Gambian students & researchers in Italy: a milestone reached

It is the first time an association composed of Gambian-Italian students, researchers and other professionals from various walks of life has been created in Italy. This milestone has been reached through years of collective and systemic consultations, mapping and research on the challenges faced by Gambians in Italy and more generally in The Gambia and Europe. The main goal of GIASR is to improve existing migration management challenges through active participation in both Italy and The Gambia. GIASR believes its establishment highlights the possibility to co-create together a bright and sustainable future. Accordingly, any such future can only be achieved through discussion tables, systemic co-designing, evaluation, and implementation of project-programmes aimed at common interests of all relevant stakeholders within the migration ecology.

The spirit and practice of the Association is to respect the principles of the rule of law which is based on full respect for the rights, freedom, dignity, moral, cultural and political convictions of its members and beneficiaries of the activities. GIASR therefore aimed at carrying out the following activities voluntarily for the benefit its associates and recipients of the activities, independently, or in collaboration with other associations, public bodies and private entities that share similar purposes, aims and objectives:

• Give assistance and orientation to foreign students who wish to enroll in a course of study activated by an Italian university, high schools as well as vocational training institutions.
• Promote discussion tables on the rights of migrant students by involving relevant actors.
• Co-develop, promote, coordinate and implement project-programmes, studies, research, internships, conferences, workshops and public seminars on the socio-economic, legal, political and cultural conditions of Gambian migrants and GIASR members, in collaboration with other agencies and associations, in Italy and abroad.
• Promote intercultural activities of social interest and provide basic language courses in indigenous Gambian and African languages as well as in Italian and European languages in collaboration with Italian schools, universities and actors of the third sector at European level.
• Give support to the beneficiaries (destitute, sick people, prisoners, detainers, asylum seekers, and those in similar needy situations in cooperation with the relevant stakeholders within local bodies and institutions, for the improvement of the individual's conditions.
• Give guidance and support on social housing, cultural and job orientation in accordance with Italian law, as well as any other activities aimed at meeting social, health, training and labour needs of migrant students, researchers and essential workers.
• Develop information-awareness action plan through co-designing, implementation, dissemination and evaluation for instance via printed periodicals, radio and television broadcasts, videotapes etc in coordination with national and international bodies.
• Promote research, collection, preservation of documentation and materials pertaining to its activities.
• Cooperate with Italian-Gambian governments and third parties in order to promote and realise the purposes of the association.