Intercultural Laboratory at Ravenna
February 2023 – July 2023
Intercultural Laboratory at the University of Bologna Ravenna campus
Description
The intercultural integration laboratory was coordinated by the Agency for Peacebuilding (AP) on behalf of the International Cooperation on Human Rights and Intercultural Heritage (I-CONTACT) course of studies. The objective of the project, which began in February 2023 and ended in July 2023, was to investigate the state of internationalization and intercultural integration of the university centre and the city of Ravenna, subsequently providing recommendations and good practices on the topic.
The main target of the research was international male and female students, while indirectly the project involved and listened to Italian students who live in the context of the city and university, experimenting in a different but equally significant way with the international dimension.
To carry out the research, local stakeholders in particular were also listened to by the municipal administration, some coordinators of international courses from the University of Bologna, Ravenna campus, as well as the Flaminia Foundation.
The project included the following activities:
- Interviews with tutors and representatives of I-CONTACT students (January 2023);
- Workshop with I-CONTACT students (February 2023);
- Mapping of stakeholders and activities already in place for the international student body
(January-April 2023);
- Institutional roundtable with local authorities (June 2023).
The “Intercultural dialogue workshop” was structured into two focus groups during which AP met and listened to male and female students. The objective of the workshop was to identify the critical issues, needs and opportunities for male and female students within and within the university campus of the city context in which they are a part of. In particular, the focus was on the international nature of the campus, on the involvement of internationals within the university, the city and in parallel on the relationship that exists between male and female students of Italian and international origin.
The institutional table with the authorities was coordinated by AP and saw the intervention of various stakeholders of interest who shared their perspective on the state of internationalization. The institutional table has allowed the connection between some stakeholders, facilitating the discussion on how and when to carry out some concrete actions both in the short term and in the medium-long term.
Research has highlighted many of the issues surrounding the state of internationalization are interconnected and has collected the conclusions in a Report with recommendations on possible paths to facilitate the reception process of international people enrolled at the University of Bologna, Ravenna campus.
Experts
Mariachiara Giaccai
Bernardo Venturi
Partners
International Cooperation on Human Rights and Intercultural Heritage (I-CONTACT)
University of Bologna, Ravenna campus
