A.M.M.I. – Associazione Multietnica dei Mediatori Interculturali ETS

/ Partner

A.M.M.I. – Associazione Multietnica dei Mediatori Interculturali ETS (Multiethnic Association of Intercultural Mediators) was founded in Turin from the direct experience of intercultural mediation professionals. Its goal is to value cultural diversity as a resource and to foster dialogue, inclusion, and the participation of people of foreign origin in the social, economic, and civic life of the local area.

Over the years, A.M.M.I. has developed services, projects, and interventions aimed at new citizens, communities of foreign origin, and areas characterized by a significant migratory presence. It works simultaneously with public services, local authorities, Third Sector organizations, and other community entities.

Intercultural and linguistic-cultural mediation, support in accessing services and rights, orientation, housing inclusion and housing emergency support, job placement assistance, training, proximity interventions, local help desks, community activities, and support for services represent different areas of a single strategy: creating the conditions for people to understand the context in which they live, access available opportunities, and consciously participate in community life.

A.M.M.I.’s mission is to promote a society capable of recognizing and valuing the plurality of its people, supporting the autonomy, awareness, and participation of individuals and communities, and facilitating the relationship between citizens, institutions, and services.

For A.M.M.I., intercultural mediation is therefore not merely a response to language barriers. It is a true social infrastructure, capable of building trust, making services more accessible and effective, preventing misunderstandings and conflicts, facilitating the exercise of rights and duties, and accompanying the social transformations of local areas.

Particular attention is dedicated to the “social climate” of neighborhoods and districts, especially in contexts with a strong presence of new citizens. Housing, work, access to services, documents and administrative procedures, safety, social inclusion, neighborhood relations, participation, and local governance are closely interconnected dimensions. For A.M.M.I., intervening in these aspects means not only responding to individual needs, but also contributing to the building of more cohesive communities, capable of facing changes through mutual knowledge, dialogue, and co-responsibility.

In this process, A.M.M.I. recognizes intercultural mediators, linguistic-cultural facilitators, community leaders, religious leaders, formal and informal associations, and groups, alongside communities of foreign origin, as key players. These subjects are not considered merely as beneficiaries of the interventions, but as active participants in identifying needs, building solutions, and governing local areas.

A.M.M.I.’s vision is that of a society in which different origins, languages, and cultures are fully recognized as part of the community, and in which every person has the opportunity to contribute to its development. A community capable not simply of “welcoming”, but of involving, empowering, and engaging the people who inhabit it.

This perspective also drives A.M.M.I.’s focus on social impact assessment. The goal is to make the change generated by its actions progressively observable and measurable, moving beyond the mere number of activities carried out or people reached.

The impact that A.M.M.I. aims to produce concerns, in particular, the ability to:

  • increase the awareness and autonomy of new citizens;
  • improve access to and relationships with public and local services;
  • strengthen the social and civic participation of individuals and communities;
  • value mediators, facilitators, and community leaders as active resources for the local area;
  • improve the capacity of services to understand and respond to the needs of an increasingly plural population;
  • foster trust, dialogue, and collaboration between citizens, communities, and institutions;
  • prevent marginalization, isolation, and conflict, and contribute positively to the social climate and cohesion of local areas.

Joining the Torino Social Impact network represents a natural step in this journey for A.M.M.I.: an opportunity to engage with an ecosystem of public, private, Third Sector, and research entities interested in generating and measuring social value.

A.M.M.I. intends to bring its experience in intercultural processes into this ecosystem and, at the same time, develop tools and collaborations that allow for a deeper understanding of how and to what extent the empowerment of people and communities can generate lasting changes in services, neighborhoods, and the wider territory.

The challenge is to contribute to a Turin where growing social and cultural plurality is not considered exclusively an element to be managed, but a structural component of the city and a resource for building social innovation, participation, and new forms of community.