The integration of young asylum seekers remains one of the most pressing challenges in contemporary European societies. Current realities reveal persistent contradictions between national policy frameworks and local integration practices, often resulting in divergent outcomes. This article presents a qualitative study conducted in southwestern Sweden, examining the conditions under which integration can—or cannot—be fostered through preventive, community-based strategies. While European research has highlighted intercultural initiatives such as communal living schemes in countries like Belgium, the Swedish case reveals a lack of systemic and interdisciplinary approaches capable of ensuring sustainable social inclusion. Drawing on interviews with local policymakers, educators, and civil society actors, complemented by participant observation, the study exposes the fragmented nature of local integration practices and the absence of coordinated strategies linking education, social services, and long-term planning. The analysis is framed through an interdisciplinary theoretical lens combining intersectionality, social psychology, and complexity theory, allowing integration to be understood as a multidimensional and non-linear process. The findings suggest that integration efforts limited to pragmatic, short-term measures fail to promote genuine intercultural dialogue and sustainable community development. By contrasting the Swedish case with innovative European models, the article argues for the need to reconceptualize integration as a preventive and systemic endeavor, in which educational and local institutions act as key mediators of intercultural sustainability.

Authors:
Junior Gómez Manresa, Jönköping University & Erik Dahlbergsgymnasiet in Jönköping, Sweden

About the Presenter(s)
Junior Gómez Manresa is a PhD social sciences educator and integration specialist, founder of Integra Suecia Academia, teacher at Erik Dahlbergsgymnasiet, and affiliated researcher at Jönköping University, Sweden.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/junior-g%C3%B3mez-manresa-0086b452/

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