Training to become “ambassadors of a united world”
At the Mariapolis in Arny, 35km south of Paris, the first “Ambassadors of a United World” course was held from 2–7 September. There were 16 young people from 14 countries who participated. 
“Better Together” was the catchphrase that guided them. The programme was sponsored by New Humanity, an international non-profit organisation, which is an offshoot of the Focolare Movement and takes its inspiration from the spirit and values behind it. The goal was to strengthen the expertise of a group of young change makers, peace builders and community leaders, training them in the culture of unity, peace and fraternity, in order for them to become true “ambassadors” of a united world, capable of being spokespeople for the NGO nationally and internationally. The 16 who participated were from Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, South Korea, Ecuador, the Philippines, Kenya, Iraq, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Spain and the U.S. “This was New Humanity’s first training course,” said Chantal Grevin, New Humanity’s main delegate at UNESCO in Paris. “It was an effective experience that allowed us, in just one week, to give them the necessary skills to become active workers in our NGO.” 
“We talked about what we mean by a ‘united world’, what peace, human rights are, and as a result what we mean by ‘person’”, explained Marco Desalvo, the NGO’s president. “We made an effort to translate all the best practices that our young people promote each day in the world, into a language that can inspire the international institutions, to spread the spirit of universal fraternity in every area of society at every level, just as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims.” The young ambassadors were welcomed by UNESCO officials from the humanities and social sciences (youth branch) and the education sector (global citizenship and culture of peace). “An open and free dialogue sprang up, allowing these delegates to discover New Humanity’s activities in a better way, through experiences from the young ambassadors, who were able to act as one, seeing all they had learned in recent days and their positive experiences of global citizenship,” added Grevin. Each young person was given the possibility of personally meeting the UNESCO delegate from their country and express their vision regarding the huge challenges of peace, the environment and fraternity. 
During the training course, the young people also had the opportunity to meet and speak with Monsignor Follo, a permanent observer to the Holy See, and Marie Claude Machon, Philippe Beaussant and Patrick Gallaud, who are the president, vice president and ex-president respectively of the liaison committee between NGOs and UNESCO. “Thanks to this course I learned so much about the United Nations system and NGO activities worldwide”, said Luciana, an Italian lawyer, at the conclusion of the experience. “Yet above all I rediscovered the true motivators that drove me towards this world. As an ambassador of New Humanity, I would like to promote the idea that supporting each other can make a great difference in creating a more united world. I understood that small 
gestures can have a great impact on people’s wellbeing. This is why I feel so privileged to be a part of this fantastic project!” Pascal, who is Lebanese, shared: “When I first arrived, I was discouraged at not being able to find solutions for my own country. Then I found courage and hope, and I understood that we can persevere, we can truly work to reach a united world. I know it will happen! I am quite happy to be going back to my country and start working.” And Noè, from Mexico, said: “I arrived here with my friend Josef from the U.S. We live just a few kilometres from the border separating our countries. We are already working together on projects to help migrants. When we go back, we’ll be able to put into practice what we learned here.”
Tamara Pastorelli
The Ministry of Education, University and Research (Italy) announced the national competition, open to Junior and Senior High Schools, on their website https://www.miur.gov.it/competizioni-e-concorsi-per-studenti highlighting the theme: “One city is not enough”. Chiara Lubich, Citizen of the World To discover her illustrious figure, her commitment and life witness on the occasion of the CENTENARY OF HER BIRTH with the aim of building Unity and Fraternity among peoples The competition is being promoted by the Chiara Lubich/New Humanity Centre and by the Trentino Historical Museum Foundation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, University Studies & Research, as part of the centenary celebrations of Chiara Lubich’s birth. Who is it for? It is aimed at students of all Italian junior and senior high schools whose participation consists of writing a paper (in the form of written text or a multimedia presentation) on one of the following topics: – Chiara Lubich in the context of the Second World War – Chiara Lubich and the collapse of the Berlin Wall – Chiara Lubich “Citizen of the World”, in dialogue with peoples and cultures In addition – and this is the fourth thematic area – students can narrate positive experiences they have personally lived, thus documenting chronicles that are of a positive nature, inspired by the message conveyed by Lubich’s writings. What are the aims of the competition? The competition aims to develop a spirit of initiative by creating situations of didactic conflict by writers still unexplored by standard textbooks; it aims to make Chiara Lubich known as a significant protagonist of the twentieth century through a profound understanding of her vision of “a united world”; it also aims to accompany new generations in their active pursuit of paths of peace and brotherhood between different cultures, languages, religions and peoples. 
What resources are available to discuss the proposed topics? Chiara Lubich is quite a well-known figure, however, both teachers and students are free to contact the Chiara Lubich Centre by leaving a message on their website or by writing to: concorso.studenti@centrochiaralubich.org The Trentino Historical Museum Foundation will also inaugurate an international multimedia exhibition entitled “Chiara Lubich World City” (opening from 7 December 2019 until November 2020), which will include specific tours for schools. What are the terms and conditions for participating in the competition? Works that are strictly unpublished must be received by 31 March 2020. The competition announcement gives precise indications on the way the projects may be transmitted. The evaluation commission will be composed of members of the Ministry of Education, University Studies & Research, the Chiara Lubich/New Humanity Centre and the Trentino Historical Museum Foundation. How will the awards be conferred? Awards will be presented to the winning schools during an official ceremony to be held by the end of the 2019-2020 school year, most probably in Rome. 
“We need young people to open up new ways of working; we older people are happy to support them through our work and by sharing what we have and what we know.” This is what Koen Vanreusel said when he spoke about his commitment to young business men and women all over the world. Koen has 4 children and 9 grandchildren and is the managing director of 
During one of the annual meetings of European EoC managers, we met young people from Serbia and Hungary who showed great appreciation for our business model and so we decided to share it with them. We supported them when they started a company in one of their own countries and continued to do so as the enterprise developed: we are very happy that this involvement means that we can share knowledge and our way of working. Then, during the EoC international meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, we met a group of young Congolese entrepreneurs who were determined not to abandon their war torn country but to stay and help people in need by starting a company. We felt we wanted to remain in contact with these young people and accompany them in their experience by offering them our skills. We want new generations of business men and women to join the Economy of Communion. What effects could the EoC paradigm have if applied on a large scale? It can help to build a fairer society with a smaller gap between rich and poor and a lower rate of poverty. By working together we can discover that a better world is possible. We will tell you about it in October, in Brussels, on a day dedicated to this very topic. 
The greatness and – we could even dare to say – the holiness of charismatic figures can be verified when God puts them to the test by taking away their health, their inspiration or even the work they founded. This gospel logic can be clearly seen in the life of Father Riccardo Lombardi, an Italian Jesuit, a great preacher and founder of the Movement for a Better World. This was highlighted by a conference in Rome organized by his Movement, 40 years after his death, in collaboration with the Focolare and the Community of Sant’Egidio. Faced with the power of self-destruction achieved by man and in the rubble at the end of the Second World War, Lombardi became a preacher of universal fraternity in the squares and on the radio, an activity for which they called him “God’s microphone”. After a famous exhortation that Pope Pius XII addressed to the Diocese of Rome in 1952, Father Lombardi wanted to create a group of people who would renew the Church according to a spirituality of communion. Andrea Riccardi, historian and founder of the Community of Sant’Egidio, stressed during the conference that Lombardi did and said what Pope Pius XII could not say and do publicly and thus also became the “microphone of the Pope”, to whom Lombardi was particularly attached. 
