The contribution addresses the extensive issue of inclusion from a critical and intercultural pedagogy perspective. Within it, the problem of tokenism emerges as a broad social issue, also conceptualized at an interdisciplinary level. The concept of ‘token’ implies a form of disguised exclusion and segregation, whose manifest profile appears emancipatory, but whose latent orders exacerbate relationships of subordination within a particular institution. First, some aspects of latent exclusion within educational practices will be identified through the consideration of “memos” of pedagogical figures. Subsequently, a pedagogical supervision tool will be used to verify how this issue closely concerns the same professional figures involved in pedagogical work within the critical-reflexive practices it elicits. Therefore, the paper delves into a decolonial perspective in intercultural pedagogy, addressing the critique of the ‘token’ concept through an examination of the relationship between alterity and difference in pedagogical discourse. It also addresses the concept within the relationship between ideology and education, aiming to theoretically and procedurally elucidate both its institutional functioning and its impact on service cultures and the materiality of educational settings. In this perspective, the concept of token can emerge as generative within the analysis of fields of experience that are marked by agency and parity only in a formal and superficial way, in order to highlight the aspects of latency that contribute to exclusion in service cultures and educational practices, and to propose an alternative which could foster real forms of cooperation and participation through the critical analysis of the material and symbolic conditions of education itself.

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) is an evidence-based minimum set of items guideline for conducting and reporting systematic reviews. While predominantly used in medical and health-related fields, this model is increasingly being employed in the social sciences to support scholars in creating summaries of evidence on a topic and perhaps reveal where further research is needed (Chapman, 2021). Taking inspiration from Martorana, Lagomarsino, and Rania’s work in 2021, the present contribution offers a theoretical reflection drawn from the application of the PRISMA to the Italian social work literature from the 1990s—the time of the adoption of the normative dictate recognizing the profession of social worker in the legal system—to nowadays. This process precisely allowed us to explore the thematic components of the intercultural paradigm and their impacts on the competencies expected of professionals.

This theoretical reflection could also serve as a foundation for the implementation of empirical research aimed at comprehending connections, overlaps, and gaps between the literature orientations and the content conveyed in social work degree programs, refresher courses for already licensed practitioners, and team supervisions. The hypothesis is that structural constraints, such as limited human resources and time, challenge the translation of the awareness of strengthening mediation skills into an effective demand for education and training attentive to developing a reflective stance regarding emotions—including negative ones such as discomfort, frustration, disorientation, and ambiguity—as well as about positioning—the ability to manage one’s distance from ethnocentrism.

Where the prevailing demand in education and training courses is for specific information on the countries and cultures of origin of foreign-born users in immigration areas, the risk is to fall into the illusory “ethnic cookbook” described by medical anthropology, in which finding recommendations for interpreting people’s behavior only by measuring in them the mere expression of a cultural norm. As Taliani (2014: 53) states, “extending 'qualities,' 'attitudes,' 'predispositions,' and 'values' generally to Africans is a questionable operation on a theoretical level and pernicious from a methodological standpoint because the culture of the other is in danger of being trivialized and dissected through 'abstract' and 'generalized' categories of thought, which do not necessarily state falsehoods; they simply do not say enough”[1]. That is, an attempt to solve what Khatibi (1993) defines as the “intractable difference” (the cultural difference) by removing or attenuating the dynamic character of the cultures themselves—the right for people with migrant backgrounds to fit into host societies and maintain their affiliations as well as the right to rethink them—but also their political dimension—the power dynamics that historically shaped our interaction with otherness and still constitute matrices through which relational experiences are likely to become stuck if not properly problematized.

This is why the proposed reflection should not be considered a goal in itself but rather a link and communication tool between theoretical knowledge in literature and practices carried out in the field of social services in relation to intercultural situations.

[1] Translated by the author.

“Within the word we find two dimensions, reflection and action, in such radical interaction that if one is sacrificed—even in part—the other immediately suffers […] and there is no transformation without action” (Freire, 2005, p. 87). As can be deduced from the Brazilian pedagogue's words, one cannot separate the word/language from the transformative effect it can have on the world. Awareness of this bond is grounding, for example, in second language learning pathways aimed at migrants, where the main effect of this lost connection can result in the failure of the integration pathway. For those who make a migration, language becomes a significant element to relate to the new reality, to respond to social, communicative and normative needs (D.P.R., 179/11).

In addition, an indispensable element for the development of human relations is interaction, a concept that in itself designates the need for prospects of coexistence to be built together (Pinto Minerva, 2002). Taking into account, at the same time, the increasing elements of complexity in contemporary societies resulting from the global context and of which inter/transnational migration is also a part, however, it is not always easy to identify and cultivate common ground for interaction. The encounter between individuals from different countries, each carrying different languages, values, religions, and modes of thought and behavior, often leads to the emergence of misunderstandings and conflicts in the field of relationships (Portera, 2019).

Precisely on the basis of these assumptions, there has been a growing awareness over time that pathways to learning the language of the country of immigration cannot be based exclusively on the acquisition of purely linguistic skills (Lo Bianco, Liddicoat & Crozet, 1999). Intercultural practices and activities, therefore, should embody the aspect of action indicated by Paulo Freire, insofar as they have as a prerequisite a transformative action on the world and on the perception of otherness.

The contribution addresses the question of the role of non-formal education of adulti migrants included in SL learning programs and the importance of intercultural activities and practices for the success of the inclusion pathway. Between October 2021 and September 2022, qualitative research was conducted in the city of Rome in which 60 semistructured interviews were carried out with both enrolled migrants (35) and teachers (25). The interviewees reported on the intercultural activities and practices that take place in SL acquisition pathways, the aspects that positively connote this type of experience and, at the same time, the still critical elements that limit its potential.

Culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP) has emerged in recent years as a fundamental theoretical approach to incorporating children’s different languages, cultures, and identities into the teaching process, leading to the consolidation of the concept of Intercultural Education. Indeed, the educational sector is crucial to create peaceful and cohesive societies, which should include all individuals beyond cultural diversities. The project SONRIE aims at defining the new concept of Intercultural Robotics Pedagogy, by establishing a software framework for social robots able to operate in kindergartens and primary schools with children of different cultures. The SONRIE robot will leverage its multi-linguistic abilities during verbal interaction, acting as a bridge between children of different nationalities, also implementing specific culture-aware functionalities that may be key in a multicultural primary school, such as traditional games, music, art, tales of specific culture.
In a context characterized by the presence of migrant children and families, culture-aware educational robots may strongly help foster the integration and inclusion of foreign children in many ways: for example, they may perform simply helpful actions, such as talking with children by using different languages and translating sentences to help interaction between children, but also more complex activities that may reduce the sense of loneliness and isolation of those children. Indeed, such robots will propose to children traditional games, stories, music, and nursery rhymes, which will be tailored to the specific traditions, needs, and preferences of foreign nursery children who will be involved in the project since its initial phases. Those activities will have the threefold objectives of engaging children, making them aware of the cultural diversity and richness of world traditions, and finally fostering the integration of foreign children that will experience, probably for the first time in their life, a robot aware of their culture, language, and traditions. To reach this aim, the project will start from the theoretical analysis of scenarios and guidelines developed by experts in Intercultural Pedagogy that will drive the definition of the software architecture, with the involvement of schools, teachers, and children’s parents in the process, to better identify specific needs. In particular, the project plans to also involve parents of foreign children in the development, to adapt the design of the robot to specific needs and preferences, and to avoid possible stereotypes that may arise during the implementation of the robot's behavior. Being present in class with children, a social robot could reduce the inevitable level of loneliness of foreign children through conversation, adopting different languages to break linguistic barriers, and implementing personalized entertainment to avoid stereotypes.
SONRIE centers around the thesis that cultural competence can have a specific impact on
improving inclusion and integration of foreign children;
increasing culture awareness of local children and teachers;
facilitating teachers and educators working in multicultural environments.

Migration is shaped as a transnational phenomenon. Indeed, families with a migration background experience the co-presence of cultural references from both the here and the there in their everyday lives. In fact, the sons and daughters of migration face the challenge of building a plural sense of belonging. As Morin points out, each person is configured as a homo complexus: his or her identity can be understood by considering all its components related to being part of plural collective dimensions, which are intertwined with the personal self. In the experience of young with migration background, these dimensions take on additional nuances, which arise from the plurality of cultural references with which they deal. Then, in their path of growth, the rooting processes in the culture of origin are relevant; at the same time, however, they need to elaborate an identity that lets them feel a sense of belonging to the here, to the context and the community where their present and, potentially, their future life takes place.

The relationships people experience assume an important function in becoming and feeling part of collective belonging: in this perspective, a prominent role is assigned to the exchange between generations. The international literature has explored various experiences and configurations related to transnational grandparenthood and grandchildhood, i.e., the declinations of the intergenerational relationship experienced in the family dimension. However, some authors have also explored how intergenerational relationships can be constructed in immigration contexts, through a phenomenon that can be defined as "kinscripting": a kind of social widening of the network of trust and kinship, which in these situations takes on a cross-cultural connotation.

The contribution stems from the research Nurturing the Roots: Memory and Intergenerational Responsibility in an Intercultural Perspective, which analyses these kinds of ties and the value they take on in the experience of preteens with migration background. The research takes place in the cities of Brescia and Bergamo, highly multicultural contexts, and involves representatives from a range of areas including educational contexts, social services and religious institutions, but above all it gives voice to the preteens themselves. Particularly, it is conducted through a participatory approach and using the hermeneutic-phenomenological perspective as a reference. The research highlights the possibility of building these intergenerational relationships in the local community dimension, both spontaneously and within nonformal educational services and contexts. Both the constraints and benefits of these ties emerge: for the young themselves, as well as for older people, in relation to the relational opportunities, but also in terms of de-constructing generalizing representations and prejudices. In a broader sense, it points out how the chance to experience intergenerational relationships in the community dimension opens up possibilities for intercultural and interreligious dialogue, co-habitation and mediation between different cultural perspectives. Finally, some educational trajectories are defined from a systemic perspective, aiming to lead young with migration background, their families and the local communities to build a sense of co-belonging and transformative inclusive processes.

This contribution follows a case study on Baobab Experience, a voluntary association that helps migrants in transit ('people on the move') (Audino, 2023). The present study analyses the capability of this organization in networking with others subjects operating in the national territory with the same goals.

In particular, the study analyses the outcome of the three first meetings whose purpose was to find the best way for the participating associations to coordinate and draft a common document. The final document is called "Carta di Rebbio", named after the place where the meeting took place. Sharing good practices and organizational models, human and economical resources, helps build a new kind of organization, independently from the nature more or less active on a political level of the organization or if it is religious or not. From a theoretical point of view, all organizations share a common idea of social justice and believe that everyone has rights to build their life project anywhere because freedom of movement represents self-determination capability. These organizations believe that if they work together there are more chances to oppose governmental hypocrisy and the false narrative of the migration topic. They also believe that this common work can help to contrast the aiding and abetting illegal immigration laws. The practical solidarity of despensing food and distributing non food items (NFI) such as blankets, clothes and tents and also medical aid and all kinds of information needed are part of the day to day activities and are always followed by advocacy and raising awareness within the area of intervention in order to ensure protection of the transit migrants within the EU. In this study case methodology refers to reasoned choice sampling (Charmaz, 2014) focused on organizations helping people one the move. This network belongs to the third sector associations and is, of course, non profit. Being a social initiative, those building the network believe that cooperating and sharing experiences is the most efficient way in terms of solidarity. This social entity supplies the void of institutions and authorities building an innovative way compared to the pre-existing ones, giving voice to different points of view: the way that develops both solidarity and redistribution; means of exchange that links the gift and the norm (Schmit e Palutan, 2018). The relationship between activists and migrants is characterized by the loyalty linked to the advocacy (Sanicola, 1994).