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Poitiers developing an intercultural reception/integration policy
 On
9 May last, the Greater Poitiers Responsible Development Board, a participatory
body working with the elected representatives of the Greater Poitiers
Conurbation Community on the main regional development issues, met with almost
140 local players (associations, councillors, residents, institutions, etc) to
discuss the highly original theme of receiving and integrating new
populations in Greater Poitiers. During the debate, this issue was broached,
inter alia, from the intercultural angle.
The Development Board swopped ideas with the councillors and local players on
the importance of a comprehensive, active policy for the reception and
integration of new populations (residents, foreigners, students, etc) in the
Poitiers area.
The forum constituted a major step forward in the process of consultation and
analysis that had begun in April 2009, involving some thirty local
representatives (from the University, the Tourist Office, socio-cultural
centres, associations responsible for assisting migrants, local authorities,
etc).
This activity highlighted a number of warning signs for the area: a high
degree of residential mobility, given that in 2007, virtually one fifth of the
population had been living elsewhere five years previously; widespread
deficiencies in the city’s reception facilities (in tourism, the University, in
terms of diversity, etc); social balances are off kilter in some neighbourhoods;
"ghettoised" foreign populations in some neighbourhoods; the University’s
defining but underrated presence (one in five residents is a student); some
economic operators still fail to appreciate Poitiers’ tourist appeal; etc.
By tackling the principle of an overall policy for the reception and
integration of new populations in this way, the Development Board was
concurrently taking account of the increasing attractiveness of the region, the
concept of a reception culture and the feeling of belonging to the area, and
lastly, the acceptance of diversity as a factor for wealth and innovation
throughout the region.
The inputs of similar experiments and the workshops enriched the Development
Board’s work, helping to:
highlight the problems with receiving and integrating new populations in
the area,
devote more attention to the persons being received and the intercultural
competences to be developed for and by those receiving them,
ensure the networking of players involved in receiving new populations.
The experimental nature of this approach should be stressed, in terms of the
theme addressed and the desired participatory dimension. The next step is to
secure the involvement of all the elected representatives and local operators so
as to achieve a genuinely comprehensive policy.
Contacts:
Secretariat of the Greater Poitiers Responsible Development Board (Conseil de développement responsable de Grand Poitiers)
James RENAUD – President
Virginie AUFFROY – Organiser
Direct line: 05 49 52 36 59
conseildedeveloppement@agglo-poitiers.fr
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