The general objective of the Mil Pasos (A thousand steps, in Spanish) project was to promote the inclusion of young foreigners and facilitate processes of personal growth, social integration and intercultural dialogue, as well as the exchange between young foreigners and Italians. It aimed at tackling those obstacles leading to phenomena of discomfort, exclusion and social marginality while also ensuring the dissemination of the initiative and a discussion over the results. The priority area of intervention was the school, focusing on orientation activities supporting the complex transitions between lower and upper secondary schools and between these and the working and professional context.

In Mil Pasos, we worked on the systemic sphere, training the institutional actors involved (school teachers, third-sector workers, employees of local authorities and institutions). We also fostered an understanding of emerging needs through participatory research and expressive workshops. We implemented orientation practices that considered the needs of the young people involved, both Italians and foreigners, their families and the school system. This integrated perspective experimented with forms of reception and accompaniment among peers in an inclusive way and with an approach connected to peer education. The host society was involved through targeted actions, including disseminating and discussing our findings at the local level.

Mil Pasos was a project of OffertaSociale asc (Vimercate) in collaboration with Codici and Aeris cooperativa sociale (Vimercate); co-financed by the European Union – European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals 2008-13 and the Ministry of the Interior – Department for Civil Liberties and Immigration.

Photo ☉☉ Erik Kessels