Promoters of cultural diversity will be honoured once again in 2020 with the Year’s New Citizen of Turku and Multicultural Act acknowledgements. The acknowledgements will be granted to persons with an immigrant background or organisations that have promoted cultural diversity in the Turku region with their positive actions.
Proposals for the recipients of both acknowledgments can be submitted until 15 March via the City of Turku website at www.turku.fi/en/leisure/culture/years-new-citizen-turku-and-multicultural-act.
The Year’s New Citizen of Turku acknowledgement will be awarded to a person with an immigrant background living in the Turku region who promotes social integration in their everyday life. The Year’s Multicultural Act acknowledgement will be awarded to a person, company, organisation or other community whose operations promote cultural diversity.
The acknowledgments are aimed at encouraging and rewarding actions that often remain unnoticed.
- We want to highlight bridge-builders, meaning those who bring immigrants and the local population closer together. It is important to reward their work and display the City’s appreciation, says Vice-Chairperson of the Multicultural Council of Turku Berhan Ahmadi, who was also a recipient of the Year’s New Citizen of Turku acknowledgement in 2016.
- For me, the acknowledgement was a source of pleasure. It showed me that my work is not invisible, he says.
Last year, the Year’s New Citizen of Turku acknowledgement was awarded to the Chairperson of the Estonian Centre of Southwestern Finland Mari Jurtom, while the Year’s Multicultural Act acknowledgement was awarded to the co-operative Shams falafel for its social responsibility. Both recipients work towards an increasingly multicultural and tolerant Turku.
The recipients of the acknowledgments are selected by the Multicultural Council of Turku based on proposals submitted by residents. The Council is hoping to receive a broad range of proposals and emphasises that the candidates are expected to have an immaculate reputation. The acknowledgements will be presented to the winners at the celebration for new citizens.