Stories from around the globe show how a united world is already in motion. This platform highlights experiences, initiatives, and projects from people and communities working for unity and peace. Explore what’s happening and get inspired.
<p><em>An attraction for modern economy. The end of the Winter School in Croatia</em></p> <p><em>“.....to penetrate in the highest contemplation</em><br /><em>while remaining amongst others,</em><br /><em>man beside man.”</em><br />(From the writings of Chiara Lubich)</p> <p>The second day of the Winter School in Croatia began with this meditation by Chiara Lubich. A morning built upon deep sharing. The dialogue between Luigino Bruni (Coordinator of the International Commission of Economy of Communion - EoC) and the participants brought one to reflect on the economic situation existing today and its values.</p>
<h1><span>The UN Focal Point on Youth launched a four-week online discussion platform on 23 January 2013 </span></h1> <p>As part of the preparations for the 2013 UN World Youth Report (WYR) on Youth Migration and Development, the UN Focal Point on Youth launched a four-week online discussion platform on 23 January. </p> <p>Newly available estimates of international migrants by age produced by the Population Division of DESA indicated that by mid-2010, globally, there were 27 million international migrants aged 15 to 24, constituting about one-eighth of the global migrant stock of 214 million. </p>
<p>A young twenty year-old with a beautiful smile, fresh and simple, that’s how Alejandra Giménez looks. She is studying the second year of Medicine in Asunción, Paraguay, where she lives with her parents and a younger brother. With lots of enthusiasm, Alejandra tells about her commitment at the University, in the scientific and student associations. All these commitments and activities obviously take time from her studies, and she needs to leave out many things she would like to do, but she manages all these because she gives the required time to her spiritual formation. That’s why she meets regularly with the other young people from the Focolare, where she finds all the support she needs. But let’s hear it from her.</p>
<p>During our visit to the majestic grounds of the Shwedagon Pagoda, some of us were given a passionate and beautiful commentary on the meaning of the place and its importance to the national identity. Only to be pleasantly surprised that our guides were a Muslim and a Hindu. Then we were inspired by other encounters such as a young doctor who had the opportunity to pursue a career overseas but chose to come back and set up his medical practice. These experiences inspire us to be hopeful of the future of Myanmar because of our peers; the young religious leaders.</p>
<p>"Oggi parlo con Luna di Aleppo. Mi fa sapere che stanno tentando, con Marah, Yasmina e alcuni amici (anche la nonna di Luna si è messa al lavoro con slancio), di avviare una piccola attività in casa (marmellate, centrini o altro) e vorrebbe trovare una possibilità per smerciarli, questi prodotti. Mi dice chiaramente: "Tanti come noi sono grati se ricevono aiuti per comprare il pane o qualche litro di gasolio per il riscaldamento ma vogliamo lavorare! Quanto saremmo più contente se questo si realizzasse!".</p>
<p>I am in my last semester of college, living at home with my parents and two of my three brothers. I have a very nice relationship with my younger brother who also tries to live the spirituality of unity. The only thing we bicker about is the cleanliness of the living room. I have to say my whole family is kind of lazy, but I think my younger brother is the worst! I always find myself having to remind him to pick up his shoes, dishes, and so on. Once, I even took a picture with my phone of a dirty dish he left in the living room and sent it to him via a text message, saying, “don’t do this again.” Even so, my constant nagging did not seem to work.</p>
<p><em>From the 10th to 13th May 2013, the little town of ¨Piero” in Nairobi (Kenya) will host the “Enculturation School”, a workshop that this year will have as the main theme ¨The Person” in various African traditions. Besides, a group of young people will take part in the first stage of the Project “Sharing with Africa”. In preparation for this event, we publish Giulia´s account of her Ugandan experience</em></p> <p>"Malpensa Airport, 2nd August 2011: destination 'Kampala – Uganda'. I felt extremely excited although I still couldn’t imagine that in the coming four weeks I would have one of the most beautiful and important experiences of my life. For a month I lived together and shared daily life with another Italian girl and three Ugandans. This obliged me from the very beginning to put aside all my 'western' habits, every way of doing or thinking, in order to be open myself to them and their life. But what at first were just small sacrifices soon became a treasure, a new way of thinking and relating to people around me.
<p>Nadia and Kadija are from two cities in Northern Italy. You can notice their ethnic, religious and cultural differences just by observing them. Nadia is Italian and Christian while Kadija is Tunisian and Muslim. Their experience of social cohesion began in school and has had unexpected results. Among these was Nadia’s degree dissertation in political Science about Muslim women, which dealt with the question of Muslim women’s wearing of the veil.</p>
<p>A Youth for a United World project: ‘Sharing with Africa’ and discovering the gift that the African continent is for the whole world</p>
Economy & Work
Thirty-five years ago a dream was born: the Economy of Communion. In late May Argentina will host an extraordinary celebration where people of all ages will come together to breathe new life into this project and write the future for a different kind of economy.
Lorna Gold, Executive Director of Laudato Si’ Movement, reflects on ten years of the encyclical, analysing how integral ecology is an essential path to global unity and tackling the climate crisis.
Operation Mato Grosso is working on over 100 missions across Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia, all rooted in education, hard work, and solidarity. Jacopo Manara, who has been a volunteer for years, tells us their story.
An interview on communication with Michele Zanzucchi, journalist and writer, former director of Città Nuova, professor of communication at Sophia University Institute and at the Pontifical Gregorian University, and author of around forty books.
EN
