of the 6 months of operation of the program, which already has a hundred trained tandems. In this sense, he positively assessed the impact of the link established with social mentoring, "it is an experience that has a benefit not only for the children, but also for the mentors themselves and ultimately represents a great benefit for the whole of the society". The Homrani stressed that the success of the program "is the result of the will of the citizens who have taken a step forward and decide to be actively involved to offer a good reception to these children." In this sense, Catalonia demonstrates once again that he knows a diverse society that values and cares for this diversity so that it is a source of enrichment and does not feed prejudices, stereotypes and conflict."
