Forthcoming course takes on social integration on the island

integracio social1The Formentera Council's office of social welfare is in the midst of programming a free course on socio-cultural integration that will take place over four weeks this spring, 17 March to 15 April. Organisers plan to use space available at the old Sant Francesc teacher's centre, located on the thoroughfare linking Sant Francesc with La Savina. The deadline for enrolment is Friday 13 March. Any interested in attending are asked to telephone 971321271.

The course will be spread across two weekly sessions, from 11am to 1pm, and is intended for Formentera newcomers with an interest in learning about the political and social context of the island on which they live. Although not obligatory, the course will assist immigrants in the obtention of certain documentation. Attendance can be used to validate the Informe d'Esforç d'Integració, a document expedited by the Balearic Islands autonomous community.

The Informe d'Esforç d'Integració (translated literally as 'report on effort to integrate') is a report intended to certify the effort an individual has made to integrate into the local community. The document can be useful for recently-arrived immigrants as supplementary information in the event that they are unable to accredit any portion of the conditions required for renewal of their work/residency permits. Moreover, attendance at such courses as this one often positively affects a person's application for Spanish citizenship.

Dolores Fernández Tamargo, councillor of social welfare of the Formentera Council, noted that the goal of the course was “to improve conditions of daily coexistence and social cohesion on the island” and boasted “Formentera's diversity is a plus...the population today is made up of people whose origins run the gamut.”

Classes will include lessons on the equality of the sexes, values of the European Union and introductory notions on subjects such as the Spanish constitution and the Autonomous Statute of the Balearic Islands. The course will rely wholly on the resources of the Formentera Council; coordination and teaching duties are shared by the Council's immigration services and staff trainers.

For more information and statements:
Dolores Fernández; 647620069
Laura Guaita (staff); 971321271