Their stories
Some of our kids at the center!
Alessandra
Tailoring
18 years old
... eighteen, shy and introverted.
She enters the textile workshop with the PCTO. On tiptoe, afraid of annoying the tailors she joins an Armenian woman, who teaches her different types of tailoring and creates a beautiful friendship with her.
The experience in an intercultural context has allowed her to understand that her desire to travel the world can be reconciled with a professional career driven by a passion for creativity, art and design.
Ilyes
Ciclofficina
17 years old
17 years old, introverted, has the baby face of a boy, smiles a little and tries very hard to prove himself as a mature boy. Tunisia his country of origin, is in Italy since 2020, knows a few Italian words just introduce himself. He speaks little, either because he is afraid making mistakes and because of his character, but between saying and doing there is his great willpower. The course highlighted his insight, his intuition and his inclination to manual and mechanical work. Gears seem to have turned out to be his passion. Ilyes, with his long legs, will walk very far!
Mustafa
Tailoring
17 years old
Egypt
Egyptian by birth, who arrived in Italy a few months ago, Mustafa is resourceful, intelligent and intuitive. Making new friends is his favorite sport and it didn't take long to bond with those who already worked in the tailor's shop. The commitment and the ability to learn quickly are his strengths, so much so that he learned Italian with the same speed with which he became familiar with the most recurrent 'Milanese slang'. He cares about discipline and can't stand rude and grumpy people. Tailor by profession in his country of origin, he carries this passion with him also in Italy. The tailoring workshop allowed him to consolidate his skills on the topic, to learn about new materials and fabrics, and to acquire new innovative technical skills.
Rebecca
Tailoring
15 years old
15 years old, scholar and dreamer. Born in El Salvador, she arrives in Italy with her mother when she is young, with a suitcase full of clothes and hopes. Her favorite time of day is when she goes to school, she loves art and when she grows up she dreams of becoming an interior designer. The sense of beauty has accompanied her all her life and she is determined to pursue her life-long dream, with the creativity and autonomy that distinguish her. The tailoring business was an opportunity for her to get involved, exploring a new art form, and which allowed her to continue pursuing the path towards her artistic dream.
Mahmud
Ciclofficina
17 years old
Marocco
Mahmud arrived from Morocco with a baggage full of dreams and aspirations. He immediately showed himself to be a mature young man with a great desire to learn. Thanks to the course, he acquired the technical vocabulary of bicycle parts and developed manual skills through the use of specific tools. In addition to this, during the course he was able to relate on his classmates and teacher, winning his shyness and always making himself available to everyone.
Melania
Tailoring
16 years old
Fifteen years old and very frightened by the isolation caused by covid, so much that she stopped her studies, initially chosen by her family. During the tailoring course, she rediscovered her interests, found her smile again and the willingness to commit to something. All this enabled her to enrol for the 2021/2022 school year to become a tourism expert.
Nargis
Tailoring
16 years old
Afghanistan
Nargis is a 16-year-old girl from Afghanistan, a country she was forced to leave three years ago. Thanks to her experience in tailoring, she has learnt to make the most of her art and has helped us to produce the book "Refugees who?", a handbook on the topic of migration that features her wonderful illustrations. The harshness of the time she lived in Afghanistan gave life to her art as we see it today: bold lines, marked dots of a hope that has not been extinguished, of a desire to realise her own dreams that the evilness of those places has not killed.
Kone
Tailoring
21 years old
Mali
Despite his difficult past, he has not stopped dreaming. At the age of 13, he arrived in Italy with many dreams and determination. He started working in a tailor's shop, where he met many people with whom he formed a true and sincere bond. He is an undiscovered boy, he may seem shy at first, but as soon as he loosens up he overwhelms you with his laughter. Thanks to tailoring, he has learnt to put himself out to make his dreams come true. With his determination, he has stayed with us and is an essential part of our project.
Dennis
Ciclofficina
17 years old
South America
Arriving in Italy from South America at a very young age, he feels Cinesellese Doc.
His shyness has often led him to be on the side, in school and in sports. He loves studying, but his low self-confidence has created quite a few difficulties in implementing his abilities.
He has managed to overcome his initial resistance and realise that if he really believes in what he does, he will be able to realise his dreams, so much so that he has resumed his interrupted professional studies.
Isabel
Tailoring
19 years old
Dominican Republic
Despite having experienced a situation of social isolation, due to family abuse she suffered, she never stopped being an extremely sunny person. Right from the start, she showed her willingness to learn from others and her desire to surround herself with real people she could trust and rely on, which she found in tailoring.
