The mandate of the President

“This is what I would like to emphasize once again: things that appear impossible are not. It is possible as long as there is initiative, trust, trust in solidarity.
For this I would also like to thank those who have contributed to this initiative, to carry it out: they have made a great contribution, a great example of how we live together, of how we are a community together ».

IN OTHERS 'SHOES

Attending the inauguration of PalaSermig in Turin, the new sports facility that has already begun to welcome children and young people from the Aurora district, the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, alluding to the gift of a pair of soccer shoes just received as a gift from the children, he invited everyone to put themselves in the shoes of others: «In the shoes of others it is a way of saying that is very significant, like putting yourself in the shoes of others, […]. In reality we discover that they are our own clothes, we discover that the fate of others is also our fate, which takes place together with that of others ». A great hope for the future which, however, has already taken root in the present, a great responsibility to live and cherish every day, knowing that, as he already told us on another occasion: "we need to keep our conscience always alert in order to face the responsibility".

A CIVIL MANDATE

The theme of the community is very dear to the President, so much so that he expressed it several times in the course of the meetings he had with our fraternity. The inauguration of the PalaSermig was only the last stage of a series of events that began six years ago, a journey that between Turin, Rome, Pecetto and Madaba has seen growing esteem and friendship with the President. A stage that collects the fruits of these years full of dialogue, emotions, words full of meaning and never circumstance: a civil mandate of extraordinary importance that the President leaves to Sermig and to the whole company, a wealth of ideas that will allow us to future to find other ideas for engagement and discussion with civil society.

In the television message of 31 December 2018, after having visited the Arsenal and received the honorary citizenship of the City of Felizie, perhaps the children of the Arsenale della Piazza imaginary, Mattarella said it clearly: "we must be careful not to confine dreams and hopes to only childhood season as if these values ​​were not important in the adult world.
[…] Ours is a country rich in solidarity.

Civil society has often arrived, more effectively and with more human warmth, in remote places not reached by public administrations ".
From the first meetings in 2015, speaking to the young people of the Arsenale in a delegation, he said: "Ours is a country in which there is a need to regain the sense of national community, to feel part of a community in which one realizes that freedom is not complete if it is not also shared by others, that it is not fully realized if the others are not too, all the others ". Rereading him now, this passage reveals all the prophetic charge of him; five years before Covid, Mattarella already indicated the urgency of a new community definition of freedom, beyond any form of selfishness, and of a new vision of social relations, based on solidarity and hospitality.

In this sense, the President saw in our fraternity a possible example of a civil community capable of renewing the spirit of the largest national community.
In a climate of growing conflicts not only in Italy but throughout Europe, it is more urgent than ever to focus on the theme of the community as a lifeline.
The very experience of the pandemic shows that, if we do not tackle it together, we will all sink. But this consideration must apply to every area of ​​life.
There is no distinction between micro and macro, it applies as much for each individual family unit as for the whole of Europe, of which Mattarella has repeatedly highlighted the importance.

BUILDING RELATIONS

On the occasion of the Days of Forgiveness proposed by Sermig, Sergio Mattarella had invited us to continue to be a laboratory of peace, capable of rebuilding the social fabric and generating new forms of relationships starting from forgiveness. Forgiveness is a key to humanity. […] It is the gift, the gratuitousness that generates society, which contrasts violence, which allows humanity to progress.

Hate multiplies hatred. The gift, on the other hand, opens up to life ". Again: «Forgiveness, a step towards reconciliation between persons and between peoples, generates life, frees our humanity, creates friendship and community. Forgiveness opens the door to peace, and therefore builds the future. Forgiveness does not erase memory, it does not deny justice, but it makes us stronger than fear and violence ».

Peace and forgiveness are building blocks of any society. They are not abstract words or concepts, but attitudes, concrete behaviors that present themselves daily as individual and collective choices. The world changes with facts and not with words. “Peace is a construction that engages each and every one, every day, in every place, starting with the one in which one lives. Peace concerns us and challenges us to be consistent in daily life with its profound values. This is why we must not allow a fellow student to be laughed at for a disability, a playmate to be marginalized for the color of his skin, or a neighbor to be abandoned in poverty and need ».

The educational and sporting commitment towards children and young people, the reception service, medical care and the distribution of basic necessities to the most destitute people, cultural promotion, aid and support for the poorest populations of the world, then take on a political meaning aimed at giving foundation and concreteness to the values ​​that the constituent fathers have transcribed in the articles of our Constitution.

A way to embody these principles in concrete actions and achievable social and economic projects But not only that, even sectors apparently extraneous to the ethical dimension can be lived in a perspective oriented to the common good. Speaking of the economic-organizational implications of Sermig presented in its financial statements in 2019, the President reiterated the close connection between economics and ethics and referring to the economic value produced by Sermig's activities, he said: "This is an example of how, in reality, spontaneous economic facts connected to volunteering, spontaneous self-dedication out of solidarity, intersect. This is an important reality ».

YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE FOREGROUND

Another common trait that has characterized the bond with the President is the shared commitment for the new generations.
Speaking to the young people of Sermig, the President has always actually addressed all young people, inviting them to take their lives in hand and, with it, also the present and the future of the entire community.

“Your proof of concreteness, as you discuss and fight for a more just world, lies in starting from yourself. What we ask of others, what we expect of the community, we must be able to realize it in our life, starting from the people who are close to us. […] Don't back down.
[…] We will all be better off if your enthusiasm infects others. […] Be free do not be afraid to say something uncomfortable or out of the ordinary, or seemingly impossible when you shout and sing for brotherhood among men, for peace. You are the world ». "You young people, wherever you come from, must make your voice heard, your request for peace".

The last, pressing invitation is to keep together the gaze to the future and the concrete commitment in the present because “we must do what is possible today.
In any case, keeping our head high on tomorrow and starting from now on the plan for a better future. […] To keep together the concrete, meticulous work of solidarity with a sowing that instead concerns the whole world ».

Renato bonomo
Focus
NP December 2021