Bilbao, with around 350.000 inhabitants, is the capital of Biscay and the economic, social and cultural centre of the Basque Country. Due to the profound crisis in the 80s that affected its fundamental economic sectors (metallurgy, steel and naval), the city needed to reinvent itself and face great challenges: high rates of unemployment, environmental and urban degradation, strong internal emigration and the emergence of social marginalisation issues. Bilbao was able to achieve a transformation thanks to local political management, public-private and inter-institutional cooperation, and its success was acknowledged on the world stage: the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize (2010), the European Public Sector Award (EPSA) 2011 for the project “Political Management based on Financial Rigor and Strategic Budgets”, culminating in the World Mayor award bestowed on mayor D. Iñaki Azkuna in 2012.

The most important ethnic group of Bilbao –people with Spanish nationality– constitutes 91.85% of the city’s inhabitants. People with Spanish nationality could be foreign-born, but national/non-national are the categories used by the Spanish administrations. Only 8.15% are non-nationals: this figure has notably increased in the last 10 years. In 2003, foreign population in Bilbao constituted 3.1% of the city’s inhabitants. There is no minority group that represents 5% or more of the population, although nationals from Latin-American countries represent 48.3% of foreign population. The largest minority groups originate from Bolivia (1.19%), Colombia (0.72%), Morocco (0.71%), Romania (0.67%) and China (0.53%). As of 1 January 2013, the estimated percentage of foreign-born nationals resident in the city was 2.48%.

Similar to other European cities that have developed successful strategies through the creative management of diversity, the city hall of Bilbao designed and executed the Municipal Plan for Diversity Management BI-OPEN (2011-2013) to construct a city that is educative in values of coexistence and open to diversity. In its evaluation, the result of citizen participation (both natives and foreigners) and the participation of RECI enabled the design of a Local Strategy of Diversity Management, the execution of which is scheduled for the coming years. The final objective: fostering integration, social cohesion and coexistence from an intercultural perspective.

Atzealdea Anti-Rumour Web App

Purpose:

A game to raise awareness of rumours and stereotypes that negatively affect coexistence in Bilbao.

Rationale:

Awareness-raising and the fight against discrimination is a priority line of intervention within the framework of local strategies for managing diversity and promoting interculturality.

In this sense, the III Municipal Plan Bilbao Intercultural City incorporates this line of action, establishing among its actions the development of the antiRumours strategy. This strategy is linked to the Sustainable Development Goals approved by the UN in 2015 regarding the reduction of inequalities and the construction of Peace, Justice and the Promotion of solid institutions, as fundamental bases of the 2030 Agenda.

Likewise, the project is aligned with the Bilbao Balioen Hiria Charter of Values insofar as it is committed to the development of actions that favour inclusion, tolerance and coexistence based on cultural diversity, and in which values such as social justice, respect for human rights, inclusion, commitment, solidarity and participation are always present.

Process:

One of the actions launched under the framework of the Anti-Rumours Strategy is a game to test the knowledge around migration and rumours around it and promote critical thinking. The game can be used in two forms: a scratch card and a Web app.

The game makes use of the main metaphor of the Bilbao Anti-Rumours Strategy moto and image: an umbrella as a defence against rumours that fall from the sky. In this sense, the game allows users to assess whether they are ‘protected’ from or ‘drenched’ by rumours.

How it works

Following a series of fact-based questions the game illustrates the reality and /or otherwise the spread rumours about migrants. Longer statements of factually accurate information is presented alongside each answer.  

A final score is given, indicating the degree of ‘protection’ from rumours. By disseminating this results in Social Media, the user may obtain additional ‘medals’.

Impact:

The Webapp has been completed over 11,300 times and has had 9331 users from September 2014 to October 2023. 

Key reference documents:

Since 2014
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