Reggio Calabria, Italy—UPF representatives joined a school’s commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
UPF-Italy President Carlo Zonato and Public Relations Director Maria Gabriella Mieli were among the speakers at the event, which was held by the municipality of the southern Italian city of Reggio Calabria together with the De Amicis-Bolani comprehensive school. A comprehensive institute is a school complex within which several levels of education coexist, such as nursery, elementary and middle school.
About 150 eighth-grade students, teachers and some parents attended the January 27, 2023 observance, which was held in the school gymnasium. The meeting was coordinated directly by the school headmaster, Dr. Giulio Romeo.
The students participated enthusiastically, offering their experiences, comments and a lot of questions relating to the Shoah. They also recounted their work and activities for the sake of peace, providing much food for thought for the formation of the children's hearts and character.
One of the speakers was artist Miriam Jaskierowitz Arman, an Ambassador for Peace and the daughter of parents deported to concentration camps. Her life testimony was very moving and touched the hearts of all present, especially the students.
UPF-Italy President Carlo Zonato spoke to the students about the importance of peace education and the study of history so as not to repeat the very serious mistakes of the past. He also emphasized the importance of cultivating healthy relationships with classmates, friends and, above all, one’s family, where one grows up in love, experiencing the four relationships of the heart, that of child, brother/sister, spouse and parent.
UPF-Italy Public Relations Director Maria Gabriella Mieli spoke open-heartedly to the students, complimenting their artistic skills, expressed in poems about the Shoah, and their interest in and sensitivity to issues related to peace and good governance. She appreciated the teachers for involving the students' parents in this educational program—not an easy task in these complicated times.
On behalf of the Municipality of Reggio Calabria, Lucia Anita Nucera, the assessor for educational policies, greeted the participants. She continues the great work of raising awareness with all the city schools on issues related to peace, international cooperation and human rights. In this regard, she is involving UPF-Italy to collaborate with local schools on inclusion projects related to these issues.
She then publicly announced an upcoming UPF Peace Road event involving several of the city's schools. It is planned to take place in Reggio Calabria, with the marble monument dedicated to the 38th parallel as its central point.
