“Where was I?” was the refrain of the song inspired by the migration tragedy, and sung by the Gen Verde on the stage of the May 1 event of Loppiano (Florence). The question resounded strongly among the 1,200 participants of the feast day, but it also pertained to commitment to suffering humanity, for example in Aleppo, with the escalation of bombs and deaths which have beset the city for the last 10 days, and likewise for the populations devastated by the earthquake in Ecuador, who asked to live and return to their normal lives. It is a commitment also of the multitude of associations and initiatives operating on the front of integration in Italy. “The aim of this day – explained the Youth for a United World – is to highlight the  flow of initiatives undertaken throughout Italy, in the name of reception, lawfulness, politics lived as a service, and care for the environment, which in one word means: fraternity.” “Ever since the bombings started again, a chain of solidarity has begun among the people – Tarek of Aleppo, Syria, recounted. This reveals the quality of my people, who do not give up, but whose dignity is wounded. We say, stop the war, and ask with faith for the gift of peace.» Lubna instead explains: «In Jordan there are three million refugees, half of which are Syrians. They arrive with despair in their eyes, and the absence of hope. We try to share the life of fear they have faced, by giving them love and a sense of family.» Wa’el Suleiman, Director of Caritas in Jordan, addressed the people with a heartfelt appeal in a video shoot: «Work with us to stop the war, come to the Middle East and help us rebuild our countries, so that the people do not have to escape, and emigrate. We want to live in our lands.” Nahomy and Maria are both Ecuadorians, They recounted the extraordinary strength of their people: “The pain of those who had lost all their belongings, became the suffering of all. The inmates of a prison started to build wooden coffins, people of different political ideologies teamed up together, the cooks became heroes by preparing a warm meal for everyone, and the poor shared the little they had.” A festive atmosphere and lots of music accompanied the stories of the youth who have decided to actively take part in the building of a different world. “«I am weary of clashes, and diatribes in politics and also in daily life – a boy wrote on the great “wall” on which each could leave behind that part of himself that hinders the flow of fraternity – the only things I take interest in and for which I want to live are those things that unite and not those that divide us.” Cristina Guarda, 25, a councilor of the Venice Region, talked about the reasons that drove her to ‘go out there’: “I have always been convinced that politics is what we build when we place ourselves at the service of others. I felt that it was time to get involved.” A phrase of Chiara Lubich introduced the round table that ended the morning. “If you want to transform a city, start by uniting with those who share your ideals. Together, look for the poor, the abandoned, orphans, prisoners, those who are marginalized, and give, always give: a comforting word, a smile, your time, your goods….”. Then came an overview of a variety of ideas-projects of the Youth for a United World in Italy: in Turin, in a small dormitory; in Florence, with a group of prisoners in the Gozzini Jail; in Syracuse, with the Summer Campus that will take place next summer, and which foresees support and recreational activities with problematic children and adolescents; in Naples and Caserta, the project, “Fraternity Workshops,” which has involved hundreds of kids from the peripheries at risk. The afternoon program proceeded with the Expo of the United World Project on disarmaments, the environment, economy of communion, art, culture with the Sophia University Institute, Slotmob, against gambling, intercultural and interreligious dialogue, etc. The day ended with the “FlowRun”: a run in several stages which culminates in an explosion of joy, music and colours, as if to demonstrate that enthusiasm and joy are essential for anyone who wants to attract others in the adventure of a world that is “for” and not “against” something. Source: Focolare-Loppiano nformation Service Photos on Flickr: