Rebirth through work

In Scampia, ten people have found work in the Hurtado Centre. Its presence in the neighbourhood dates back to the 1990s. At this Centre pastoral activity, which is directly marked by a strong social awareness, is carried out. This activity seeks cultural and work opportunities to produce change in the area.

Mimmo is from Pozzuoli. He is 43, married with 2 children, aged 4 and 10. He signed his first collaboration contract in 2010 and then from 2014 he started on a part time fixed-term contract. He discovered this opportunity by chance, from a teacher of bookbinding and restoration. He followed a course at the Hurtado Centre, in collaboration with Vodafone.

“My wife and I have a degree in cultural heritage restoration. We were interested in this area, as we have good manual skills,” he explains. Through repairing books, stitching files and other small restoration work, “we make the texts usable again. They are modern books, from the 1700s onwards”. The work starts with a torn book. “We assess what to do, the old stitching is dismantled, the papers are repaired with Japanese paper, then sewn by hand, and where possible the original covers are mended. We then study graphics and materials to make diaries, journals, pen holders, and frames. It is first and foremost a job and gives me the opportunity to earn money and support the family. This is a job that is out of fashion with the arrival of computers, but one that I like a lot and that is definitely creative.

Working at the Hurtado Centre then gave me the opportunity to discover Scampia, the people who live there, the Jesuit project, areas about which I had no knowledge. I met people with different hardships, some coming from prison. We carried out projects together for the rehabilitation of prisoners and their integration into society. These experiences are truly enriching and meaningful”.

Read the complete articole on the magazine “Il Santo dei miracoli” (in Italian)