"Volunteering at a prison makes you value life more"

"In prison, I discovered that the good are not that good, and the bad are not that bad."

"They told me they were very happy with me because I was like a breath of fresh air, I provided the perspective of a normal young person."

UAB Sociology student Itziar Infantes was given the same name as the sister of José Mari Bakero, a former Barça football player very committed to social issues. Itziar has managed to represent these same values with time and throughout her life and they now perfectly define this student from the city of Santa Coloma de Gramenet. With a complicated adolescence for personal and health reasons, going from school to school without knowing exactly what she wanted to do in life, she has managed to succeed and now her words demonstrate an Itziar who is empowered, mature and happy with herself. An inner strength that motivated her to volunteer at the Brians penitenciary centre.

Her years at the Institut Poeta Maragall in Barcelona saved her and changed her life, she says. Then, she began her university career and, since last year, she combines her classes at the UAB with work as a lunchtime monitor in a school and volunteer work on Sundays at the Brians penitentiary centre (as part of the Justice Programme of the UAB's Fundació Autònoma Solidària), something she has found herself more and more involved in.

- You began studying Humanities at the UAB and then changed to Sociology.

Yes. I wasn't unsatisfied with Humanities, but it wasn't really what I wanted to dedicate my life to. My dream has always been to work in the social sector and understand society. I have always wondered why people hurt others just for the fun of it. So I decided to take the entrance exams again and enrol in Sociology. But I must say that, the more I study, the less I actually understand society.

- What are you expecting from Sociology?

I expect to find answers to the reasons why humans hurt each other. Why, for example, members of the same family can hurt each other, when they are people who share the same values, or similar values.

- How did you discover this volunteer programme?

I received an email and it caught my eye. Plus, I have been working on an observation project within the penitentiary centre that will help me write my final project.

- What does the project consist in?

We read the classics with the inmates and use them to learn lessons that are essential in real life. For example, take La Celestina (The Tragicomedy of Calisto and Melibea), a classic in which many types of love appear (passionate, possessive, etc.), you can read it and then interpret it in a thousand different manners. We also read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes and of His Fortunes and Adversities. All of these books contain stories with many values and small lessons in life, and we can learn a lot from them. You can grab paragraphs and analyse them and have a debate with some 20 inmates.

- What exactly do you do in prison as a volunteer?

I organise activities for groups and participation in other games and fun activities. One of the prison workers is my tutor and I am with her at all times. I am learning a lot. Little by little, I am gaining the trust of the people there and of my tutor. At first I was only working in one module and now I go to different modules.

- The penitentiary system is seen with respect from the outside.

Yes. Some of my friends ask me if I am not afraid of going to the prison. Not at all! The people inside are people. I feel good, comfortable. And you know what? Tsociety has many prejudices and there is a big stigma associated to the world of prisons.

- How do you get along with the inmates and prison workers?

I have a very good relationship. They tell me that I am a breath of fresh air, I bring the perspective of a normal, young person, and they are very happy with me ebing there. For example, when it was very hot in the summer, a group of women were very bored and I proposed a fun activity, so we organised a karaoke session. It ws great! On one weekend, I spent 10 hours each day there, because we celebrated Three Kings Day (6 January) and I was helping out with the preparations. That was an exceptional weekend, because normally I go just one day. I thnk we make a good team and I feel super comfortable there. They even invite me to go have lunch with them when I am there.

- Has arribat a fer amistat amb algunes de les persones preses?

No, això no. Jo hi estic a gust i còmoda entre elles. Però l’amistat és una cosa molt diferent. Això s’ha de tenir molt clar.

- Quin aprenentatge principal n’has extret?

M’han fet veure que ni els bons són tant bons, ni els dolents són tant dolents. I que la millor forma d’enfrontar-te a la por és enfrontar-t'hi.

- Creus en les segones oportunitats?

Totalment. Sí que hi crec. A mi també me les han donat al llarg de la meva vida en diverses ocasions. Per exemple, el mateix professorat de la UAB, sense anar més lluny. En alguna ocasió quan no he arribat a temps per lliurar algun projecte i un professor m’han donat l’oportunitat de presentar-lo l’endemà.

- Has pogut ajudar els presos o, al contrari, potser ells t’han pogut ajudar a tu a valorar altres coses?

Crec que ha estat mutu. És a dir, a mi no em veuen com una funcionària de presons, no estic allà per vigilar-los. Jo crec, almenys voldria que fos així, que la meva aportació és la d’una persona del carrer, sense traspassar el límit, perquè no deixen de ser interns, però jo crec que em veuen com una figura més propera.

- I com ho fas per aconseguir que et vegin així?

He après a escoltar-los i a saltar el prejudici que hi ha en aquest àmbit. Allà a mi personalment m’han ensenyat a valorar la vida. Ara soc més conscient del valor que té sortir quan vull anar a fer un beure a un bar o a una terrassa amb els meus amics, per exemple. Aquesta llibertat hi ha persones que no la tenen. Parlo amb els meus amics i els intento fer veure que no és tot com sembla. Si el presos estan allà, òbviament, és perquè han fet alguna cosa, però hem de saber escoltar-los.

- Com a futura sociòloga i com a persona jove que ets, com veus la gent jove?

Treballant amb alumnat d’ESO, al menjador, veig que a la joventut li calen més límits. Cal més educació en aquest sentit. S’ha perdut la comunicació entre les famílies i l’avenç de la tecnologia està sent desastrós. No hi ha vida en societat. I no serveix de res que un dia anem a una manifestació multitudinària i a l’endemà veiem una injustícia pel carrer i ningú no sigui capaç d’aturar-se a ajudar a aquella persona.

- El teu futur laboral, com el veus?

Els treballadors de Can Brians m’han dit que m’apunti a la borsa de treball de la presó, no paren d’animar-me que em prepari per a entrar-hi a treballar. Seria el meu somni, poder treballar en un centre penitenciari. He descobert la meva vocació.