On 14 June 2024, the University of Tuscia hosted the Hands-on Meeting ‘Building Resilient Communities through Responsibility-sharing’: a refreshed and enriched version of the “IntoME Have your Say!” Meeting, born from the collaboration between the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence on the Integration of Migrants in Europe (IntoME) and the PRIN CoSME (Community Sponsorship for Migrants in Europe).
The meeting was an occasion to discuss the potential of the University of Tuscia as a knowledge broker for processes of co-creation and transfer of skills, including non-formal education, fostering the responsibility-sharing between the University and the territory.
The first session welcomed the developments of the ‘Institutional Table for Integration’ promoted by IntoME and CoSME in partnership with the Prefecture, the Court of Viterbo, the Civil Chamber and the Viterbo Bar Association. Joint projects aimed at activating and improving pathways to social inclusion, access to rights, and transition to the labour market were presented for the benefit of the local and international student community, but also for the civic integration of the most vulnerable components of our society. Particular attention was paid to the development of the opportunities offered by the linguistic and cultural pluralism that characterises the university community and that can radiate outwards to foster the development of welcoming, inclusive, and resilient communities. The Institutional Table for Integration, thanks to the participation of the Rector's Delegate for Relations with Business and Fundraising, also provided an opportunity to reflect on win-win strategies for enhancing academic entrepreneurship, crowdfunding, and the third mission as tools for creating public value.
The second session allowed a more in-depth examination of the role of the University in building resilient communities, taking up the challenge of the PNRR and the regional project “Porta Futuro” to rethink schools and universities for tomorrow’s Italy. The session hosted the reflections of UNITUS and LUISS “Guido Carli” professors, who addressed the issue of community resilience from the perspectives of linguistics, sociology, and migration policy, adopting an operational slant that placed theoretical research in the context of university planning aimed at creating a social impact. The reflection was enriched by the expertise of stakeholders involved in the integration of migrants in the Province of Viterbo and abridged by the fundamental contribution of the Rector's contact persons for Inclusion and the Alumni community (WeUnitus). This session explored the concept of community in its polysemic spectrum, highlighting its conceptual and practical contributions in terms of building relational and resilient identities, both in the university classroom (universitas discentium) and outside, in civil society and institutions (universitas civium).
The third session – “Unlocking the Potential: Peer-to-peer Initiatives by and for the International Student Community” – featured UNITUS international students presenting their innovative projects and bottom-up initiatives developed over the past year. Among the projects presented were the solidarity network “The Bridge Trust” and the “Tandem Initiative.” Among the initiatives promoted were the event for refugee children on 23 April 2024, on the occasion of World Book Day, and the “Model EU UNITUS.”
Starting at 7 p.m., we moved to the inner courtyard of the San Carlo for a solidarity aperitif with a DJ set, which was a pleasant opportunity to get together, “make community,” and collect donations for the #UNITUS4Refugees project. The solidarity aperitif, also joined by student associations, was organised with the support of IntoME, CoSME, and the University institution.
The video recording of the meeting is now available
CoSME 2024