The action “Hey youth, Sabadell welcomes you!” was implemented in the frame of the City Council’s specialised welcoming program for migrants to improve gender equality and education. The implementation period ran from July until November 2018. The main purpose was to create a welcoming program specialised for youth between 12 and 19 years who had arrived through family reunification.
The project had two phases. The first phase started in July with Catalan classes and the second phase kicked off in October. The first phase was implemented Monday to Friday during the month of July, when there were no regular classes in high school. This allowed the participants to continue learning Catalan during summer (or even start learning it if they had arrived when the school was nearly over). The participants were divided into two groups depending on their level during the language classes. During the other activities, they stayed together as one group. The programme combined diverse methodologies and new technologies with individual and group activities, and one outing every week (amusement park, beach, swimming pool, mountain…).
The second phase was implemented after summer during one afternoon per week. While the main aim of the first phase was to provide language skills as well as tools to get to know their new home and their peers, the second phase focused on linking the participants to services for youth in their neighbourhoods (formation, leisure, sport…). The methodology focused on detecting the needs of the participants through group activities and individual tutorship, as well as more visits of interest.
The impact of the program was very positive for the participants as well as their families, who were introduced to an easier way to approach family reunification through professional advice. Further the children achieved autonomy faster than without the program.
The beneficiaries were youth between 12 and 19 years, who have arrived in Sabadell withing the last six months, mainly through family reunification, but also through other procedures such as through the asylum procedure. In 2018, there were 20 participants from Bolivia, El Salvador, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Romania and China.
The impact of the action was evaluated in an annual report, with quantitative and qualitative items.
The project was implemented thanks to the collaboration of a local NGO specialised in migrant welcoming programs and language courses (Citizen Service of Migrant Welcoming, SCAI), who provided the volunteers for teaching Catalan language to the participants.
More information and supporting documents
