From Migrant to Mentor: Moroccan Youth Finds Purpose in Barcelona Social Work

Mohamed Ikissane, 25, now lives in a shared apartment with other young people. When he arrived in Barcelona in 2018, he was taken by a social worker to this parish that takes care of migrants, the homeless or people in difficult situations. There, he not only was fed and housed, learned Spanish and Catalan, but above all, he found his vocation: to become a social worker "to help other migrants or people in need".

"Helping makes me happy," he confides to COPE. The young Moroccan left his country to build a better future in Spain. "I wanted to achieve certain goals: continue my studies and work to help my family. But upon arrival, I faced a harsh reality. Because entering irregularly, without papers, does not help... I didn’t know where to eat and sleep," he explains, recounting his painful experience before coming to Santa Ana, a center that allowed him to integrate and move forward.

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"In this center, I had the opportunity to move forward, to be more autonomous, to have a more dignified life and to be able to achieve my goals," says Mohamed, who, seeing his experience as a migrant, has chosen to take social work courses to help other people in difficult situations. "I go to class in the afternoon. On weekends, I work. I am one of the parish volunteers," he says proudly.

Mohamed feels comfortable in this new role. "Since I speak Arabic, I help the parish professionals communicate with the young migrants who arrive, mostly Moroccans like me. I give them advice, I work patiently with them," he rejoices, hoping to quickly obtain his social work diploma to help and support other migrants or people in need in general.