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Intergration Learning Exchange

Fundació Tot Raval

El gato de Raval

Like Toronto’s Kensington Market, or China Town in New York and San Francisco, Barcelona’s Raval is a neighborhood created by waves of immigrants who first came seeking jobs in the city’s 19th century textile mills and today continue to contribute to the character and energy of the district. Almost half of all neighbourhood residents have a migrant background.

Located in the heart of the Ciutat Vella (old city) district of Barcelona, the influx of new immigrants and migrant workers to Raval’s cramped streets has not always been easy. Over the years, a large and varied network of services, associations and ad hoc initiatives came in or were created to address emerging social problems and stresses.

Today, says Nuria Paricio, Director of the Fundació Tot Raval, “Este és otro mundo” (this is another world).

Fundació Tot Raval is the community foundation and umbrella organization at the heart of the Raval neighbourhood.  Since it was founded in 2001, Fundació Tot Raval has acted as a coordination platform for the people of El Raval, empowering the community by working to support and coordinate the efforts of over 60 neighborhood organizations, associations and other initiatives actively engaged in the revitalization of the Raval neighborhood. The foundation’s membership includes organisations such as the Islamic Cultural Council of Catalonia, the National Library of Cataglonia and the A. Rosa Sensat Teachers.

Consell Islàmic de Catalunya

The Fundació provides a variety of work spaces and forums to support community participation (board of trustees, committees, project work groups, seminars, etc.) and collaborative efforts to identify issues and reach common solutions –as well as to pool precious resources.

By enabling the diverse members to work together, the Fundació Tot Raval makes sure that initiatives aren’t duplicated and reinforces the success they achieve. By networking and generating synergies among the neighbourhood agencies and local authorities, the foundation is having a positive impact on the general population.

Fundació Tot Raval encourages cross-cutting actions and multicultural projects that boost coexistence and social cohesion, promote networking, and contribute to better education and employment outcomes. In the entrepreneurial spirit of Barcelona Activa, the Fundació also fosters cooperation between businesses and works to invigorate the local economy and culture with a view to helping make the Raval an inclusive, dynamic neighbourhood committed to the future of all its residents.

Fundació Tot Raval’s unique approach to local development,  cross-cutting nature of its activities, the quantity and diversity of its members, and the participatory spaces it stimulates make it a Good Idea worth watching closely.

For more information,

Fundació Tot Raval
Pl. Caramelles, 8
08001 Barcelona
Tel. 93 442 68 68
Fax: 93 442 68 81
info@totraval.org
www.totraval.org