The media as a welcoming mechanism: Young refugees visit Católica for an integration experience

On 24 February, a group of young refugees accompanied by Aldeias SOS visited the headquarters of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, in an initiative promoted by the Faculty of Human Sciences (FCH), the João Paulo II University Library and the Social Responsibility Office.

The visit took place as part of a research project on young refugees and the use of the media as a way of welcoming them, carried out by professors Sandra Borges Tavares and Patrícia Dias.

Sandra Borges Tavares, a lecturer at the FCH, emphasised the importance of this meeting, "which focused on young refugees and the use of the media as a way of integrating into the host country".

The meeting "drew our attention to the need to create more opportunities, both in terms of cultural exchange and also in terms of our role as researchers and teachers, always with an eye on what is happening in the world".

Inês Espada Vieira, Coordinator of the Initiative for Students and Researchers at Risk at the Universidade Católica, also emphasises the importance of this moment, saying that the moment "in the Portuguese Language II class, of the Applied Foreign Languages course, was a meeting in the “conversation wheel”, all together in the same ethical and human territory, despite the obvious differences in each other's lives".

The tour of the John Paul II University Library included a guided tour, where the young people got to know the different areas of the Library, from the digitisation room and the equipment used, to the monograph collection and the Fancy Van Gogh digital art exhibition. "This initiative reinforced BUJPII's commitment to inclusion and the promotion of knowledge for all", said librarian Samuel Santos.

For Mariana Andrade, Social Empowerment, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator at the Social Responsibility Office, "getting to know the University and sharing experiences with young people from different backgrounds is always very rewarding. It was especially enriching to see how, in such a short space of time, these young people opened up to this new reality and showed their interest".

Chiara Vitiello, a technician at SOS Villages, thanked us for the experience, saying that "the young people loved it and were very curious about everything they experienced at the University". "Activities like this are great for them to get to know new contexts and people they would probably never have the chance to meet otherwise", she emphasised.

More than just a visit, this experience provided a moment of sharing and discovery, promoting an encounter between different cultures and perspectives.