I’m Anibelka Gómez, a volunteer of the Focolare Movement in Santiago de los Caballeros (Dominican Republic), a teacher and current the principal of a public school.
Education is not just a right but a powerful tool to transform our communities. As educators, we have the power to influence the building of a more just and fraternal society. At a certain point, I felt a deep concern: how can I help build the “dream” of unity for which Jesus asked the Father? What concrete actions can I take to ensure that education becomes a driving force for peace in our communities?
So last year we thought of doing something that went beyond the walls of our school. We had limited resources but believing in the power of Jesus who promised to be present among those who love one another, we organized an international congress entitled: “Promoting an Education of Peace” in Santiago de los Caballeros. We decided that the basis of this congress would be the mutual love between the organizers, members of the Focolare Movement of the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. It was attended by 140 teachers, psychologists, principals and education professionals, representing 55 educational centres, including the Café con Leche School in Santo Domingo, a school which is committed to living the “art of loving” proposed by Chiara Lubich.
Pictured: International Congress “Fostering Peace Pedagogy” (Photo: Anibelka Gómez)
God’s providence was evident through the help, support, and collaboration of Director Rafael Liriano and Councillor Ysmailin Collado of the 08-04 Educational District, the National Association of Principals (ASONADEDI), some local entrepreneurs and the community of Santiago, which supported us with the practical arrangements.
The congress sparked renewed interest in learning more about the Focolare Movement’s educational initiatives, such as the Cube of Peace and the 6×1 Methodology (six steps for one goal). This led to a follow-up seminar entitled “A Culture of Peace and the 6×1 Methodology”, with principals and teachers from 20 schools participating. The goal was to share the approach with other schools and educators.
Left: Workshop on FormaT, right: Workshop on the Peace Nut and Methodology “6 x 1”(Photo: Anibelka Gómez)
This workshop highlighted the urgency of introducing the Cube of Peace and the 6×1 Methodology into schools. Several principals and teachers affirmed that implementing these programs would help children promote a culture of peace for the good of society. To continue this initiative, a new training course called FormaT was offered, an online course for those who accompany children, adolescents and youth in educational settings. Its aim is to share experiences, skills and tools for education and accompaniment. The course is offered online from Colombia and involves teachers from 14 educational centres. It runs monthly from September, with 9 modules, and leads to a certificate for participants.
The impact has been significant. The participating schools have formed strong bonds. During Lent, we held a retreat with FormaT participants, followed by a weekend gathering for the participating principals. It amazes us to see how Jesus multiplies our efforts, touches hearts and brings about fruits beyond what we can imagine, giving life to real experiences of unity.
The 2025 edition of the traditional youth festival in the Focolare little town will showcase the fragility and conflicts experienced by young people today and transform them into an immersive artistic experience full of hope. There will be many workshops and a live final show to tell everyone: ‘You are born to bloom’.
‘Remember that you were born to bloom, to be happy’. This is the message that, in the Jubilee Year of Hope, the young organisers of May Day in Loppiano (Figline and Incisa Valdarno – Florence) want to give to their peers who will participate in the 2025 edition of the traditional festival that has been held since 1973 in the international town of the Focolare Movement on Labour Day.
The theme
At the heart of ‘You are born to bloom, the courage to flourish’, the title of the event, are the fragility, wounds and conflicts experienced by today’s children and young people, sublimated into an artistic, immersive and growth-oriented experience.
‘We believe that the conflict we often experience in the most difficult stages of life can become an opportunity to be reborn stronger and more aware of who we are,’ explain Emily Zeidan, from Syria, and Marco D’Ercole, from Italy, members of the international team of young organisers of the festival. As Pope Francis told us, ‘Conflict is like a labyrinth’, we must not be afraid to go through it, because ‘conflicts make us grow’. But ‘you cannot get out of the labyrinth alone; you get out with someone else who helps you’. So, on May Day in Loppiano, we want to remind everyone of the beauty of each other, even in moments of vulnerability.
The theme of May Day in Loppiano is highly topical, considering that in Italy, one in five minors suffers from a mental disorder (depression, social withdrawal, school refusal, self-harm, anxiety, eating disorders, suicidal tendencies), according to data from the Italian Society of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry. Those under 35, on the other hand, experience job insecurity, are underpaid, suffer from territorial and gender inequality (‘Youth 2024: the balance sheet of a generation’, EURES), and do not feel understood by adults in their needs and experiences, particularly when it comes to fears and fragility, aspirations and dreams.
Pope Francis had great faith in us young people. He never missed an opportunity to remind us that the world needs us, our dreams, and great horizons to look towards together, in order to ‘lay the foundations of social solidarity and a culture of encounter,’ emphasise Emily and Marco. For this reason, ‘You are Born to Bloom’ will be a show created together, where the audience will not only be spectators but an integral part of the international town of the Focolare Movement. Narration: everyone who participates will be called upon to become a protagonist of the show, giving their best with others.
The programme
In the morning, participants in the May Day festival in Loppiano will have the opportunity to explore their own fragility and beauty through art, motivational and experiential workshops led by psychologists, trainers, counsellors, artists and performers.
Among these, the Gen Verde International Performing Arts Group will prepare young people to take to the stage and be part of the cast of choreographies, choirs, theatre company and band in the final show. The Gen Verde workshops are part of the project ‘M.E.D.I.T.erraNEW: Mediation, Emotions, Dialogue, Interculturality, Talents to foster youth social inclusion in the Mare Nostrum’, Erasmus Plus – Youth – cooperation partnership.
The festival will culminate in the afternoon with the collective creation of a live performance: all participants will be an active part of the story, and there will be no distance between the stage and the audience.
Among the artists who have confirmed their participation are Martinico and the band As One.
‘You are born to bloom, the courage to flourish’ is made possible thanks to the contribution of Fondazione CR Firenze.
Loppiano’s May Day is an event of the 2025 United World Week (1-7 May 2025), a global workshop and expo to raise awareness of fraternity and peace.
For information and reservations, please contact: primomaggio@loppiano.it +39 055 9051102 www.primomaggioloppiano.it
According to the calendar of major events for the Jubilee of Hope 2025, the Jubilee for Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly will take place from 30th May- 1st June and the Jubilee for Young People will take place from 28th July-3rd August. These will be two major events that will bring thousands of people from all over the world to Rome.
For the occasion, the Focolare Movement is offering several itineraries to provide opportunities to get to know more about the spirituality of unity and the lives of some witnesses of hope. In particular, a multi-stop tour for young people has been created around Italy entitled Youth and Holiness. We interviewed Paola Torelli and Lais Alexandre Pessoa from the Movement’s Youth Centres to find out more.
Let’s start with the Youth Jubilee: where did the idea of the “Young People and Holiness” tour come from?
The Youth Jubilee is a unique opportunity to set out on a journey, both physically in Rome and in other jubilee locations around the world. This journey is not just about visiting places, but above all it is an experience of encounter with God and with many witnesses of hope, whose lives can help us grow in faith and hope. Hence the idea of Young People and Holiness, a journey in the company of some witnesses of hope, for all the young people participating in the Jubilee at the end of July.
Genoa to getto know more about two friends Alberto Michelotti and Carlo Grisolia, now servants of God (info@albertoecarlo.it)
Loppiano (Florence), the international little town of the Focolare, to meet some of today’s witnesses of hope.(accoglienza@loppiano.it)
Assisi to discover the life and witness of saint Carlo Acutis, who will be canonised on 27th April 2025 as part of the Jubilee of Adolescents. (Youth Hospitality Program)
Rome for a journey in stages based on the four key words of the Jubilee: Pilgrimage and Profession of Faith, Holy Door, Hope, Reconciliation. The route will follow the traditional itinerary of the Seven Churches, accompanied by a spiritual guideline.
4th August, visit to the International Centre of the Focolare (Rocca di Papa). Visitors can take a guided tour to gain a deeper understanding of the charism of unity and the life story of the founder Chiara Lubich, whose body is buried there. (accoglienza@focolare.org)
Can you choose only one stage or is it one complete journey that includes all the stops?
The proposed stages are independent, each group or person can choose which ones to participate in or, if possible, follow the entire route. Contact details are provided for each stop regarding programs and visits.
Are there any other initiatives for young people?
Every month, at the Focolare Meeting Point in Rome there is a gathering entitled Call to one hope – Young people on the Journey. Together with some other Movements and Associations, we offer a chance to nurture and strengthen “hope” through shared testimonies, reflection, silence, and prayer. It’s an experience of mutual discovery. Preparing these events together with the other Movements and Associations helps us grow and become ever more the Church.
Let’s move on now to the Jubilee for Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly at the end of May: what does Focolare propose?
There will be two events on Friday, 30th May. They are interactive routes to deepen the Jubilee of Hope, designed for families with children and young people up to the age of 12, They include reflections and games suitable for that age group. The first will take place at the Focolare International Centre where participants can visit several significant places, such as the house where Chiara Lubich lived and the chapel where she is buried, together with the co-founders of the Movement. The second event will take place in Rome in several churches and significant places, starting from the Focolare Meeting Point.
‘Start Here and Now’ is the latest single from international band Gen Verde. A hymn of unity, strength, courage and joy featuring two youth music groups: Banda Unità (Brazil) and AsOne (Italy). ‘All of us, together with our diversity, are invited to go beyond borders to build a world where care, love, justice and inclusion are the answer to pain, the horror of wars and divisions,’ explains the band.
What is behind the song?
‘The new song is in itself a ‘beyond borders’ experience because of the way it was produced,’ the band continues. The vocals were recorded in three different parts of the world and the video was also shot in three different locations: Loppiano and Verona (Italy) and Recife (Brazil).
The project includes the participation of two youth music groups that share Gen Verde values. Banda Unità is a Brazilian band and AsOne is a band from Verona, Italy. These groups also want to share, through music, the values of peace, dialogue and universal brotherhood.
‘Start Here and Now’ has an intergenerational and intercultural mix,’ continues Gen Verde. “This single stands out for its highly engaging rhythm and powerful lyrics, sung in different languages, to bring out the creative process inspired by interculturality and the commitment to universal brotherhood that is emphasised in the international Genfest event”.
Gen Verde played this song for the first time in Aparecida, Brazil, together with the musical groups Banda Unità and AsOne on 20 July 2024 during Genfest, the Focolare Movement’s global youth event. This edition was entitled: ‘Juntos para Cuidar – Together to Care’.
We have just heard stories of peace that were expressed in the most varied forms: songs, prayers, experiences, real projects.
All this strengthens in us the confidence and hope that it is possible to be peacemakers. Pope Francis says that we must be ‘artisans of peace’ every day. And to do this we need perseverance and patience to be able to look with love at all the brothers and sisters we meet on our path.
From this Genfest we have learnt that peace begins with me, with small gestures of care for others, for our peoples and for creation.
So where can we start?
We have said it several times in these days: by breaking down all the barriers that divide us, so as to live for fraternity. And this we can do:
by discovering that our common humanity is more important than all our differences;
then by being ready to forgive and to make gestures of reconciliation. Because to forgive means to say to the other: ‘You are worth much more than your actions’.
And as we did in the first phase of Genfest, let us continue, even when we return home, to be artisans of peace in our relationships, taking the first step towards others. Love will inspire us what to do, and to whom we should go.
Let us forgive without waiting for the other person to ask for forgiveness.
May this Genfest be the moment of our YES TO PEACE.
We must never feel alone again. In these days we have seen and certainly we have experienced the power of ‘togetherness’, Juntos.
Let us be united with all those who are living and working for peace. The communities we are going to build in Phase Three are already a possible way forward.
Open your eyes to visions of peace! Speak a language of peace! Make gestures of peace! For the practice of peace leads to peace. Peace reveals itself and offers itself to those who achieve, day after day, all the forms of peace of which they are capable.(*)
Open, speak and act.
So: let us not be at peace until we bring about peace!
