Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/806571
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 2 APRIL 2017 15 for centuries. Each country has conserved its culture till now, so I can't imagine how this 1.6% is going to alter the whole continent... All the same, migration has had an impact on host communities in the past. In many parts of Europe (arguably in Malta, too) there are concerns with ghettoisation: occasionally these tensions spill over into riots, public unrest, etc... H: But that comes from lack of integration... and the way of dealing with those people. Because there is no integration, they don't feel part of the community. But I personally feel that countries need immigration, whether they realise it or not.... or whether they admit to it or not, because they want to please their citizens. e reality is that they are in need. If you look at the baby-boomer issue, it raises questions on the sustainability of pensions. In Malta the ratio is 1:4. Four people have to work to pay for one. And in time it can only increase. Migration can play a part in solving this issue. Yesterday, I was at the Prime Minister's public dialogue meeting, and he was asked a question about pensions. He, too, said we had to look towards migration for a solution... To do that, one would presumably have to start thinking of an integration policy. How would Spark 15 set about planning one if it were given the task? What would Houri and Mohamed propose? H: When talking about integration, there are many sub- headings. Education, employment, documentation, healthcare... the list goes on. Each section should be tackled based on the situations that people are facing on the ground: not on what is on paper. Sometimes there is need for the government to take into consideration what the NGOs are doing. Because they are always looking at them like they are the enemy. But in reality, if you look closely at what the NGOs are doing, they are better than government because they are the ones working hands-on at ground level... M: But first, I would tear down all the fences around the camps, and relocate them to the centre of towns. Remove anything that isolates refugees from the rest of the community. Marsa is a good example. Some of the people there have been there for 15 or 16 years. Last year, Haji died under a bridge. He had been here for a long time: he was one of the first groups who had arrived. And he died under a bridge. People are being isolated, and that is what will create ghettos. I don't think it's a good idea to go to Marsa after midnight, especially Aldo Moro street. You can see a lot of Maltese youngsters, and other nationalities, who go there and throw stones at the residents. Or bottles, eggs... I've experienced that once. Some of my friends who lives in the open centre experiences it every day, especially walking back home at night. ey always take the longest way to avoid the main street. is creates resentment and anger.... H: None of this is necessary. With a proper integration strategy, we can create a win-win situation. Refugees will be empowered to get an education, to work and pay taxes, and the country will benefit from their input. But if we do the opposite, if we push them into the corner and ignore them... no one will benefit from that. As one of its first public activities, Spark-15 is organising a football tournament to be held at MCAST on 29 April. Interested parties are invited to send an email to sparkfif@gmail.com. Interview Immigration is not all necessarily about tensions and conflict. A new student organisation, SPARK-15, aims to change public perceptions by emphasising the social and economic benefits of integration. Founding members HOURIE TAFECH (president) and MOHAMED HASSAN explain why a new NGO was needed in-win situation' Houri Tafech (centre) and Mohamed Hassan (right) together with fellow Spark 15 member Paul Galea