I wanted to propose a tool and some good practices to help people responsible for welcoming migrants to take a more open-minded interest in them and to question them in a non-administrative way. The idea is that not only professionals but also volunteers who work with migrants should be able to make the tool their own and, in so doing, become acquainted to the idea that, while migrants need to learn the language of the host country in order to integrate, they will learn it all the better if we take an interest in their linguistic and cultural baggage, which constitutes their identity. So we wanted to create something that would be easy to use and that would open up the minds of professionals and volunteers. There's a lot of talk about intercultural attitudes, but few people actually put them into practice. Thanks to the tool we've created (multilingual dialogue cards) and the accompanying educational booklet, we want to help professionals change their perceptions of migrant languages and adopt a less stigmatising and contemptuous attitude towards people who speak these languages. It's all part of making people feel welcome: those who feel welcome will be more inclined to adapt.
I submitted this project because migrants are not really welcome, people in charge of them do not take into account the intercultural approach needed to understand and take an interest in their languages and cultures. Migrants are expected to adapt straight away, whereas a good adaptation first starts with getting to know each other through respectful exchanges, where everyone is put on an equal footing in terms of respect and human rights. Through this project, I've tried to improve the psychological conditions for welcoming newcomers by encouraging people - teachers, social workers, etc. - to take an interest in the cultural and personal background of migrants and, in particular, to welcome them as they are, while respecting and accepting their languages. Recognising the Other is the first step identified by psychologists to help build psychological security. Recognising the language of the Other is part of this process. In our European countries, professionals still need to be made more aware of the concept of linguistic hospitality. Through our project, we are addressing a need for communication tools in the languages of migration.