Our mission statement
Inspired by the principles of social solidarity, the MOSAICO Association pursues aims aimed at prevention, support, promotion and awareness raising on issues related to migration and social inclusion, with a special focus on forced migration. Its main objectives include:
Supporting pathways to social integration and inclusion within local society, with holistic and personalized social mediation approach.
The promotion of access to rights, realized through the implementation of a mediation space that offers guidance, support and tools for autonomy.
Advocacy work on issues of migration and the value of diversity, aimed at raising awareness and benefiting citizenship, institutions and stakeholders.
Theorganization of World Refugee Day (June 20) to enhance the protagonism of refugee people and intercultural dialogue.
The development of initiatives in countries of origin and transit, in collaboration with local and diaspora entities, to support social cooperation and a transnational approach.
Our Story
Mosaico was born in Turin in 2006, from the initiative of a group of refugees still inside the reception system. They were experiencing the fatigue of a complex journey and wanted to share with others the daily difficulties of asylum. From this experience a question arose: “all this social capital we are accruing, how can we put it to use?” The answer was clear: use it for those who would come later, for those who would need to find support to make this journey, a point of support.
There was also another driving force: back then, the voice on refugees was almost always told by others, and almost always in terms of burden or problem. The message Mosaico wanted to give was different: travel does not take away skills, it transforms them. Refugee not as a burden, but as a resource.
Hence grew the desire to create a space for meeting, support and protagonism. A simple and at the same time new idea: an association led by those who know firsthand the difficulties of asylum and migration. From the beginning, and still today, Mosaico’s governance is composed of refugee people, flanked by Italian citizens, in a model that brings together lived experience and professional expertise.
A few more hints about our route
The first few years were devoted primarily to reception and orientation, with the opening of a small information desk for asylum seekers and refugees. Over time, that first space grew to become the Mbongui Social Mediation Space: an open, multicultural place to find concrete support on documents, housing, work, health and study.
Since 2012, specific projects have emerged that still mark the association’s identity:
- the mutual aid group “We are not alone”, designed for refugee women to strengthen support networks and pathways to autonomy;
- Since 2018, the association has also started working in the field, with the street social mediation: going out to meet people in the places where they live or stop, intercepting fragilities and needs. It is a proximity approach that is an integral part of the way we operate today.
- support for refugee university students, to facilitate access and continuation of studies;
- cultural initiatives aimed at citizenship, such as the celebration of the World Refugee Day, which over time has become the International Week of Rights, Environment and Cultures..
An important step came in 2022, when Mosaico was recognized as a implementing partner of UNHCR and assumed coordination of the Common Space within the Foreigners Service of the City of Turin. Here, together with institutions and partners, we have built a “One-Stop-Shop” model, bringing together in one place several key services for those seeking protection and inclusion.
Over the years, Mosaico has also consolidated its presence internationally. Since 2015, it has participated in the ECRE (European Council on Refugees and Exiles) and since 2020 has been part of CreE-A, the European network of social mediation., bringing to Europe the concrete experience gained in Turin.
Today Mosaico is a reality made up of social mediators, operators and volunteers from different countries and cultures. Our identity remains the same as our origins: an association rooted in the territory, born to enhance the protagonism of refugee and migrant people, and capable of building bridges between people, communities and institutions.
Our activities
The thread that unites all of Mosaico’s activities is social mediation. It is not just a service, but an approach: a way of entering into relationships that makes it possible to prevent social bond ruptures, manage conflicts, and build trust between people and institutions.
Social mediation starts from a simple idea: conflict is part of life, but it can be handled in different ways. If ignored or repressed, it tends to worsen and produce isolation, distrust, and marginalization. If, on the other hand, it is accompanied, it can become an opportunity for growth and change. This is why mediation is prevention: it intercepts fragilities and tensions before they escalate, reducing the risks of exclusion and offering tools to deal with difficulties.
Learn more about social mediation
Doing social mediation means: creating spaces for speaking and listening, facilitating encounters between different points of view, recognizing the dignity of each person, and promoting shared rules of coexistence. It is a voluntary, trust-based process that focuses on people’s ability to find solutions together. In this sense, mediation is not assistance but activation of resources: it accompanies individuals and communities as protagonists of their own journey.
Social mediation is also outreach work. In neighborhoods, public offices, and city services, Mosaico mediators meet people in the places where they live or stop, to prevent them from remaining invisible or cut off. It is a practice that mends bonds, reduces perceived insecurity and strengthens a sense of belonging.
For us, social mediation is, in short, the concrete way of building a “plural we”: a space where differences and conflicts are not denied, but recognized and transformed into coexistence.
Events and outreach
We organize public initiatives to talk about migration clearly, without simplification. The most important event is the International Week of Rights, Environment and Cultures, which takes place every year in June. It is a festival that brings together refugees, citizens and institutions through meetings, workshops and cultural activities.
Refugee social mediation
Mosaico’s work takes place in Mbongui Space in the Common Space, Neighborhood Houses and street mediation activities. We offer guidance and accompaniment on practical issues such as documents, housing, health, work or study. Alongside this are specific pathways such as the mutual aid group for refugee women and support for university students.
Institutional networks and tables
Mosaico actively participates in many tables and networks, both locally and internationally, bringing the direct experience of social mediation inside the places where policies and practices on asylum and inclusion are discussed. We are part of ECRE (European Council on Refugees and Exiles), CreE-A (European social mediation network), UNIRESST and the PartecipAzione program.
Our local national networks
On the local, Mosaico sits on several institutional and thematic tables, including: Multidisciplinary Team Common Space, Plural Turin Table, Turin Anti-Racist Table, Aliens Office Asylum Table., Piedmont Gris Table, in addition to the consultation tables promoted by Prefecture e Turin Police Headquarters, at Multiculturalism Forum, to educational tables and those dedicated to minors, adolescents and overcoming administrative detention.
In addition to institutional spaces, Mosaico supports and participates in bottom-up networks led by refugee and migrant people, which provide a key venue for community protagonism and self-organization.