The Profession and the roles of the intercultural mediator in Italy

The job of the intercultural mediator deals with the relationship between two or more individuals from different cultures. Within this relationship, the mediator should be able to start a process of common learning, through which the involved parties learn to confront, to be willing to listen, to be open mind to the culture of others and to find new forms of communication and of understanding. In this regard, there are many scholars who have e mphasized the need to distinguish between different types of skills. In this context, it seems relevant to reflect on the role of intercultural mediator both in the school and within public health and social services to which the families of immigrants in Italy must necessarily resort. Therefore, it will try to highlight the many functions and the specific skills of intercultural mediators in educational and social-health services in which they operate. In the light of a brief survey on the current legislation concerning the professional figure and the functions assigned to the mediator, it will put the emphasis on the gap between the ever-increasing relevance of this figure in many areas of society and the absence of a law that defines its role in Italy.