ESC: Il Sicomoro - support for migrants

“Il Sicomoro” is the Italian translation of the sycamore, which looks like a fig tree and it is very popular in the Middle East: it is very common in the streets in Palestine, where it leaves splashes of colour on those biblical landscapes, apparently very similar to the ones in our Lucania. It has witnessed many chapters of the story of salvation, so that it has become a topos in the language of the Bible. However, sometimes the Sycamore tree turns out as the real protagonist: just like the evangelical episode of Zaccheo, where the Sycamore becomes the linking tool between Zaccheo and Jesus. In fact, the tiny and short Zaccheo ends up into a thick crowd and he climbs the sycamore in order to go over the multitude of people and get in contact with Jesus. With the roots in our land and our territory, we would like to become the right means, which let people make part of a bigger project, creating something capable to “change lives”. The Social Cooperative Il Sicomoro was born in Matera in 2003 from the planning of Diocesan Caritas and within the Policoro Project. Today, it is active in different municipalities in Basilicata diversifying its interventions in the third sector policies: projects SIPROIMI and MSNARA for the reception of refugees and asylum seekers; management of nursing homes; job inclusion services for people with disadvantaged backgrounds; rehabilitation services and school support for children who suffer from learning disabilities; projects for the development of the local territory. In 2019, when Matera has been named European Capital of Culture, "Il Sicomoro" led one of the projects included in the program of Matera2019. The project, called Silent Academy, deals with migrants and their manual skills, giving them the opportunity to develop the professional skills acquired in their home countries, while exchanging knowledge and good practices with locals. Marked by the slow rhythm of hand movements, typical of the faber, the workshops teach local people traditional skills, such as colourful costumes for artistic performances or installations of woodwork craft, in a display of work and styles showing tangible examples of the connection between local and migrant culture, in a sign of solidarity. In conclusion, the main objective of the cooperative is to have an impact on the society, through concrete projects and actions aiming at inclusion and integration of those who have disadvantaged backgrounds. As mentioned, the cooperative is active in different towns in Basilicata region, in the south of Italy, but its head office is placed in Matera, European Capital of Culture for 2019. Matera is the third most ancient cities in the world, after Jericho and Alep, and it has been part of the UNESCO heritage since 1990s. With its 65000 inhabitants, Matera is not a big city, but its historical centre has a special architecture: all houses and churches are carved in the rock and it looks like a native scene, so that it has been chosen as the set for many movies about Christianity and Jesus Christ. For these reasons, Matera is now one of the most attractive cities for turists coming from all over the world.