Project gathers voices, practices, experience of migration issues in communities
(This opinion piece has been written by William Grech, Kopin’s Executive Director, and was published on 23 November 2021 in the Times of Malta)
The history of Malta is entwined with the phenomenon of human migration. Its population and culture are a testament to the central role that migration has played in the archipelago’s numerous historical events, as well as to its role as a commercial hub and strategic base throughout the ages.
The past century was mostly characterised by phases of emigration, whereas, over the last two decades, Malta has become a net destination country, with well over a tenth of its population being of foreign origin even though emigration increased again, especially following membership of the EU.
This experience reflects Malta’s role as a hub in the central Mediterranean. However, being a hub does not remove the fact that the archipelago is now on the external border of a political and economic block that attracts people from outside it, in search of a better life.
The project Snapshots from the Borders – Small Towns Facing the Global Challenges of Agenda 2030, implemented between 2017 and 2021, was, in fact, all about gathering voices, practices and experiences about migration issues from the periphery (the borders) and bringing them to the centre.
Kopin (VO/0200) was the national coordinator for the project in Malta. Our efforts were focused on involving a number of local councils (mainly Marsa, Ħamrun, Gżira and Msida) that were experiencing challenges stemming from a marked increase in the diversity of their population and from a gap in the central administration’s policies to support social inclusion in these communities. In line with our vision as an organisation, this was another opportunity to provide a safe space for representatives of these communities (from political to community leaders) to discuss, explore and help us design the agenda of the project activities.
Inclusion is a difficult concept to quantify. How do we know if our efforts to include another person are successful? What does it take to make someone feel included? How do long-time residents perceive our attempts at inclusion?
Many of us live in segmented existences, working alongside people who are like us. We form friendships with similar-minded (and looking) people and, often, our neighbourhoods and families are filled with more people who are like ourselves. And while it’s important to feel comfortable and safe in our environments, our communities and we individually also cannot grow as much without challenges or diversity.
The concepts of diversity, equality and inclusion many times are implicitly framed around a default standard that “others” can be integrated. It is assumed that to be diverse is to be different from the dominant culture. Inclusion and feeling equal is understood as having access to and being equal to this dominant culture.
The many interactions that happened during the last four years thanks to activities and discussions within the Snapshots from the Borders project brought to the fore a new understanding. The concepts of belonging, dignity and justice made themselves a central component of this process. More importantly, these concepts were not understood merely in relation to how the “other” felt when interacting within our communities but, rather, that it was equally fundamental that the long-time residents were included in such a framework.
The disconnect between the central administration’s (lack of) efforts at community strengthening and the experience of the local communities is exemplified by the residents’ fear, anger and frustration at feeling ‘lumbered’ with challenges without having been consulted or given the necessary resources. A security-centred artificial attempt at creating a feeling of safety through (among others) increased police presence in these communities has not yielded the expected results.
The most rewarding project activities were the ones that, in fact, aimed at strengthening the community. Establishing the Border Towns and Islands Network ensures sustainability of the networking and cooperation between local authorities from the different countries involved and their ability to make their voice heard at a European level. Exchange visits and training on how local politicians can advocate better with the central administration and national level government increased the knowledge and skills of local council representatives.
In the last year, community workers from a number of entities participated in professional training on community peace-building, using deep dialogue as the tool for engagement and focusing on addressing real needs, especially in areas with tensions based on socio-cultural disparities, such as Marsa and Ħamrun. The skills and methodologies gained by these professionals are already being put to good use and efforts will be sustained beyond the lifetime of the project.
Engaging with individual residents and community leaders is certainly among the most interesting Snapshots moments for us at Kopin. It allowed us to get a nuanced perspective on migrant integration opportunities and challenges from people who, in one way or the other, are affected by it. We heard stories of hope which were not only unexpected but also very encouraging.
Kopin has been providing different services with the aim to positively contribute to the integration and inclusion of migrants and, particularly, of asylum seekers and refugees in Malta for the last decade. Joining Snapshots has deepened our understanding and engagement, particularly in Marsa and other Maltese towns where migration has generally been regarded as a challenge, rather than an opportunity.
In our view, and that of fellow participants in the project, the project has helped kick off a different conversation about migration in Malta. Most importantly, it brought different stakeholders together to start working on a community dialogue model that is helping to prevent or resolve community issues related to cultural diversity and migration.
