“Principles, words and good works”. These are the words that contain the deepest meaning of the conference “I was a foreigner and you welcomed me” which took place in the Church of Santa Chiara in Catania, promoted by the Consorzio Umana Solidarietà, by ALS – Association of Foreign Workers MCL Sicilia, by MCL Sicilia and by the Community of Sant’Egidio of Catania.
At the center of the meeting, opened by Paolo Ragusa Regional President of ALS-MCL Sicily and Coordinator of the Human Solidarity Consortium, the themes of the work integration of foreigners through the work corridors, reflecting on concrete solutions for a more inclusive society.
“We have started a first experimentation of work corridors in Sicily – explains Paolo Ragusa – in collaboration with the UGTM (Union Générale des Travailleurs du Maroc – General Union of Moroccan Workers) of the province of Fez. Last March 28th, at the ARS (Sicilian Regional Assembly), the memorandum of understanding was signed which started the delineation of the civic-linguistic professional training programs that will be developed in Morocco. Moroccan workers will be trained in their country of origin and then come to Italy to carry out seasonal work in the agricultural and textile sectors. The workers corridors represent a valid alternative to a dangerous crossing by the sea. The Italian economy needs foreign labour, a fact certified by the ministry which in the last click day of March recorded 690 thousand requests for manpower. There are currently 3 companies that intend to participate, but the number is growing. There will be over 40 workers who will be trained on site according to the needs of the companies and at the same time facilitate their regular entry into Italy. To this initiative – concludes Ragusa – we also wanted to support the online platform Migrants.Work to put workers and companies in direct contact. The numbers are proving us right: 72 profiled companies and 1787 workers registered on the platform”.
The institutional greetings were given by the Deputy Prefect of Catania, Nicolò Pappalardo and Viviana Lombardo, Councilor for Equal Opportunities of the Municipality of Catania, who offered an overview of the active integration policies and the initiatives that the municipality wants to undertake to facilitate this process.
“We are thinking of allocating some of the assets confiscated from the mafia to reception centers for minors and we are also planning legal and administrative assistance activities to obtain documentation such as social and health assistance and at the same time as councilor for youth policies we are thinking of raising awareness among school children to the themes of welcome, understanding and integration”
Among the significant interventions, that of Mons. Luigi Renna, Archbishop of Catania, President of the Episcopal Commission for social problems and work, justice and peace who underlined the importance of the common good: “I feel involved in this journey , there can be no peace without solidarity. The Pope tells us that “we are not called to build a world of partners, but of brothers with the aim of building the common good together”. Today it is seen limited to a single environment and to one’s own country. But in reality its true meaning lies in putting everyone in the conditions for development. For us today the “common good” is Europe. The vision we can share is a global vision, which embraces all humankind, the universal good that we must not read with the eyes of populism. Housing and work – concluded Mgr. Renna – are fundamental for people, who offer themselves here with difficulty. Many migrants pay a lot to live in hovels. If there is work and you have no home there is no dignity. If there is housing, but no work, it’s the same. Projects like this are welcome and I hope they create culture around these concepts, because today we need to really know things because today they want to feed us into slogans”.
Among the guests were also the vice mayor of Bronte, Salvatore Pizzuto, and the regional manager of the Community of Sant’Egidio, Emiliano Abramo.
“A few days ago Marco Pagliazzo, president of the Sant’Egidio Community – declared Abramo – signed a protocol on work corridors in Rome. Initiatives like these represent the desire to continue to immerse our hands in the Mediterranean Sea, which has seen too many people die of hope. There is an Italian world that is struggling and aging and one that is pressing, that wants to come here thinking that peace is not a luxury and that opportunities are there for everyone. Furthermore, our future is at stake in this field.”
The “Welcome to Catania” project was presented as a concrete example of good hospitality, demonstrating how hospitality can evolve into a concrete and measurable path of work integration. The Project has been praised for its ability to transform principles into effective actions that promote integration.
In closing, Alfonso Luzzi, MCL General President, reiterated the MCL’s commitment to supporting inclusion policies that recognize and enhance diversity as a fundamental resource for the development of society.
“As Christians, every face of a person – he explained – that we encounter is that of Christ. As Italian citizens we have civic duties towards others. Fortunately, man will always emigrate, he is a free spirit who will therefore always flee from war, from hunger and the desire to escape will overcome any fear. Inclusion and integration therefore means ensuring that a foreigner can find a job opportunity after he has been trained. Hospitality is part of our historical and cultural heritage and we must be proud, we cannot deny this historical essence of ours.”
This conference has therefore consolidated an essential dialogue to build more inclusive and productive future policies, reaffirming the commitment to creating “together” a society that welcomes and integrates.
This content is a press release. It did not pass the scrutiny of the editorial staff. The author is solely responsible for the publication.
Tags: Work corridors center debate promoted ALSMCL Sicily
