Strasbourg, 2 March 2009

Meeting of the PILOT CITY co-ordinators
Meeting of the Pilot city coordinators gathered some 30 participants from 12 cities included, CoE experts and the NGO-s. Present also was the crew from the YU ECO TV Station Subotica, who was filming the event, making interviews with most of the participants and experts.
In his introductory notes, Phil Wood presented an overview of possible approaches to the development of a set of indicators which would help cities assess progress and compare themselves to other cities nationally and internationally. The indicators should be able to do the job without a prohibitive cost. He asked city representatives what information/research/surveys exist, what is the minimum they are prepared to do, and what is their “dream scenario”.

Overview of the Programme for 2009

1. Study visits
2. Thematic events: Tilburg, Lyon, Seville
3. Planned internal events and activities in the cities (short presentations by co-ordinators)

City activities and events planned for 2009

Subotica: planning an avant-garde theatre festival – the call is open to all cities, information will be sent to them shortly.

Reggio Emilia will have local elections soon.
21 mars – day against racism they have just opened an anti-discrimination centre and have an action of 5 schools have worked on the subject.
19-21 april – Mondoinpiazza – discussions about the economic crisis and immigrant workers, and the other on the force of speech – communicating in a diverse community.
A neighbourhood animation event over 4 days on 10-14 juin in one of the most multicultural neighbourhoods.

Oslo – development of standards and indicators for anti-discrimination and diversity, and implementation with different agencies. September – OXLO week – much more public than before. Publicise the diversity city charter, distribute it to all homes, information about services and a more general tolerance perspective. Look to engage NGOs in this campaign week, monitoring good role models, citizen role models – asking for nominees, establishing better

Neuchâtel – 21 March with a network of volunteers a series of events
The publication and publicising of the citizenship charter which has been translated into many languages
16 June – day of …
May-October – Neuchatoi’09 – a campaign about the feeling of young people of belonging to their cities – by young people and for young people, with a focus on their religious belonging/practices.
21 December – another commemoration of the International day of migrant with the other cities

Melitopol – the animation of the city intercultural web site – information also about the events and proposal
They will promote in a special seminar this web site all over Ukraine
May – brass orchestra festival
Study visit in Melitopol – 10 -12 June, Melitopol city safary
This will be also an opportunity to assess ideas about the city’s intercultural park
This could end with a small conference in Kyiv with representatives of other cities in Ukraine

Lublin: Multicultural Lublin project – will be bigger than last year’s first edition. The project is about bringing together all minorities living in Lublin – to show they heritage, culture etc. making them active themselves. Takes place on 28-31 May.
Other projects are run by NGOs – the role of the municipality being mainly to fund them. Safe heaven is a project implemented by a municipal family support sector to provide refugee families with accommodation, social assistance, and help them get to independent life after many years in refugee centres. A cultural integration programme will be organised in the districts where the refugees will be settled. There will also be a media parts – three journalists will be invited and will report on the progress of these families in being integrated into the community. There is also a Roma project – getting Roma youth integrated through Capoeira – a method which worked in Wroclaw.

Neukölln – preparing the study visit of 6 cities. The programme is still open and can be adapted to wishes and interests. This year the Carnival of cultures will involve a model project of 100 young people working together under the slogan “designing the Intercultural city” and making a float which will participate in the carnival of cultures. They also write the music and have a press group which will report on the whole process.

A task force of Neukölln will visit Tilburg and Rotterdam – the information point: trying to solve youth crime by involving all different institutions together exchanging information on youngsters at risk.

Two big festivals in Berlin – 48 hours Neukölln with a programme of cultural activities by migrant organisations.

The local government will pass a decision giving all offices of the city a set of ideas about the intercultural opening of their work. They will prepare an integration concept of Neukölln which is more practical than the one of greater Berlin – which will be the basis of Neukölln’s intercultural strategy.

Tilburg – 8 March – an intercultural festive event. Each six weeks take place series of debates on international issues and intercultural relations. Festival Mundial – 60-80000 people, over 20 years old now, a multicultural festival. The T-parade – a carnival from local and migrant groups in mixed teams.