"ici. here together." supports 83 integration projects with CHF 729,750
Published
06.11.2023
The initiatives, which are implemented in equal parts by immigrants and residents in voluntary work, receive funding of between CHF 1,000 and CHF 25,000.
Migros Commitment provides direct help with "ici. here together." Individuals or groups could submit their idea for an integration project in their neighbourhood or community. In a two-stage submission process, the seven-member jury selected 83 projects from 274 submitted from all parts of Switzerland. Depending on their needs, these projects will be supported with funding between CHF 1000 and CHF 25,000 or with professional coaching.
The variety of projects is great
In Lucerne, the two non-profit organisations Genossenschaft Zeitgut and HelloWelcome form living tandems. Here, senior citizens and migrants set up a shared flat in order to save costs, make better use of living space and escape isolation. The Geneva-based initiative Ama-K Bro's furniture upcycling project is aimed at 18- to 25-year-old newcomers who have left their school, training or family. The young people give old furniture a second life. In Viganello (TI), the infoclic.ch association organises dance workshops for girls with a migration background and their peers from the region under the name "DanceQueenz", with the aim of promoting intercultural exchange.
Money is needed for simple things
Angela Zumbrunn, project manager at the Federation of Migros Cooperatives, heads "ici. here together.", which ideally complements the activities of the federal government, cantons and municipalities. She is convinced: "Many initiatives don't even need a lot of money to make an important contribution to social cohesion. Often there is a lack of moderate financial resources, such as for the rent of a common meeting place, for the purchase of children's books or to pay the bus tickets of participants who live in asylum centres far away."
Photo: Verein Musikvermittlung Schweiz