BELONGING was the key message delivered by speakers at the launch of Limerick’s Migrant Integration Strategy 2018-2022 in Thomond Park on Friday, September 28.
The plan, the third released in the region, was described by Mayor James Collins, as the delivery of services, and the implementation of activities that promote the integration of migrants in Limerick City and County.
“When I first arrived in Limerick, I was so inspired by the many people I met who were campaigning for change,” said Donnah Vuma, a University of Limerick student who came to Limerick from Zimbabwe.
Donnah went on to explain how by getting involved with Doras Luimni, she participated in active citizenship courses, where she learned about “the local culture, the systems, and structures here in Limerick.”
“The integration plan points to active citizenships as one of its priority thematic areas, and I could not agree more,” Ms Vuma explained.
President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins delivered a keynote speech at the event, stating, “I note that at the very heart of the plan has been a determination to ensure that it is strongly based on the voice and experience of migrants themselves who have made Limerick their home.
“Indeed, I was inspired to read a quote from a member of the migrant community in Limerick, who said: I feel like I belong in Limerick. I want to be part of the solution”
“This is truly uplifting, and I encourage you all to go beyond just feeling that you belong to Limerick but to be confident that Limerick belongs to you.”
Speaking at the event Cllr James Collins, Mayor of Limerick City and County, who noted, “As a city, it’s always been something of a strangers paradise. Perhaps it’s because of the River Shannon and the activity, commercial and otherwise, that it has brought into Limerick.”
Quoting WB Yeats, the Limerick Mayor said, ”There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t met yet.”
