It was a joyful hour of meeting together, almost an oasis within the context of the tension and conflicts experienced here every day. The program featured a presentation by the Focolare, and included a message from the current Focolare president, Margaret Karram, who encouraged each one present “to be a person who builds bridges, opens new paths, removes walls and opens people up to hope!” [Here is the full message]

The project was then presented by students from the 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th grades (the first year will start with 7th grade students). The program offers a pathway that develops gradually over three school years to ensure that each student will achieve a deep understanding of the concepts presented and internalize the content. Three themes will be addressed over the course of the year.

Each theme will be accompanied by “actions” featured on the “Cube of Peace”, a cube that features phrases on each side which suggest ways to build peaceful relationships. Here are the themes for this first year, 2024-2025 (and the associated Cube of Peace actions):

• Understanding oneself, self-esteem and personal development (“Treat others as you would like to be treated)
• Training in conflict management; working as a team (“Forgive those who hurt you”)
• Intergenerational and peer dialogue (“Discover the good in others”)

Gen Rosso and Gen Verde musical bands, which were prevented from being present due to the current situation, sent a video greeting, encouraging everyone to become leaders in promoting hope and fraternity. [Here is the video of their greeting].

The event was a real celebration thanks to each school’s artistic contributions, including presentations by a student band, a choir and a cultural dance. It was a mosaic of colors and sounds that made everyone experience a seed of a “united world,” a world of brotherhood and peace.

See also: https://cmcterrasanta-eu.s3.amazonaws.com/2024/93bcddc1-7742-4223-bd76-dd86e5f8e05f.mp4?_=1

L'articolo October 24, 2024 – Launching “TogetherWEconnect” in the Holy Land proviene da New Humanity.

From May 30 to June 2 in Castel Gandolfo (RM), the second of three job shadowing meetings was held as part of the Erasmus+ project “M.E.D.I.T.erraNEW,” with the participation of educational partners from France, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Egypt, and Lebanon.

The project aims to facilitate a pedagogical exchange between associations from Mediterranean countries working with youths aged 13 to 17, focusing on minors with a migratory background. The goal is to renew and enhance educational programs in a multidisciplinary and integrated manner and to implement them for the benefit of the young people in contact with these organizations. 

During the meeting, work sessions on the presentation and exchange of methodologies opened with the integration of minors with a migratory background. Azione Famiglie Nuove presented the “Fare Sistema Oltre l’Accoglienza” (FSOA) project, a program of social and occupational inclusion. Significant were the testimonies of Steve and Mamhou, respectively an educator at Casa Ismaele in Calabria, and a young person previously accommodated there. They highlighted key aspects such as the importance of welcoming, accepting differences, building support networks in the community, and especially a personalized intervention approach for each foreign minor under their care, with whom an individualized educational pact is carried out. This tool was appreciated by all educators present. The narratives showed how understanding others leads to overcoming prejudices and stereotypes, forming the basis for effective inclusion. Additionally, the effectiveness of the peer-to-peer methodology implemented by already integrated young foreigners towards their peers was highlighted.

Educational programs on peace education and active citizenship were then presented, including the international project “Living Peace” and the methodology “Six Steps for One Goal” (6X1), inspired by Service Learning. These are promoted in schools and other informal educational settings for youth in many countries. The proposed pedagogical tools led to shared work and a commitment to apply these methods in various contexts, with active participation of young people, creating exchange relationships, dialogue, and conflict resolution.

The testimonies of some young peace ambassadors were a moment of great involvement, demonstrating how peace starts from each individual and begins with small daily actions that every young person can take, with amplified impacts in their living context.

The following days were dedicated to intercultural and interreligious dialogue, through sharing methodologies and best practices that value dialogue, respect for others’ beliefs, and building relationships based on the Golden Rule found in major faiths, summarized as “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Facilitated by the context of the international symposium “One Human Family,” which included over 400 participants – Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Baha’is, and representatives of traditional African religions – the role of religions in weaving bonds of fraternity was highlighted. Testimonies from people in different conflict contexts demonstrated that engaging with others transforms many polarizations into supportive human relationships.

Discussions with educators addressed current issues such as the impact of new technologies and artificial intelligence on dialogue with new generations, and economic and environmental sustainability. The ongoing exchange of methodological approaches and between educators from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds has strengthened the intercultural competencies necessary for the interweaving of peoples and cultures in the Mediterranean. It has laid the foundation for more effective educational action for young people, based on an approach that better meets their needs and requirements.

Collaboration, network creation, organizational growth, and the enhancement of intercultural and interreligious dialogue emerged as key elements for creating a spirit of fraternity and peace in the Mediterranean basin.

Discover the project: https://www.new-humanity.org/project/mediterranew/

Lead organization: Centro Internazionale Studenti Giorgio La Pira – Fondazione.

Project partners: New Humanity; Fondazione Igino Giordani; Humanité Nouvelle; United World for Social Services; Cooperativa Gen Rosso; Azione Famiglie Nuove; Udruga Za Ekonomiju Zajednistva; Fonds Focolari Actions Solidarité.

L'articolo Network and Dialogue for the Creation of a Spirit of Unity and Peace in the Mediterranean Basin proviene da New Humanity.

The first day’s work session focused on intercultural aspects. The “Centro Internazionale studenti Giorgio La Pira” presented to the partners the vision of Mayor Giorgio La Pira, its operational mechanisms, and the “Crescendo” project, which is an intervention in global citizenship education in secondary schools. International colleagues had the opportunity to attend an interactive presentation of the “Crescendo” project and were also actively involved in the project experience. As the guests admitted, the presentation made them realize the deep-rooted stereotypes in our minds and society and the resulting narratives, which often lead to conflict situations.

As Anna from the “Living Peace – International” organization concluded:

“It is very important to work with conflicts and live through them, (…) they are part of our life; we cannot simply close our eyes or run away. It is important to experience them together to better understand it and ourselves. Stereotypes create prejudices, and this cannot lead to peace. Only by living together can we all understand this better, which is a crucial preventive step for further conflict escalation.”

Our French partners added:

“To maintain peace, it is essential to work and educate our children to help them grow and become human beings capable of conflict management and aware of the importance of peace.”

During the second day’s work session, the center shared the teaching method of the Italian language and culture “Italian in Florence,” a language school with a specific intercultural and inclusive methodology. The guests were introduced to the Center’s long-term project where language is seen as a key tool for integration and a crucial aspect of creating dialogue. Our foreign guests had the opportunity to look behind the scenes of the Italian language courses and, for those with no prior knowledge of Italian, to learn something new.

“Mare Nostrum” or “Our Sea” was the Roman name for the Mediterranean Sea, encapsulating a sense of regional belonging. Only by creating networks, improving dialogue among people, and focusing on humanity and collaboration instead of competition, can we strengthen the sense of broader regional inclusion. The “M.E.D.I.T.erraNEW” project held two work sessions in Florence, which created new collaborative networks across the sea and made some steps towards transforming the Mediterranean Sea from a basin of death into a more inclusive Mare Nostrum.

L'articolo Network in the Mediterranean Sea for Youth Education proviene da New Humanity.

On Monday, March 15, 2021, Justus G. Mbae from Kenya, Dr. Letizia De Torre from Italy, Adélard Kananira from Burundi, and Wanjiru Kabury from Kenya attended the “Peace and Citizenship. Education For Encounter and Solidarity” event representing Together for a New Africa Project of the New Humanity NGO. It was the second of five webinars offered by the Global Compact on Education in collaboration with LUMSA University to analyze projects and best educational practices from around the world.

Together for a New Africa

Adélard Kananira, a student, began the presentation of Together for a New Africa (T4NA), telling the story behind the project that was begun in 2014 among his colleagues at Sophia University Institute. “T4NA’s mission,” he explained, “is to enable young Africans to face the key challenges of their continent by promoting and developing a culture of unity suited to the African context through lived experiences, training, mentoring and networking. Our goal is to look to the past and learn from history in order to understand what is favorable and to avoid making the same mistakes again.

Wanjiru Kabury, author and promoter of T4NA, added: “The discussions, reflections, presentations and guidance given at Together for a New Africa summer schools are what I would call the right kind of education that speaks to the heart, transforms minds and inspires people to take action. What we lack is the transformation of the mind through the right kind of education. This is the awareness that has brought us together today in this conference and which has led to conversations in many seminars around the world.”

T4NA participants from different countries are now actively engaged in their communities. Kabury stated: “One of our participants from Tanzania worked with girls to empower them and she also ran for parliament on one of the special seats for young people”. Others attest that the program has helped them find their voice and challenged them to take on leadership roles even in times of pandemics. In fact, many of them have been at the forefront of spreading the messages of the World Health Organization, helping to raise awareness of the various guidelines and also supporting them with the procurement of masks, disinfectants, food, clothing and asylum.

Justus Mbae, representative of New Humanity in Nairobi and Vice Chancellor of the Catholic University of East Africa suggested that thanks to the work they are carrying out with T4NA it is easier to believe in the possibility of recreating Africa. “We can change, reform, transform Africa and with this change the whole world as well,” he said. “We have a lot of hope, especially in our young people, because they can break with the things they have done so far and start new ones. We must encourage them to move forward, to transform the world.”

Other participants in the webinar included: Vincenzo Buonomo, Rector of the Pontifical Lateran University; Flavio Lotti from Local Bodies for Peace, Prof. Franco Vaccari, founder of Rondine, Citadel of Peace; Elisabetta Murgia and Guido Barbera from Vides Internazionale, and Prof. Monica Lugato, from LUMSA University. The latter opened the webinar summarizing the aims of the event, that is, “to give visibility to the value of peace as a pivotal part of university education and academic activity, and to keep attention on the social responsibility of “university institutions for building peace.”

by Anita Martinez

L'articolo Global Compact on Education – Peace and Citizenship, Education For Solidarity and Encounter proviene da New Humanity.

“Right to Education and New Technologies: a Necessary Dialogue”

Prof. Juan Garcia Gutierrez of National University of Distance Education (UNED) offered his remarks on behalf of New Humanity at the panel discussion organized by OIDEL NGO and the Smart Internet Users project.

Download the Speech (Spanish)

“Where danger grows, safety also grows”. During his speech, prof. Garcia quoted the German poet Hörlderlin, to underline how it is possible to adopt an approach that applies the “spirit of fraternity” contained in the first article of the Universal Declaration. With such approach, a potential risk presented by the introduction of new technologies in the Education field can become a new opportunity to fully enjoy all human rights, including the right to education.

The twofold approach proposed by prof. Garcia foresees, on the one hand, the need to base scientific and technological development on human rights and, on the other, the need for technologies to be at the service of, and promote human values, the “spirit of fraternity” and human solidarity. Internet and digital technologies do not per se constitute a human right, but they are an indispensable means to fulfil other human rights, including the right to education.

A good practice presented in this regard concerns the “Spanish life” project, organized by UNED and the University of Porto-Novo in Benin. It is an innovative virtual learning tool, developed in an educational context at a distance (and therefore based on internet and digital technologies), oriented to the promotion of human values, such as the civic engagement of students, through intercultural dialogue and development of global citizenship.

Knowledge and control. “Mankind has started a new phase of its history – concluded Prof. Garcia – with a growing and rapid development of science and technology, which offer utopian and dystopian possibilities at the same time. In order to fully benefit from them, the essential purpose of education and learning in our century should focus on the knowledge and control of opportunities and risks.”

The event was moderated by dr. Pablo Nuño, First Secretary at Permanent Representation of Spain before the Office of UN in Geneva. Dr. Charo Sébada, Director of Communication for Smart Internet Users and Dr. Renato Opertti of the UNESCO International Education Office also intervened.

L'articolo New Humanity Proposes the “Fraternity Principle” as a Way for Dialogue Between Right to Education and New Technologies proviene da New Humanity.

“Priority to Education”

Last Thursday, October 11, about thirty NGOs among which New Humanity organized an event at UNESCO on the subject of education priority and how to reach the 4th of the 2030 Sustainable Development objectives, “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.

Read the Manifest Presented on that occasion

Too many girls live in undignified situations: they suffer from lack of respect and their physical integrity is often violated.
Today more than 132 million girls do not have any access to school education.

To deal with this situation, the NGOs presented and promoted the Manifesto published above.

Mrs Chantal Grevin – main Representantive of New Humanity in Paris – offered her remarks at the conference.

L'articolo New Humanity Participation in the International Day of the Girl proviene da New Humanity.