Peace workshops

Put yourself at the service of peace within the prison walls. About thirty inmates of the Vercelli Prison have actually experienced it. Despite the pandemic and the hardships imposed to defend themselves from Covid, men of different cultures and religions, from October to last July, discussed the theme of peace, which is not just the absence of war, through an interesting project promoted by the Community of Sant'Egidio. Debates and exchanges of ideas between prisoners-students and educators. A "cut" chosen to deepen and evaluate the current moment of crisis, because even the prison is a privileged place to provide the necessary tools for education for peace.

The training initiative was supported with conviction, a sign of how much people can and make the difference in giving imprisonment the value of our Constitution, by the director of the institute Antonella Giordano, by the deputy commander of the penitentiary police Giuseppina Gambino and by the person in charge of the educational-treatment area Valeria Climaco.

The aim of the course was to give life to "a creative education". Day after day, the "pupils" have developed a consciousness capable of transforming aggression into reasonable operation. "The inmates of different nationalities discussed war, violence and racism in today's world and expressed their sincere desire for peace, a good that everyone needs as the air you breathe", he explained to L'Osservatore Romano. Paolo Lizzi, volunteer of the community of Sant'Egidio and contact person for the project.

In the workshops, experiences of peace were presented, the participants experienced how peace crosses all religions. At the end of each lesson there was a space for prayer - to which everyone adhered according to their own creed - for all countries and areas of the world wounded by violence. «Some prisoners - revealed the volunteer of the Sant'Egidio community - admitted that it is not easy to live with a peaceful heart because at times feelings of enmity, rancor, revenge, hatred prevail. But these feelings do not help either to grow or to be better ».

During the peace workshops, the inmates discovered that they could do a lot to build it through prayer, culture and information. As with daily gestures of solidarity, humanity, dialogue that are within everyone's reach. Even in prison it is possible to put oneself at the service of peace. "By doing so - concluded Lizzi - closed skies open and one begins to taste the flavor of freedom".

Chiara Genesio

NP Ottobre 2021