Heartwarming story / Camino for Spanish inmates

SabsP · Oct 2, 2022

This is a heartwarming story.
Congrats to everyone involved.

This is what the Camino is about.

Más de cien reclusos culminan el Camino de Santiago: «Aquí no se distinguía entre presos y funcionarios»

Llegaron a Santiago de quince prisiones diferentes en una iniciativa de Pastoral Penitenciaria

www.lavozdegalicia.es

alansykes · Oct 3, 2022

What a wonderful, intelligent initiative. So hope its success will make it a regular occurance.

henrythedog · Oct 3, 2022

20-30 years ago my natural inclination would be to instinctively oppose such a concept as namby-pamby liberal rubbish and advocate locking them up and throwing away the key.

Now; with ample cause to realise that ‘there but for the grace of God go I’, I applaud it. It must cost a fraction of incarceration, and if it helps in any way, then why not?

VNwalking · Oct 3, 2022

Roselló insiste en visibilizar esta iniciativa que demuestra que estas personas pueden integrarse en la sociedad, «y que no son mejores ni peores que yo»

What an uplifting article. People who made mistakes were given wings, instead of being dehumanized. It is what each of us would want, in their shoes.

K_Lynn · Oct 3, 2022

SabineP said:
This is a heartwarming story.
Congrats to everyone involved.

This is what the Camino is about.

Más de cien reclusos culminan el Camino de Santiago: «Aquí no se distinguía entre presos y funcionarios»

Llegaron a Santiago de quince prisiones diferentes en una iniciativa de Pastoral Penitenciaria

www.lavozdegalicia.es

This is so wonderful! I would love to know more about how they felt about walking Camino and a follow up from months/years later to how it changed them. Rehabilitation is the goal!

SabsP · Oct 3, 2022

K_Lynn said:
This is so wonderful! I would love to know more about how they felt about walking Camino and a follow up from months/years later to how it changed them. Rehabilitation is the goal!

In Belgium we have had Oikoten that walked with minors to Compostela.
Years later, a book was written based on interviews with the then adult pilgrims.

So I walked to Compostela | Fonds Pascal Decroos voor Bijzondere Journalistiek

This book is based on thirty memorable life stories of youngsters who set out on a walk. How do they remember the trek? How do they look back on it? What did that journey mean for the rest of their lives? Also thirty compagnons voice their thoughts - parents, counselors and juvenile court judges.

www.fondspascaldecroos.org

K_Lynn · Oct 3, 2022

SabineP said:
In Belgium we have had Oikoten that walked with minors to Compostela.
Years later, a book was written based on interviews with the then adult pilgrims.

So I walked to Compostela | Fonds Pascal Decroos voor Bijzondere Journalistiek

This book is based on thirty memorable life stories of youngsters who set out on a walk. How do they remember the trek? How do they look back on it? What did that journey mean for the rest of their lives? Also thirty compagnons voice their thoughts - parents, counselors and juvenile court judges.

www.fondspascaldecroos.org

Amazing! Thank you!

Anamiri · Oct 4, 2022

SabineP said:
In Belgium we have had Oikoten that walked with minors to Compostela.
Years later, a book was written based on interviews with the then adult pilgrims.

So I walked to Compostela | Fonds Pascal Decroos voor Bijzondere Journalistiek

This book is based on thirty memorable life stories of youngsters who set out on a walk. How do they remember the trek? How do they look back on it? What did that journey mean for the rest of their lives? Also thirty compagnons voice their thoughts - parents, counselors and juvenile court judges.

www.fondspascaldecroos.org

Hi Sabine, do you know if that book is available in English translation?

SabsP · Oct 4, 2022

Anamiri said:
Hi Sabine, do you know if that book is available in English translation?

Unfortunately not. Quite a niche book. Even for the dutchreading market.

Always welcome here to read my copy...

Anamiri · Oct 4, 2022

SabineP said:
Unfortunately not. Quite a niche book. Even for the dutchreading market.

Always welcome here to read my copy...

I guessed it might not be in English, judging by the website. But I'd love to read it.

Kiwi-family · Oct 4, 2022

Do you know if Oikoten is still running? I came across one article that suggested their funding was to be stopped.
I understand they walked with incarcerated youths - but I’m wondering if this might not be a good initiative for young people with mental health problems too. I’d love to find out more.

SabsP · Oct 4, 2022

Kiwi-family said:
Do you know if Oikoten is still running? I came across one article that suggested their funding was to be stopped.
I understand they walked with incarcerated youths - but I’m wondering if this might not be a good initiative for young people with mental health problems too. I’d love to find out more.

Oikoten merged with vzw Alba. The Caminowalks are in the past but Alba now has projects for instance at French farms for volunteerexperience.
They are also focusing on mental health.

Alba vzw

Ideeën nodig voor een succesvol agressiebeleid in jouw social profit organisatie? Geef je medewerkers steun en handvaten. Zo weten ze wat mogelijk is en hoe om te gaan met lastig of agressief gedrag.

www.icoba.be

Kiwi-family · Oct 4, 2022

@SabineP thank you. Mental health is not something I have an innate interest in, but I seem to be thrust into life situations where it is unavoidable and I'm looking for answers, ideas to try. Part of me says I'm inexperienced and know next to nothing (which is true), another part says I'm curious and prone to wondering outside the box and maybe something might come of that. I'd love to find a part-answer in a combination of camino/journalling/art/reading.

SabsP · Oct 4, 2022

Kiwi-family said:
@SabineP thank you. Mental health is not something I have an innate interest in, but I seem to be thrust into life situations where it is unavoidable and I'm looking for answers, ideas to try. Part of me says I'm inexperienced and know next to nothing (which is true), another part says I'm curious and prone to wondering outside the box and maybe something might come of that. I'd love to find a part-answer in a combination of camino/journalling/art/reading.

I work in mental health/ psychiatry in a project of sheltered living.
We regularly go on holidays with our clients so one of my goals is to organise one day a mini Camino. We shall see if it can be done.

And wondering outside the box is always good!

Kiwi-family · Oct 5, 2022

SabineP said:
I work in mental health/ psychiatry in a project of sheltered living.
We regularly go on holidays with our clients so one of my goals is to organise one day a mini Camino. We shall see if it can be done.

And wondering outside the box is always good!

May I tuck you away as a potential person to talk to if I end up exploring anything of that nature? Dream on!

Mad Manx · Oct 8, 2022

I am sure it's somewhere in Spanish history that Judges could sentence criminals to do Camino as a punishment / penance

Kathar1na · Oct 8, 2022

Mad Manx said:
criminals to do Camino as a punishment / penance

Fwiw, these contemporary Camino programs for inmates of Spanish prisons have nothing to do with punishment or penance. Many of the participants are younger prisoners who are en régimen de semilibertad (don't know the proper expression in English - day release?) and they are enrolled in a Camino program with a view to their eventual release from jail and reintegration into life outside of jail. Hopefully a better life than before.

Their Camino, even when it is only a short one of a week or so, serves the same purposes as the Camino of numerous other pilgrims: an initiative to give them space and opportunity for reflection, to be away from daily routine, to experience solidarity, to benefit from a sense of achievement etc etc.

LesR · Oct 8, 2022

henrythedog said:
20-30 years ago my natural inclination would be to instinctively oppose such a concept as namby-pamby liberal rubbish and advocate locking them up and throwing away the key.

Now; with ample cause to realise that ‘there but for the grace of God go I’, I applaud it. It must cost a fraction of incarceration, and if it helps in any way, then why not?

I cannot speak for the participants, but perhaps the takeaway message for the rest of us is that sometimes good people do bad things and incarceration should be as much about rehabilitation as retribution...

And where better than a Camino?

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Heartwarming story / Camino for Spanish inmates

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