A weekend summer school has been set up in Ventimiglia to help migrants in communication and integration.
The Genoa branch of the Comunità di Sant'Egidio has started a summer school in Ventimiglia to teach French, English and Italian to migrants in transit at the Red Cross's Campo Roja and those housed in the Sant'Antonio church. The aim is to help migrants communicate and facilitate their integration.
Courses provide opportunity to socialize
''In recent weeks, many young people arrived with their families: women and children from Sudan, Guinea, Chad and central Africa, as well as Pakistan and Bangladesh,'' Sant'Egidio said in a statement. ''Very little is needed,'' it continued. ''An invitation using hand gestures, a bit of English, and about 40 people got together to teach Italian, French and English.''
The migrants' desire to learn is ''so strong, as is their desire to be able to communicate once they reach their destination. And so, together, repeating greetings, introductory phrases, numbers, names of food, they spent joyful hours while laughing and studying.''
At the French lesson in the San'Antonio church, a pregnant woman holding a child said that she wanted to study French because she had not had the chance to do so in her home country, Sudan.
Languages for relationships and integration
The summer school is being held by university student volunteers during summer weekends, with lessons and activities in different languages. "This is one way to support migrants: whether or not they manage to cross the border [the Italian-French border], in any case, languages are an essential vehicle for integration,'' Sant'Egidio's chief for migrant services, Daniela Pompei, told ANSA. ''The ability to communicate is key to entering the world, whether we are talking about Italy or France of Great Britain.''
In recent weeks, there had been protests by local citizens against the hosting of additional migrants in the city. Asked about the situation, Pompei replied: "I wouldn't be so concerned about the numbers: there is a maximum of 800 migrants in the facilities. Some try to cross the border and are pushed back. The migrants want to achieve their goals.''
The language courses, she said, ''are also a way not to leave them alone, to establish contact. Whether they stay in Italy or go to another country, communicating is essential.''