Newsletter 1 July 2007
BPR-ME project corresponds to INTERREG IIIC programme intending to address the issue of the cooperation
between regions, promoting the exchange of experiences between other partners and experimentation with
new initiatives. Pilot project will use C2C project's innovative approach to the integration of the migrant people
- replacing the idea "integration in only one country" in favour of the idea of integration as an international
base of long networks of migratory paths.
The project is in line with C2C project Call's SUBPROGRAM 1: Development of economic activities, priority
line 1.1 - To support entrepreneurship, business development and start-ups for migrants in host and origin
countries. This priority line pursues the promotion of conditions that allow development of economic activities
for migrant population in the reception place.
BPR-ME pilot project experiences new approaches in supporting entrepreneurship, business development and
self employment for migrant people. The priority line pursues the promotion of those conditions that allow
migrant people to create communication networks, start up of economic entrepreneurial activities in the host
countries and in the origin countries, in order to reach, and get into, the new market channels opened by
transnational cooperation. Transnational network BPR-ME aims at enhancing the amount of migrants
entrepreneurs who are establishing start-up companies as well as the amount of migrant people starting their
self-employment activities. With the involvement of migrant communities, together with home countries
interested in projects aiming at promoting entrepreneurship. Establishing new successfull enterprises is an
incentive for migrants to achieve social, cultural and economic integration in the society they live in.
B u s i n e s s P r omo t i o n R a i n b ow f o r Mi g r a n t
E n t r e p r e n e u r s
NEWSLETTER 1
Welcome to the first BPR - ME Newsletter!
THE PARTNERS:
Association "SAVA KABATA"
contact: Mrs Liene Aleksandra Abolina
savakabata@inbox.lv
mazaragana@gmail.com
Cruz Roja Espanola (Oficina Provincial de
Valencia)
contact: Mrs Nuria Calvo Zapata
nurcal@cruzroja.es
www.cruzroja.es
Provincia di Padova
contact: Mr Marco Sacco
areacooperazione@agfol.it
www.provincia.padova.it
Provincia Regionale di Agrigento
contact: Mrs Tiziana Lo Cascio
graham@grahameassociati.it
www.provincia.agrigento.it
Scuola Media Statale "Ignazio Florio"
contact: Mrs Roberta Russo, Mr Gaetano
Bordonaro, Mrs Caterina Gurrera
smsflorioc2c@libero.it
Association "SAVA KABATA"
Association "Sava Kabata" supports entrepreneurial activity in Livani District providing assistance for
emerging migrant enterprises with innovative business ideas that were collected through business ideas'
contest. Association organizes training courses and seminars for entrepreneurs, provides different expert
consultations by experts and motivates people to return to Livani district and run their businesses here. In
order to develop creative thinking, Association in cooperation with Livani District Council, manages an
Innovation Demonstration Centre. The aim of this centre is to attract more young people to engineering
sciences and motivate them to study and increasing the number of technical specialists and engineers in
Latvia.
Livani is a quite small city, but it deals with very hard migration problems. The main problem is
emigration of young people that leave Livani and go to study and to work to capital Riga. After studies
they do not return, they stay in capital because of possibility to have a job and different chances to have a
good time. It causes a decrease of Livani District economic and demographic development. Because of it
Livani need to improve the business environment and to give chances for young people to get a job here.
It is possible by giving good conditions for making their own business in Livani through the BPR-ME
project. Then they would stay for living in their native city and would not leave it supporting
development of the city and increase of common living conditions.
Scuola Media Statale "Ignazio Florio"
The SMS (State Medium School) / CTP (Permanent Territorial Centre) "Ignazio Florio", in Palermo, Italy,
is a public school that receive pupils from ten to thirteen years old. Besides it have adult students (from 15
to 90) who want to obtain a final certification of medium school, who want to continue their interrupted
studies, and also migrants who want to learn Italian and to achieve an Italian certification of studies.
Migratory phenomenon in Sicily is wide. Every day we assist to the disembark of irregular people in the
south coasts of our island, they come from north Africa, and further we welcome many regular
immigrants who work or study in our country (from Africa, China, East part of Europe).
Palermo develops on a large suburban area, where migrants live in a linguistic, social and economic
discomfort. Migrant people want to emancipate themselves and get into the job market. So it is necessary
to integrate and to improve their life here.
On 23/11/06 the SMS Florio organized a Study Visit in Palermo, with a visit to the school "I.Florio",
where the partners met the school-manager and the administrative team. Then we visited the city centre
and the immigration suburb, where migrants are confined and live in precarious conditions.
The participation to this meeting was active. All the partners from Valencia, Livani, Padova and
Agrigento came.
Cruz Roja Espanola (Oficina Provincial de Valencia)
RED CROSS Provincial Office of Valencia has experienced and goes on experiencing the immigration
process in Valencia, we have been following the immigrant people's long journey from its beginning until
its incorporation in our social structure.
Valencia´s Population is about 807.396 inhabitants so it represents 18% of the total population from the
Valencian Region. Nowadays, Foreign inhabitants of Valencia City represent more than the 14%, per
nationalities: Ecuadorians, Colombians, Argentinians, Africans are the more common as well as an
increasing number of people coming from East of Europe. Figures changes but the immigration reality is
expected to continue growing in Valencia. Accordingly, we will have to adapt our support according to
the different problems that the immigrants were facing at the moment.
As a result, Valencia City Council with the collaboration of CEAR PV and Red Cross Provincial Office of
Valencia organised the Thematic Seminar "An innovative proposal for immigrants Integration" last 29-30-
31 of January.
Doubtless, this was a good opportunity to exchange experiences and opinions, for instance, about Sanitary
Systems changes needed, Cultural Mediation, Immigration and its impact on the Labour Market,
Immigrant Self-Employment as a way to the social and labour integration and Microcredits.
Provincia di Padova
The Province of Padova is one of the seven local Administrations of Veneto Region, located in north east
of Italy. Some 880.000 inhabitants live there.
Veneto Region and the Province of Padova are among the most developed and dynamic areas of the
Country. For this reason in the past two decades it has attracted a number of foreign citizens.
Nowadays foreigners residing in the Province of Padova are more than 40.000 belonging to 173 different
nationalities among the 195 existing in the world.
Most of them have come to Padova for work, looking for salaried employment, nevertheless in the past
few years the structure of immigration has changed and many foreigners are becoming entrepreneurs.
According to a recent analysis, the entrepreneurs of non communitarian origin present in the province of
Padova are about 5200 and represent 3.5% on the total of entrepreneurs operating in the area
Provincia Regionale di Agrigento
The Province of Agrigento is one of the nine local Administration of Sicily Region, located in south of
Italy. The analysis of scenery, based mainly on official data of the Rooms of Commerce, Istat (central
statistics Office), Censis, emphasizes how the social-economical picture of the province of Agrigento has
structured itself in a market of work with strong contradictions bound mainly to an enterprise of familiar
character with a middle dimension of the installations of 1-2 employees for local unity. Referring to
immigrant people, there is an increase of the legal presence (2.500 in 2003, about 4.300 in 2005) and
(according to the associations) the 30% without regular permission. Not official data related to 2006
estimate the comprehensive presence between the 6.000 and 6.500. The Province support development of
economic activities and entrepreneurial ideas with actions like Workshops or Information Office, able to
give information and help immigrants that could ask legal, economic and administrative element to set up
a new enterprise or develop self-employment activities.
The 22th of November 2006, the Province of Agrigento, acting in concert with Graham & Associati,
organised the press conference to present the Pilot Project and the kick Off Meeting that saw as
protagonists all five partners of BPR-ME project and two representatives of C2C project.