A Roman private university -- Università degli studi Internazionali (UNINT) -- is organizing free Italian language courses for Ukrainians who have fled the war. Organizers said the courses focus on the specific needs in particular of women, who constitute the majority of refugees since men have remained home to fight.
A concrete initiative to respond to the drama of Ukrainian refugees in Italy was presented on Friday (May 20) at a university in Rome -- Università degli Studi nternazionali di Roma UNINT.
Starting on June 10, the university will start providing free Italian language courses for Ukrainians.
The courses vie to support the integration of women and children who have fled the war, and will be taught by qualified professors who are trained to teach Italian to foreigners, organizers said. The professors will be assisted by cultural mediators.
Since the majority of Ukrainian refugees in Italy are women, given that men have mainly remained in the country to fight the war, activities to help their kids learn Italian through play have also been organized in the park of the university campus, UNINT said in a statement.
'We want to respond to a need'
"Our university simply tried to respond to a need," explained the dean of the Faculty of languages and translation, Mariagrazia Russo, presenting the initiative at a ceremony to end the academic year.
"There is a primary need of every human being: communication, and immigrants from Ukraine now need to communicate in a land which, although friendly, is still foreign and with an unknown language for most of them. UNINT has always wished to train citizens who are open to the world, who are able to build bridges between cultures, and this is our concrete response to the drama of war which is upsetting the world."
The vice president of the university, Fabio Bisogni, said that the initiative presented on Friday is a "great response that shows how it is not just possible to empathize with suffering, but also to understand and meet needs" in order to foster integration.
Courses fully booked
The courses will be available in person and in streaming, for those who prefer remote learning. Organizers however said that they were fully booked just a few days after applications were opened.
A reported 167 people have applied, they said. Lessons will be held during the weekend so that those who have already found employment can attend. Since many Ukrainian women who have enrolled could need a babysitter, parental support for kids between the ages of four and 13 will be organized inside the campus.
A total of 75 children will be taught Italian through play and fun activities during weekends in June and July, organizers said.