Reading workshop with people in prison and in alternative measures
We receive from Palermo a press release from the press office of the VO “Un Nuovo Giorno” and gladly publish it
By Serena Terrmini
PALERMO – A reading workshop to encourage reflection on some social issues and the creative potential of young adults who have alternative measures to punishment and detained people who have been accepted inside the Co-Housing of the Ortis 2.0 project, implemented by the association Un Nuovo Giorno.
For the occasion, the author of the novel Flowers Never Born Giankarim De Caro spoke. The writer, a native of the Borgo Vecchio neighborhood, tells the story of the Calamone family, people who are “miserable, arrogant, bad” with a novel in which the vicissitudes of the protagonist Piero are linked to those of his family members. In the background is rendered the dark and decadent Palermo of the 1970s, devastated first by American bombs and then by Mafia-style building abuse. Is it possible to choose to change one’s destiny? De Caro does not give answers, but offers the tools to confront the topic.
The initiative, carried out by the Un Nuovo Giorno association, took place within the framework of the “Festival of Illustration and Reading for Children” Illustramente, which involves in addition to Palermo, Rome, Trapani, Messina and Catania. In addition, the workshop fits within the project Odysseus, an educating community.
After reading some passages from the book, a discussion was opened with people from the penal circuit. 
“Today, compared to the 1970s, prison is very different,” says Antonino, in an alternative measure. ”Many steps forward have been taken, but many more still need to be made. “Certainly, today in prison the approach is less punitive and more educational,” continues Angelo, also in an alternative measure. “The biggest problem is the lack of job reintegration because, once you get out of prison, you risk being alone and without a job. It would be necessary for the state to work to guarantee former prisoners a second chance at life.”
“In prison, for any need you have to wait because the times are always very long,” says Nicola, who lives in Co-Housing and takes care of the social garden, as well, ”Real change in the organization of prison can only come from the state. Since I have been living in Housing my life has completely changed for the better. There are those who believe in me, and I try to give myself a lot to do.”
“I come from a working-class neighborhood and became a writer by chance,” says Giankarim De Caro. ”In my youth I experienced and touched the different problems of the Borgo Vecchio. Today was a good day because I met people who are on a different life path. From them I learned so much. Above all, their strong desire to reintegrate into society with a job that guarantees a decent life emerged from the discussion. The state must strive to give detained people a second chance at life.”
“We believe that the promotion of reading can contribute significantly to the path of growth and autonomy of our guests,” says Antonella Macaluso, president of Un Nuovo Giorno, ”many of whom are engaged in social and work reintegration activities. There are also those who, not having had the opportunity to study, are helped to begin a path of basic learning. It is, for sure, also a valuable opportunity to enrich the educational and cultural offerings within our Co-Housing project, which aims to foster the social inclusion of incarcerated people. Sometimes we even read newspapers with them. Culture stimulates them to reflect by giving them a greater open-mindedness that helps them to better live their daily lives.”
(Press Office – Un Nuovo Giorno – 11/19/2024)
Source and images
Press Office Un Nuovo Giorno