On February 3rd, the city of Tarragona hosted the Dialogue for Inclusion, a meeting held within the framework of the project Tàndem Migro-Ambiental – Towards an Inclusive Europe.
The event brought together young people from diverse backgrounds, organisations working in cooperation and culture, representatives of the Tarragona City Council administration, and elected officials, with the aim of creating a space for participation, active listening, and the collective development of proposals to move towards a more inclusive city.
A space to share projects and build networks
The day began with a presentation of the project and the organising entities, CEHDA and AHEAD, who outlined both the Catalan dimension and the European scope of the initiative.
This was followed by a round of introductions among the participants and the organisations represented. This moment facilitated mutual understanding and helped foster new alliances between local organisations that may not previously have had the opportunity to connect.
In line with strengthening networking efforts, the project also includes the creation of a Mapping of Catalonia, featuring all participating organisations. This tool makes it possible to visualise the associative landscape involved, facilitate contact between organisations, and promote new synergies across the territory. The map thus becomes a practical instrument to reinforce cooperation and increase the visibility of the collective work towards inclusion
A three-phase participatory process
The Dialogue for Inclusion marked the culmination of a participatory process that began with two prior meetings:
- A session with representatives of the public administration.
- A session with young people from diverse backgrounds and local organisations.
During these sessions, the main challenges to inclusion in Tarragona were identified, creating a shared foundation for further work.
During the joint dialogue, the ideas and concerns raised in the previous meetings were presented back to the participants, who were then invited to work in groups to formulate concrete proposals for action at the local level.
Key challenges identified
The results document of the Dialogue outlines several key challenges to advancing towards a more inclusive Tarragona. In summary, the following stand out:
- Segregation between neighbourhoods and lack of connection between communities. Participants proposed strengthening community life, creating shared activities, and fostering networking among local organisations.
- Perceived distance from the public administration, characterised by complex procedures and limited spaces for listening. Proposals included simplifying administrative processes and promoting more meaningful and accessible participation.
- Use of Catalan as a tool for inclusion, with a lack of spaces to practice the language. Participants suggested expanding resources and reinforcing Catalan as a welcoming language.
- Increase in racist attitudes, particularly through social media. The dialogue highlighted the need to promote intercultural experiences, anti-rumour campaigns, and spaces for collective memory.
- Low sense of belonging and limited diverse representation in associative spaces. It was proposed to encourage free, inclusive participation grounded in an intersectional perspective.
- Difficulties with residence registration, which limit access to rights and services. Participants called for streamlining and facilitating administrative procedures.
Young people as agents of change
The Dialogue for Inclusion consolidates a model of participation in which young people not only express their concerns, but also actively contribute to building solutions.
This activity has been developed in the frames of the Youth Participation Activity project Towards Inclusive Europe - Cap a l'Europa Inclusiva, supported by the Erasmus+ programme co-funded by the European Union and Coordinated by AHEAD.
Find further information about the project in: https://aheadedu.org/en/projects/towards-inclusive-europe/
The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.