On 8-9 October 2019, in Bradford, United Kingdom, the Council of Europe´s Intercultural Cities Programme organised the first Intercultural Integration Academy in co-operation with the Institute of Community Cohesion. After five new member cities joined the Councils of Lewisham and Swansea - Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and Manchester, city officials gathered for a two-day training at Bradford University to engage in discussions and practical exercises in order to share ideas and best practice for successful communication. The aim of the training was to provide cities with a media skill-set that would allow them to communicate a positive vision, but also support them in time of crisis through the Intercultural Cities network and tools.

While migration and diversity are currently central components of the public debate in Europe on issues of culture, social cohesion and identity, they stir emotion, inflame opinion and attract political controversy with equal measure, presenting those who see strength in the inclusive and intercultural future of cities with unique challenges. Based on that, the training included a series of interactive workshops and discussions on topics and challenges selected by the member cities.

Through a series of live interviews based on real life political crises, contributors were placed in situations where they would face ‘hostile’ media questioning. Through this exercise and the later video review, contributors could see for themselves the techniques used by journalists to bait media traps. City officials examined the significance of crafting responses that meet pre-determined communication goals and discussed how to deliver information in a manner that would defuse tension and not lead to new media storms.

By working with the media and seizing every opportunity to make the case for interculturalism through focused and positive communication, Intercultural Cities advocates will surely prevail in their efforts to persuade others that they have the answers to many of the bigger questions now facing our societies.