Lasarte-Oria has 18,000 inhabitants and is the municipality of Gipuzkoan with more people born outside the town. This is mainly the result of two waves: In the 60-70's, on the one hand, those attracted to industry by Spain, with three major factories, and on the other, those that approach Nicaragua around the year 2000. 44% of residents are born outside the locality, and the mayor is clear that: “At Lasarte-Oria we live people from 70 backgrounds, but the origin is not a criterion, we are all Lasartears and we are proud of that diversity.”

The first step was to make the diagnosis: With the help of the Aztiker center, a quantitative analysis was carried out in 2011 and in 2012 qualitative to measure the perception that existed in the people about diversity and coexistence. They observed that indifference prevailed between them, that there was no relationship between them and that they lived in closed communities. To move from closed to open communities, they concluded that mutual knowledge should be promoted and the motto of the people changed, convinced that the different cultures should be valued: The Lasarte-Oria of all. “The starting point was to see immigration as a wealth rather than as a social problem,” says Gorka Lizarraga, Social Councilor of Lasarte-Oria.

Lasarte-Oria, Anitzen Network

Since their beginnings, they have worked with associations that were already underway in the village, since they are the ones that dynamize life and encourage participation. With associations of immigrants, but also with associations of Euskera, cultural, sports, neighbors… All have been involved and thus created the Anitzen Network. In collaboration they have held the Week of Anitz, the Elkar Ezagutu initiative, the video clip Ongi Etorri, etc., and today the contacts are natural: Does the Andalusian Semblante Association want to celebrate the festival of Rocío? Well, it will call on the Kukukuka Dance Association, the Nigerians, Nicaraguans, Peruvians and so on to participate. Ttakun Kultur Elkartea also seeks the participation of each other in the parody of Santa Ana Day, the parents of the school have organized Diversity Week… “The key is that the associations themselves bear in mind the diversity in their activities and the Anitzen Network has achieved it because we did not know each other, and we lived in the same town. They were associations that did things in the village, but each on their own. Furthermore, it is not about mutual knowledge between natives and those born outside, but about everyone: we are all from here, each with its origin, values and backpack, with its wealth. And mutual knowledge also involves understanding,” said Gorka Lizarraga.

Therefore, the work is not done in a group, since there is a risk of ghettos being created; the objective is to take into account that in the people everything is done in Euskera, Nigerian, Saharawi, Andalusian… Just as with the Basque: one of the objectives is to promote and use the Basque language in the activities that are carried out, and in this they work a lot, for example, Ttakun and the Basque network. “For more than a milestone, we want the Basque to join. But we are not going to offer free Euskera courses for those who come from outside, but for all citizens, especially because people who have not been a vascophony have not only now come from abroad,” says Lizarraga. It also helps all local children to be enrolled in model D. There are two centers, both public, and the number of children of foreigners is very different in both. “From now on it will be an issue to be addressed,” the councillor acknowledged.

Every three months, the new entrants meet with the mayor (data indicate that each year some 700 displaced people arrive in the surrounding area). Associations are invited to participate and, above all, serves to clarify the doubts and concerns of newcomers.

In Getxo, local neighbors and neighbors after a meal

Getxo has 80,000 inhabitants and about 6.8% were born abroad, approximately the average of the CAV. More than half are women from Latin America and work in jobs related to elderly and child care or domestic work. Considering the number of women and the difficult situation in which they find themselves, the City Hall organizes workshops aimed at them with the aim of contributing to the empowerment of these women.

Getxo has concrete initiatives aimed at coexistence. A few years ago, for example, with the participation of people born in Getxo and outside Getxo, a shared narrative of life histories of diverse identities was built. Among them, they recorded testimonies and performed a 10-minute documentary with more than 300 people participating. In short, the data show that in places where more migrants live, the negative attitude towards foreign people is lower, that is, the more they know each other, the less mistrust. In this way, two years ago they launched the Bizilagunak project, promoted by the Egizu Getxo Euskaldun association. In order to connect people who live in the same neighborhood but do not know each other, two or three families (they can also participate individually) meet at one of them to eat and chat. With the help of a dynamism, they speak of language, of nostalgia, of culture, of personal experience… “and whoever lives everything, it is important that he tells it, that he listens to it from his mouth”, stressed the Social Services Council of Getxo, Elena Coria, because people are more effective than great speeches. The initiative has exceeded expectations: in the first year, in 2013, some 20 families registered and in 2014 some 30: 130 persons distributed in 15 households.

The No Rumors project has been running for three years. The National Police has a total of 25 anti-rumours officers deployed, of which 15 are stable. They receive training that helps them to invalidate the most common prejudices (arguments and data) and aim to influence their daily lives, encouraging others to reflect so that they question the unfounded claims that seem true to be repeated so many times, and that the discourse of diversity is gradually spreading through snowball effects. As in Lasarte-Oria, in Getxo it is essential that all these initiatives be worked together with local associations.

“The promotion of folklore is fine, but it is not enough to celebrate International Immigrant Day, but in addition to raising awareness it is necessary to take into account the socioeconomic reality,” says Coria. Within the economic and local development policies, for example, special work is done with immigrants who want to start a business, “because often those who come from outside are giving them added hindrances: how to hire, what help they have, how to do the bureaucratic formalities…”, and for that Getxo has the Deli project.

The Basque learning plans, as in Lasarte-Oria, are aimed at all citizens. However, the program for welcoming newcomers offers courses for the basic knowledge of the Basque country. According to Getxo data, half of the students with foreign parents are enrolled in model A (Spanish-based model). In contrast, in the lower levels model B and model D predominate, while in the levels of Early Childhood Education 70% opt for model D.

In Barañain, training helps

Barañáin has a population of 20,458 inhabitants, of which 2,003 are of non-Spanish nationality. In other words, 9.8%, just below the Navarre average. Most are Latin Americans, and there are also numerous Romanians and Bulgarians. In addition to the Department of Social Services, in Barañáin they have an Immigration Service that accompanies the newcomers with formalities, regulatory processes, validation of academic titles, linguistic and cultural issues... They also offer psychological and legal advice if necessary.

In order to facilitate access to employment, training courses always reserve places for foreigners, “not because they are foreigners, but because they may be in a situation of greater vulnerability, in many cases the protection of the family network is lower”, explains Karmele Irisarri, Immigration Technician. They teach courses in collaboration with supermarkets, shops and companies to then practice and expand recruitment possibilities. And they also receive another training in the village, to respond to cultural diversity. For example, education and health workers had last year days on female genital mutilation, to know how to act in the event of any future cases.

To strengthen social cohesion, every month a neighbor from a different town is interviewed in the local newspaper, to talk about that country, about their experience… And there are also articles published in the newspaper to dismantle fake topics.

As in Lasarte-Oria and Getxo, one of the objectives is to promote and increase plural participation in the life of the people. “The basis is the participation of all kinds of people in initiatives and associations created according to the needs of the citizens, so that this need is the one that associates them, rather than the artificial compartments of origin,” Irisarri stressed.

The youngest have been working for a couple of years in a teaching unit on human rights at the local school, and diversity is very present in this work; among them, they tell multicultural stories.

It is clear to the interviewees that knowledge, recognition and understanding, self-coexistence, is the greatest guarantee for social cohesion.