ESC: Volunteering with refugees and asylum seekers in Popoli Insieme, Italy

Associazione Popoli Insieme was founded on 16 November 1990. Today, Italian citizens and foreigners of all age and religion are part of the Association. From the simple desire to help migrants in difficulty, over time the Association has arrived at specifically receiving political refugees and international protection holders. Popoli Insieme subsequently became part of the territorial network of the Astalli Center in Rome (Jesuit Refugee Service), whose mission is valuing everyone’s contribution, advancing common projects, working together throughout the entire national territory on similar objectives and aspiring to the same values. By now, collaboration has been consolidated concerning cultural projects, in particular, those involving students in schools and raising awareness in society on the topics of common interest. However, the network also allows experimenting new projects of first and second level welcoming, transferring the experience of those who have been involved in the service longer in different contexts. Today, Popoli Insieme is working on three areas: Welcoming of asylum seekers and refugees, educational projects and events, training for future volunteers. As for the welcoming area the Association, since 2014, has managed first welcoming facilities. Up to now, 36 spots have been available for asylum seekers, in agreement with Padova's prefecture. The facilities host a maximum of 6 guests, in step with the idea of micro-welcoming. Joining professionalism and expertise with a human approach open to dialogue and based on listening, we build personalised educational paths for our guests. Our service includes Language training, linguistic facilitation, information services on immigration law and legal assistance, healthcare and housing orientation, orientation to the territory. Associazione Popoli Insieme works in a multidisciplinary perspective, involving both qualified professionals and volunteers or trainees; everyone shares his/her expertise and ability in stable teamwork. Our staff includes four social workers (legal area, integration in the territory area, welcoming/educational/healthcare area, educational projects), one coordinator and one linguistic mediator. The team organizes weekly meetings to plan the activities and to discuss and verify the individual education paths of the guests. Every month, a psychologist meets the staff for supervision to talk about organizational issues and the updates of the hosts of the welcoming area. Volunteers are essential for the Association, both because of their support to the social workers in the activities and for the added value they bring in terms of ideas, contacts with the territory and other groups, but most of all in terms of relationships: their actions are the tangible clue of a possible, real and positive integration.