On Monday, December 2nd, ‘Game with Mum & Dad’ took place at the San Vittore Penitentiary in Milan. This event is a result of months of preparation and meetings involving families, imprisoned parents, their children, staff, educators and prison officers, adhering to a project model developed since 2015 by Bambinisenzasbarre, an Italian NGO member of Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE).
By 9:30 a.m., children and their accompanying adults were already waiting outside the Milanese prison to meet their imprisoned parents and participate in the ‘Game with Mum & Dad’ event.
At 10:00 a.m., the doors opened and after routine security checks, the children and their families were escorted by prison officers to the specially prepared space for the event.
Children were greeted by their imprisoned parents, who handed out custom-made T-shirts for the game—yellow for children and blue for the adults. After putting on their shirts, the fathers and children formed teams, prepared a scoreboard and did some drawings while organising the table football tournament.
This generated great anticipation for the meeting, cherished by both the children and their parents, which unfolded in a relaxed atmosphere, thanks in part to the supportive and welcoming presence of the prison officers. The officers ensured the young guests could enjoy this special moment in a calm and positive environment.
After an exciting and competitive tournament, the children, imprisoned parents and caregivers shared a meal of pizza and focaccia prepared by the women imprisoned in the prison’s women’s section, along with salty and sweet snacks and drinks purchased by the fathers. This shared meal, a vital and meticulously planned element of the project, contributed to the event’s success.
Following lunch, under the guidance of professionals from Bambinisenzasbarre, the children and their fathers participated in an art workshop, creating a series of drawings about GWMD and their time together that day. This activity fostered a deeper bond and sense of closeness between the children and their imprisoned parents.
Around 3:00 p.m., just before leaving the prison, the children said their goodbyes to their fathers, promising to meet again next year to continue the full journey of the ‘Game with Mum & Dad’ project, when its final game will take place.
GWMD is part of a broader program focusing on parenting support. It serves as a concrete tool to strengthen, consolidate and enhance the parent-child bond, offering moments of normalcy and connection despite the circumstances of imprisonment.
In Europe, the GWMD is organised by COPE, following the model pioneered and developed by Bambinisenzasbarre. To run this project in Italy, Bambinisenzasbarre collaborates with the Department of Penitentiary Administration, supported by the Department for Family Policies – Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
