World Peace Championships
Publish date 15-12-2024
The awareness of the growing gap between generations, the progressive detachment of young people from the institutions and values that underpin personal commitment, the widespread sense of fear for the future convinced Sermig at the end of the 90s to welcome thousands of young people from all over Italy to the Arsenale della Pace. From the meeting with these young people, an intuition took shape: to allow the new generations to be heard by the greats of the Earth in the fields of politics, culture, economics, spirituality...
Since its foundation in 1964, Sermig has put young people first. Over the years, the idea of doing something significant with them has strengthened also thanks to meetings with some "prophets": Dom Helder Camara, frère Roger Schutz, Giorgio La Pira... Mother Teresa of Calcutta in a personal letter invited us in a special way to "go in search of children, of young people, to bring them home".
In 1998, new interpretations arrived: creating opportunities to reconcile the generation of fathers with that of children, in a simple way, with a face-to-face meeting.
The difficulties and hopes of young people were collected in the “Youth Charter”, created with the contribution of 400 groups of young people from all over Italy. Sermig presented it to John Paul II in the Vatican on 22 December 2000. An unforgettable day, the Jubilee of Peace. The Pope listened and reciprocated: «Write, dear friends, each with their own contribution, a page of history of young people and for young people, where the new generations emerge as passionate protagonists of a fruitful season of the civilization of love».
This commitment gave birth to a movement of thousands of young people: the Youth of Peace, committed in school, at work, wherever they are, to build a world of peace and justice. Periodically, they met at world events: in Turin on October 5, 2002, in Asti on October 3, 2004, in L’Aquila on August 27, 2010, again in Turin on October 16, 2010, in Naples on October 4, 2014, in Padua on May 13, 2017, in Bergamo on May 11, 2019.
The aim is to rebuild a new Renaissance of hope. In Turin, with the transformation of a war arsenal into the Arsenal of Peace, this idea has taken root and continues to bear fruits of peace, so necessary today.
Edited by the Editorial Staff
NP October 2024