The project “Intercultural Islands” is a joint initiative between the Government of the Azores, through the Regional Directorate for the Communities (DRC), and AIPA - Association of the Immigrants in the Azores, approved by the Fund for Asylum, Migration and Integration (FAMI).

Coordinated by AIPA, the project “Intercultural Islands” is financed by FAMI (75%) and by the High Commissariat for Migrations (25%). Its objectives are:

• Promote and dynamize a site of  exchange, debate and reflection on the third-country nationals (NPT)’s integration, at a regional level;
• Make the Azorean population and the NPT resident in the Region aware and inform them, valuing cultural diversity and interculturality, and supporting NPT’s integration in the host society;
• Enable local public administration about the theme  of cultural diversity and interculturality;
• Promote the emancipation of immigrant women, ensuring equal opportunities among all citizens
• Provide tools of promotion of immigrant  citizens’ employability  and raise awareness among employers of the legal channels to hire foreign citizens;
• Create conditions for immigrants’ full integration in the Azorean society providing them with basic knowledge of the Portuguese language and Azorean culture.

This project comprises a total of seven initiatives: three to be developed by AIPA and four to be developed by DRC, namely:

1. Beyond the borders (AIPA);
2. Migration, interculturality, and gender – “You exist, you count” (AIPA);
3. Portuguese language and Azorean culture classes (AIPA);
4. Forum of Migrations (DRC);
5. 9 islands 9 actions (DRC);
6. Municipalities Qualification on Cultural Diversity (DRC);
7. Pool of Translators (DRC).

Forum of Migrations

It is intended to promote and dynamize a site of  exchange, debate and reflection on the third-country nationals (NPT)’s integration in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, at an economic, social, and cultural level, as well as an exchange of experiences and  good practices organizationally and  entrepreneurially in the regional context.

The Forum will take place on October 26 and 27, on the islands of Faial and Pico, which  have about 27 per cent of the third-country nationals population of the Region, and includes different theme panels on immigrants’  integration, testimonies of third-country nationals  about their integration journeys, a session on immigrants’ integration from their diplomatic representatives’ perspective, and a trip to the island of Pico to visit the immigrants welcome center and meet the immigrant community.

9 Islands 9 Actions

The activity “9 Islands 9 Actions” aims to promote a set of actions on every island of the archipelago, among which workshops and qualification actions as a learning and sharing tool. Thus, it is planned to develop each day a program comprised of :

A qualification action aimed at schools to value cultural diversity, promote interculturality and fight discrimination;
An action with the same objectives of the described above, but aimed at public administration;
A painting workshop promoted by a third-country national for the whole population to promote interculturality, a monolog which tells immigrants’ life stories and an exhibition  entitled “We are all Azores”.
The events will be organized through the communities identification and  mobilization and local resources, to reflect and promote each island NPT immigrants’  integration, specifically. 

Municipalities Qualification on Cultural Diversity

In the session of  diagnosis of needs concerning third-country nationals immigrants’ integration, performed under the already concluded project REGIN also financed by FAMI, the need of a deeper commitment of the municipalities was identified, and the need of training towards cultural diversity for the public administration. Therefore, this action envisages training towards cultural diversity and interculturality, directed by a trainer from the High Commissariat for Migrations and aimed at front-office workers from each municipality of the Region.

Pool of Translators

The increase in the number of the third-country nationals (NPT) immigrants in the Autonomous Region of the Azores makes it fundamental to create a pool of translators to ease the contact of other languages speaking citizens residing in the Region with those who provide this service.