On Saturday, June 22, 2024, the forum "Young people leave, foreigners come: Uri and migration" took place. Around 30 interested people took part in the event, which was organized by the "Uri in Transition - Population and Science in Dialogue" project of the Cultures of the Alps Institute in Altdorf. The event made it clear how strongly migration has shaped the history of the canton of Uri and how much it still influences the changes in the canton today. The atmosphere throughout the forum was inspiring, the stories told were impressive and, thanks to some intimate accounts, provided insights into how people experience arriving in a new place or moving away. This particularly impressed moderator and project manager Rahel Wunderli: "The panel guests and the participants in the room complemented each other perfectly and made for an in-depth and enriching discussion."
The forum provided a platform for an exchange on various aspects of migration. From young Italians who were recruited to work in Uri in the 1970s to the integration strategies of refugees from other continents who learn to adapt to the Uri landscape, for example, to children who are teased because they don't speak the Uri dialect - there are countless stories of migration in Uri. This diversity was highlighted and discussed at the event. "The word migration is usually defined very narrowly in political discussions. This obscures the fact that migration is an experience that is also shared by so-called natives. We have therefore defined the term as broadly as possible in our project," says the project manager and historian. The event also included presentations of the research findings to date, followed by panel, room and group discussions on topics such as integration, rejection and racism, population decline in mountain communities and other migration phenomena. In addition to Rahel Wunderli, the morning was led by Myriam Arnold, PR specialist at Incendio AG, Thomas Brunner, cantonal monument conservator, and Daniel Speich Chassé, co-director of the Cultures of the Alps Institute.
Following the official program items, all guests were invited to a barbecue lunch to continue the exchange in an informal atmosphere. This opportunity was actively used and contributed to a successful conclusion to the event. The contributions and insights from the event are expected to be incorporated into a podcast, which will be available online in fall 2024. "At the same time, we are already turning our attention to the next thematic block of 'Uri in transition', namely the different generations and their relationship to each other," says Rahel Wunderli. At least one event will also be held on this topic and a dialog will be sought with the people of Uri.
Published on 01. July 2024
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