Whole-COMM’s extensive research has illuminated a concerning trend: recent migrants, those who have arrived since 2014, and long-term residents tend to have limited meaningful interactions with each other. Daily encounters often remain confined to necessary exchanges, failing to blossom into deeper connections that can foster lasting relationships.
To tackle this challenge, the policy brief, authored by Caitlin Katsiaficas and Leila Hadj Abdou, presents a multifaceted approach to increase opportunities for encounters between recent migrants and long-term residents. It underscores the importance of local governments’ involvement in providing resources to facilitate social interactions and recommends collaboration with civil society and migrant-owned businesses to organize events that promote intergroup communication.
To make it easier for people from different backgrounds to get to know each other in smaller communities, we should create more chances for them to meet and remove things that make it hard for newcomers to join in. The policy briefs suggest some ways of action.