ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the some of the theoretical underpinnings and objectives of intermediate cultural space (ICS), the role of its group leaders, and its principles and methods, beginning with a definition of culture. Culture endows the individual with a way of thinking about and representing his society, his place within it and relation to it, and people's relations to each other. Culture enables the individual to communicate with his entourage and, through shared work and skills, makes social integration possible. The staff of the job training and placement programmes play the role of cultural mediators. Through mourning the lost paradise, and renouncing the idea of making a clean sweep of the past and creating a world without discontinuity, the entry into culture and personal independence becomes possible. The patient work of reconciling break and continuity is necessary in order to limit the tears, bring the torn pieces together, and repair oneself.
