Immigration Council warns foreign nationals must be integrated into society
Life president of the council Sr Stanislaus Kennedy made her comments at an event marking a successful mentoring programme for people from overseas living here.
The programme was launched last December and has seen people from other countries appointed a mentor who can then help and advise them in various facets of their lives.
One person who engaged with the programme, Hamayun Hamayun from Pakistan, said his mentor, Philip Berman, had played an instrumental role in his life and had even helped him successfully to pursue family reunification here.
Sr Stanislaus said, despite recent figures showing some migrants had left Ireland because of the recession, this country was still and would remain a changed nation.
“Our communities have changed forever and we are now a diverse society,” she said. “That will not change.
“We must ensure that we continue to remove barriers to social inclusion so that no group or individual must overcome unnecessary hurdles to achieve their potential. That includes language barriers, educational barriers, recognition of qualifications, employment barriers and attitudinal barriers that lead to exclusion and racism.”
ICI chairperson John Cunningham said the mentoring programme, which is funded by Pobal, had shown itself to be a reciprocal process for those involved.
“Mentors gave their time voluntarily to support mentees in meeting a range of goals, from improving English language skills to sharing an interest or hobby and learning more about Irish society and culture.
“Mentees shared their knowledge of a different culture and country, their experiences of migration and of living in Ireland.”
