According to Neus Alberich, there are many intercultural challenges from the point of view of the youth policies and the rest of social policies since the public youth policies are responsible for generating integration and inclusion processes when it comes to young people in society as well as working hard to build a more united society up.

“Actually, our society is already multicultural and it seems that there is some agreement coming from the social field on the fact that the most desirable coexistence and management of this diversity model is the multicultural one. In order to become a paradigm, the multiculturalism must overcome a number of obstacles as for example the management policy about the migration flows and the concession mechanisms of the whole citizenship”, she stated.

In this regard, the speaker of the ‘Young Generation’ cycle considers that being a migrated person causes some sort of “stigma” that can pass from one generation to another. She warns about “a misunderstood integration where the only ones that must strive are the foreign.” 

The Professor will discuss about how the diversity of origin, nationality and ethnic group often becomes a source of inequality. She defends multiculturalism when it comes to equal rights and opportunities and claims that “it must be combined with a clear fight against exclusion and discrimination.”

“Our citizenship has suffered the consequences of the crisis and stands right now at a moment where the precarious condition of wellness is being dismantled. Consequently, it can feel easily tempted by discourses that are xenophobic, islamophobic, etc. and make coexistence more difficult”, she stated.

Alberich will expose in her conference some concrete situations and experiences like what is like to “work along on multireferential identities creation, working on what do young people have in common or promoting relationships with reciprocal exchange and fitting in order to leave a concrete -not hostile- coexistence behind and introduce an actual coexistence where interaction and influence among people and groups is mutual.”

Neus Alberich has a Master’s Degree in Basic Applied Research in Anthropology from the UAB and is graduated on History. She is specialised in Social and Cultural Anthropology and works as a social educator since 1998, as a consultant since 2004 in the Social Education Degree at the UOC and also as a professional trainer in the Diversity, Interculturalism and Social Inclusion Management field for several institutions. She is experienced social educator in different entities as well as a cultural intermediary in the Terrassa City Council, to be more specific.  She has also taken part on the research ‘Somnis de butxaca. Nois i noies migrants no acompanyats a Catalunya’ at the Bofill Foundation (2009).

Her representative publications are ‘Interculturalitat en les polítiques de joventut’ in 2010 with M. N’Diaye, click here to access to it: http://links.uv.es/5Bn70m9

Other ‘Young Generation’ discussions.

During this academic year, ‘La Nau Discussions-Young Generation’ has set a total of five conferences about youth policies, participation, multiculturalism and communication. All of the entries are free at 19:00 in La Nau Cultural Centre La Nau of the University of Valencia. The aim is to approach to the youth the issues that affect them through discussions, roundtables and presentations about youth studies. 

This activity is specially addressed to professional people working on this association’s field, university students and public administration in order to design policies aimed to recognise and improve the youth situation.

There is a scheduled conference next 9 March whose speaker is Mònica Figueras, who is doctor in Journalism from the Pompeu Fabra University and has a Degree on Sociology and Information Sciences from the Autonomic University of Barcelona. She will discuss about ‘Youth and communication ─ boys a girls against media consumption’. 

The cycle will conclude on 27th April with a conference called ‘Participación y juventud’ in charge of Francisco José Francés, doctor in Sociology, Sociology II Department Professor from the Interuniversity Institute of Social Development and Peace.