A community that welcomes, in a city that rejects
My name is Letizia, I am 27 years old and from Turin.
Throughout my university career, between languages and international political science, migration has returned several times as a subject of study and insight. Yet, the more I read, studied and analyzed, the more I felt that my preparation was incomplete: I learned a lot about this phenomenon, but the need to go beyond the academic knowledge of human mobility and experience the, indeed, more human aspect grew stronger and stronger in me.
Thanks to activities with Più Ponti Meno Muri – as a camp participant Across Trieste 23 first, and as a volunteer in youth work workshops later – I had my first experiences meeting people on the move, who cross our territory every day, traveling longer routes on their journey to other European countries.
And then here came the unexpected opportunity: for the first time, ASCS organized the course for international volunteering in Turin, and in parallel I was suggested to go a few weeks to Calais in northern France. So I attended the course, during which I got to know young people with great motivation and enthusiasm: it is also thanks to comparing and sharing with them that I left for my first international mission with such awareness and curiosity. Having completed the training led by Lucia and Orietta, I joined Davide (head of the Borders project) in Calais, with the aim of learning more about the area and the associations working there, and understanding the current situation of a border.
Pas de Calais is the narrowest point of the English Channel, and on rare clearer days, one can see on the horizon the white cliffs of Dover in the United Kingdom, which are only a few dozen kilometers away.This is the destination coveted by the many migrants arriving from Sudan, Eritrea, Iran or Afghanistan and many other states in Africa and the Middle East. Despite the hostile climate in the city, a light of hope comes from the various a few volunteer associations that have created a solid and fruitful network of solidarity and cooperation to support people in transit in the area. During our first stay in Calais, we were able to collaborate with some of these realities: we spent time in the Secour Catholique day care center from which more than seven hundred people pass by each afternoon to share hot tea and chat, shoot some football, or simply spend time with each other. We got to know the groups that run other shelter homes and spent time in the company of the people housed, particularly at La Margelle, a home for men who are taking time to think and plan for their future, in France or elsewhere, or are awaiting other procedures without the state supporting them in any way. And it is precisely in the sharing of everyday life that you are able to connect with people the most:
the volunteers’ and volunteers’ task is to recreate a family atmosphere and structure shared habits so that people can regain some ordinariness and rest.
By eating meals together or playing a game of cards in the evening, I was able to get to know people, joke with them, find out their likes and dislikes, discover cultures and their stories. By volunteering, one easily leaves with the idea of wanting to discover many stories and hear tales of long and painful journeys, But most of the time the most important thing is simply “being.” migrants do not always feel like sharing their past experiences or telling their stories by retracing even painful memories. As a volunteer, I learned not to ask so many questions and not just want to satisfy my desire to know and my curiosity; rather, I learned to ask myself questions, reflecting on my privileges and opportunities. I understood how to put first and foremost the needs of the people I meet in front of me, who find in the foster home a safe and secure place where they can regain their dignity and independence in a peaceful atmosphere. I have (painstakingly, given my uncomplimentary nature) learned not to be a guide or protagonist in the various activities, from cooking to games, but to involve the house guests myself, to create as much as possible a community in which volunteers and guests actively participate.
After my first short stay in Calais, I am returning there together with Camilla to stay a few months with a major new goal: To start the project of a home for men in transit together with the Scalabrinians. It is a challenge that at times seems bigger than us, but I start off strong from the knowledge I gained during my first period in France, and aware that I can count on the support of many organizations in the solidarity network, where communication and cooperation for a common goal are at the heart of everything. I return to Calais carrying within me the values that ASCS has taught me from day one, to move one step closer to realizing the dream of a world with “more bridges and fewer walls.”
