Focolare Movement

Gen Rosso: When communication becomes listening

Nov 30, 2012

New artistic forms are learnt at the LVR-Gerricus-Schule of Düsserdorf in a workshop given by Gen Rosso. The main actors were a group of hearing-impaired students.

For an entire week they learnt to dance hip-hop, ventured into acting and song, and learnt the secrets of stage lighting and sound – all without the aid of verbal communication. All they had was sign language, sound vibrations and a profound and personal relationship with those who were giving this unique workshop on the musical “Streetlight”. This workshop which is very unique both as a musical and human experience took place on 5-12 November 2012. It involved Gen Rosso and 155 teenagers from the LVR-Gerricus-Schule and the Hauptschule Montessori. Many of the students were hearing impaired and some had learning and behavioral problems. What they managed to create among them was new and unexpected: they said they had created a “space for mutual exchange”. On the one side there was the opportunity to learn the art of listening, learning to ‘spend a small stretch of our life’ alongside hearing impaired youth from several social and faith backgrounds. On the other side it provided an opportunity to dress up the musical in new forms of artistic expression: short light shows, acting and song using sign language. At the end of the week there were many expressions of gratitude both for the work that had been done and for the indispensable supplement of love that everyone had put into it. As a motto for the week they chose the title of one of the songs from Streetlight: “Count me in!” This song is sung by one of the characters during the show, who sings it to tell of his desire to join the others in living for the ideal of peace and fraternity. “I’m so proud of my students,” said the director of LVR-Gerricus-Schule at the end of the show, “because performing a musical in spite of their hearing problems is quite a challenge, but it was possible thanks to Caritas Verband Colonia, the Starkmacher Association and Gen Rosso” .

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Newsletter

Thought of the day

Related post

For a Politics of Fraternity

For a Politics of Fraternity

From 25th January-1st February, 100 young political leaders from 36 countries worked on a politics based on fraternity. Pope Leo: fraternity among you is already a new sign.

Let Justice Flow Like Rivers: A Call to Integral Ecology in Ireland

Let Justice Flow Like Rivers: A Call to Integral Ecology in Ireland

The “Let Justice Flow Like Rivers” Creation Care Conference, held in Newry on 17th January 2026, brought together church leaders, community activists, educators and faith-based organisations from across Ireland for a day of prayer, listening, and shared commitment to care for creation.

Closeness: a bridge to shorten distances

Closeness: a bridge to shorten distances

The presentation of the book “Closeness, a path to peace. Pages of life” written by Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement, took place in the Jubilee Hall of LUMSA University (Rome) on the 30th of January 2026. It was a unique opportunity for exchange and dialogue, which aimed to offer a tangible experience of “closeness” with an outlook of hope towards the future.