XEIX project for Diversity Advantage

The XEIX integration project is carried out in collaboration with the Eixample District and the Eix Fort Pienc Retailers’ Association. The project was launched in October 2012. Initially, the project pursued a progressive social integration of the Chinese community in the neighbourhood of Fort Pienc, a neighbourhood in the Eixample district. Subsequently, in 2014, the projects expanded and it started to include more communities in other areas of the Catalan capital. Nowadays, this initiative aims to foster social inclusion, through commercial education, between the Chinese residents in the neighbourhood of Fort Pienc and the Pakistani community in the area of San Antonio.

As anticipated above, the project was initially focused on the retail sector of the Chinese community, which represents the 20% of the population in the neighbourhood of Fort Pienc. The neighbourhood started facing a level lowering, which increased negative perceptions and intolerance between natives and foreign born and eventually lead to the closing of many businesses activities.

In order to revitalize the area, a local shops association has been created. The shopkeeper association offers assistance to what concerns administration and economy. For example, it gives IT support with new technologies (e.g. web sites, e-commerce). Moreover, this association mediates and manages the relations between the Chinese community and the natives, while fostering intercultural relations and encouraging multi-ethnic business. The association’s main goal is to bring together diverse shopkeepers from different backgrounds to foster local development. However, the project also includes social activities and services whose aim is to encourage social cohesion and foster acceptance; such as the Chinese language school Casa Asia, and the Confucius Institute.