Intercultural work in the municipality

The municipal authority of Brno makes public services accessible to the city inhabitants with migrant background. It introduces a new role in social services – the intercultural worker. The worker, employed by the municipality, is responsible for removing barriers between migrants and public institutions and public service officers. The innovation of the project lies in this dual approach. It helps migrants access public services, while also supporting public officers by giving them access to intercultural experts that can advise them on how to work with migrants and build their skills.

More than 36,000 migrants live in the city of Brno. Migrants, city authorities, and residents interact with each other more than ever, yet cultural and language differences make communication difficult. There is also a lack of support for migrants and public institutions — such as city services, medical centres, schools, social services — which can lead to conflicts.

The city of Brno employs intercultural workers who speak and work in different languages. Services such as interpreting, translation, and counselling are needed by migrants and public institutions adapting to the city’s changing urban environment.

Intercultural work in the municipality (“Interkulturní práce v samosprávě”) works with migrants and public institutions in Brno. Migrants hold active roles as agents of innovation. Migrants familiar with life in Brno are trained and work as intercultural workers in municipal public institutions.

The programme provides practical guidance to help public institutions cope with the growing number of migrants in Brno. The intercultural teams can quickly identify and resolve problems in time and find solutions. This leads to mutual understanding and reduces conflicts based on stereotypes.

This programme has great potential to be applied in other cities because it targets the essence and practices of how integration takes place in everyday life. The programme maps everyone’s needs – migrants, city residents, and municipal public institutions – to respond to the needs of migrants and the city with understanding.