M. is a young man in his twenties from the same neighbourhood as K. He has a quick mind. He knows it. He even admits that he is ‘good’ at school. He is extremely kind, open and talkative. And like so many others in this situation, M. tends to ‘suffer’ in the group. In his neighbourhood, it is better to look ‘tough’ and closed off to get respect. When it comes to speaking a language other than French, he becomes shy in the presence of the other boys. After the first experience in Cluj, M. went on to Genoa. In Romania, he had started to get on very well with the group of Italians. During the second trip (to Genoa), it only took him a few hours to be able to hold a conversation (more or less coherently) in a mixture of English, Italian and with his hands. Meeting other young people with the same ‘difficulties’ gives him confidence and helps him to open up, making him feel like he is not alone. M. got good marks in his school at the end of the year.
