Road to integration through digital handicrafts and 3D printing

Gabriella Mirto during the workshop

January 18, 2017

On January 18, Sicilian NGO Mosaic launched a three-day workshop aimed at providing job skills to a group of 15 young migrants aged 15-18 coming from six different African countries – Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, and Mauritius.  They are currently hosted at migrant or refugee centers in Palermo.  This initiative was an opportunity for them to learn ‘art skills:’ during the course, thanks to the collaboration of FabLab Palermo, they learned how to use a 3D printer to produce traditional Sicilian handicrafts.

The workshop was organized by two U.S. exchange program alumni as a follow-up to their participation in a “Countering Violent Extremism” exchange program in the United States and is part of a number of U.S. Mission Italy grants in support of integration projects.

“Our countries will appreciate more the presence of migrants if they see them as a resource that in the long run can build stronger societies and more prosperous economies, and we hope that the young participants will soon be able to use the skills developed in this three-day workshop,” said Consul General Mary Ellen Countryman.

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Gabriella Mirto during the workshop