Young Moroccan Migrant Becomes YouTube Influencer, Bridges Cultures in Spain

After a very difficult journey, Samir arrived in Spain and managed to integrate. He quickly learned Spanish and benefited from all the available resources and training. Today, he has become an active member of the migrant community and has a job contract. He is also an influencer on social networks and runs a YouTube channel that promotes the rapprochement of Spanish and Arab cultures.

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"I started from scratch in Spain and now I work and achieve a lot of things that I dreamed of when I was in Morocco," said the young Moroccan from the small town of Ichniwane, in an interview with Baynana. Once in Spain, he was arrested by the Civil Guard and transferred to a juvenile center in Granada, far from the city. He remembers with emotion his first nights in this center. "The food was cold and not very good, the clothes were inadequate and the place lacked heating," said Samir, who decided to flee the center after three days to live on the street before joining Madrid with other unfortunate companions.

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In the capital, he was taken care of in a youth center where he learned Spanish and followed a vocational training course in hairdressing. In the evenings, he was a waiter in a bar. "I was only supposed to stay seven months before I turned 18. I had to do a lot of things not to end up on the street after," he specifies. Thus, after reaching the age of majority, Samir lived in a residence with other young people, thanks to CESAL, the organization that took care of him on his arrival in Madrid, and worked in a restaurant in the city. He created a YouTube channel where he shares videos about his life in Spain and answers questions about immigration, prejudices and hate speech that migrants are often victims of.