Joint Action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission, C4i targets prejudices to provide answers to common misconceptions about diversity
The C4i-Communication for Integration project, co-funded by the Council of Europe and the European Commission, aims to create social networks in order to address negative but widespread, misconceptions (rumours, prejudices and stereotypes) about persons from diverse backgrounds and to provide evidence-based information to counteract such misconceptions. Active participation from citizens as “anti-
rumor agents” is a key feature of C4i. C4i draws upon the experience of Barcelona’s Anti-rumour Strategy, which has been implemented in the city since 2010. The importance of rumours there became apparent when members of the public were asked a series of questions, under the framework of drawing up Barcelona’s Intercultural Plan, to gather information on the main "problems" associated with migration. One of these went as follows: “What factors make it difficult for Barcelona's residents from diverse cultural backgrounds to live together?” Some 48.1% of over 1,000 respondents said that the main factors that made it difficult for people to live alongside one other in a diverse society were: “lack of knowledge of the other, as well as current rumours, stereotypes and prejudices about the other unknown person.”
The C4i project is presently implemented in 11 European cities: Amadora/Portugal, Barcelona/Spain, Bilbao/Spain, Botkyrka/Sweden, Erlangen /Germany, Limerick/Ireland, Loures/Portugal, Lublin/Poland, Nuremberg/Germany, Patras/Greece and Sabadell/Spain. The cities work in cooperation with local authorities, NGOs, foreign communities, academia, media and citizens, with a view to identifying and addressing common misconceptions about immigration – via campaigning and viral communication techniques – and promoting living together in diversity and social cohesion. In addition, the impact survey, carried out before and after the anti-rumour campaigns in each and every partner city, will measure their effectiveness in dispelling the rumours among the population.
