Municipality/Region

Catalonia, Spain

Summary

The Generalitat de Catalunya (Government of Catalonia) supports a mentoring programme that accompanies refugees in the process of achieving socioeconomic autonomy as early as possible. In this programme, a refugee or refugee family is paired up with a group of 3 to 5 mentors who help them with language learning, learning about Catalan society and finding a job. For one year, the group meets for 2 to 4 hours a week to work on an action plan which sets common goals. The action plan is designed with the help of a professional.

Areas of integration covered by practice

• Integration of migrants in political and civic local life
• Mentoring for refugees

Background and purpose

Since 2015, the number of refugees and asylum seekers living in Catalonia has increased significantly. Moreover, Catalan society has expressed its wish to welcome refugees and to be active in their social inclusion. In response to the need for social inclusion, labour market insertion and language knowledge, as well as the need for Catalan society to participate in the welcoming process, the Government of Catalonia created this programme to pair up refugees and asylum seekers with people who were already living in Catalonia.

Timeframe

This programme started in 2017 and is ongoing.

How does it work?

Volunteers (local mentors) need to participate as a group of 3 to 5 people. Once the group is formed, they enrol in the programme through an online form. All volunteers need to complete an interview with a psychologist and a 24-hour training (over 6 weeks) implemented by the Secretariat for Equality, Migration and Citizenship.

The Secretariat for Equality, Migration and Citizenship, together with the organisations that work with refugees in Catalonia, determine which asylum seekers or beneficiaries of international protection are eligible for the programme. Taking into account the participants’ profiles, the programme pairs a suitable group of mentors with a refugee or a family of refugees.

The programme also assigns a professional to guide each mentoring pair. The professional is responsible for monitoring the relationship throughout the year. The group (including the professional) analyses the needs of the refugee(s) with respect to language learning, labour market insertion and building a social network and sets goals to be achieved within a year.

The mentors plan several activities to achieve the goals. They meet with the mentee(s) for 2 to 4 hours a week for a year.  If any participants encounters a problem with the relationship, they can talk to a professional to see how they can overcome different challenges.

Results and evaluation

Since the programme began, there have been 2,698 volunteers. During the first year and a half, 144 groups were created. 77% of the mentors found the programme to be a positive experience. They also affirmed that it helped them to get to know people with diverse cultural backgrounds and helped them to gain empathy. 75% of the mentees found the programme to be a positive experience.

Funding

This programme is financed entirely by the Generalitat de Catalunya (Government of Catalonia). Mentors who take part in the program do so on a voluntary basis. The government provides for the training and makes sure that the mentors have a professional whom they can rely on. The annual budget is approximately €330,000.

Further information

Website of the practice