Page 40 - DIVA_4_2006_No.27

Ten years of service for Geneva's

international community

International Geneva We organize excursions of Q: What should people do if
Welcome Centre (CAGI) vazioris types for the iiitei'iiatio- who wou]d }ike to obtain
celebrated its tenth anni- nal coini'nunity-sometimes information about you?
this is for families with a special Tliey should go to ow web-site:
versary in 2006, and in
empliasis on activities for cluld- www.cagi.cli. Tliey sliould look
September hosted a under
ren; sometimes it's for ambassa- at "Happy liows"
huge celebration party new?" and subsci'ibe to
dors; at other times it's iriore for "What's
for the internationals the general priblic. Eacli tiine, our news aleit. For other
with more than 1,000 we have aborit 100 persons events, we sometiines send orit
guests at its headquar- attendii'ig oir events. the invitations by e-mail.
C ters-the Villa la Sometimes orir activities are
o Pastorale on the Route We have also establislied a pait- designed for a paiticular group
tliem
tl'ien we contact
ai'id
with
tlie "Fondation
nersliip
de Femey. The Director
poir Geneve", wliicli is anima- directly.
of CAGI, Mr. Francois
ted by volunteers from tlie city
Schmidt, kindly received
and tliey encoriraged people to Tliere are aborit 40,000 persons
us to talk about the wlio are entitled to benefit fi'om
discover Geneva-institutions
Centre and its mission. of all kinds rangiitg from tlie orir sei'vices. It's free of cliarge.
economic, the govei'iu'nental, to We are there to assist people
htarigurated in 1996, tlie the cu&iral. Tlie intention is to and tl'ierefore they sliould defi-
Interiiational Geneva Welco+ne integrate tlie iiitemational com- nitely not liesitate to contact us.
o Centre is supported by nune- mtn'iity. We thii'dc tliat ii'itegra-
rous priblic and private paitners tion is made by spreading kno- Q: What are your plans for
with the aiin of assistiiig tlie wledge aborit tl'ie otlier, aborit 2007?
C iiitei'national coiiuninity iii dif- orirselves and ow criltiire.
ferent ways. In the early days of In tliis foitlicoiniiig year we are
tlie Centre, sei'vices were We l'iave just established a tori- planning to intensify oir colla-
concenh'ated on housing and rist coruiselling sei'vice. I must boration witl'i Swiss Tourism,
other foi'ins of assistance. Two make it clear tliat we are i'iot a and we inigl'it orgai'iize excur-
years ago, witli the ai'i'ival of Mi' travel agency, but we will provi- sions over a weekend, soine-
Scliinidt, tlie Centre started to thing we liave never done befo-
de infonnation to tlie intei'natio-
organize events so that tlie ii'iter- nal comimutity and gjve tliem re. We liave slci con'ipetitions,
o national con'imunity will get to some guidance on wliat to see iit teiuiis competitions ... qriite a
know inore about lifestyles and Switzerland. Tliis sci'vice will be lot of spotting events, etc. So
C customs-about Swiss cultiire. operational as of November we are goiiig to contiiuie in tlie
o Q: Can you tell me briefly 2006, and we collaborate witli saine spirit...
paiti'iers, sucl'i as Swiss
different
what CAGI does? Tou'ism, etc.
0

38 5 2006 Diva

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