The Community was initially set up in Rome in 1968 on the initiative of Andrea Riccardi and a group of high-school students as an after-school service for children. Over the years, Comunità Sant’Egidio has spread to over 70 countries worldwide and now takes care of the homeless, elderly people living alone, migrants, minors and encouraging inter-religious dialogue. In Bologna, it carries out various projects through Casa dell’Amicizia in via Lame and Scuola della Pace. For FARE INSIEME Charity, Lucrezia Lanzani interviews Nicola Perugini, an operator working in Comunità Sant’Egidio
FARE INSIEME CHARITY is the spin-off of the FARE INSIEME project dedicated to the presentation of some onlus and non-profit associations with roots in the area around Bologna, Ferrara and Modena and that carry out extraordinarily important and crucial work for the entire community. Here are some of their stories.
by Lucrezia Lanzani*
“Periphery: an external area compared to a centre, i.e. its outermost manifestation.”
Comunità Sant’Egidio was set up in Rome in 1968, immediately after the Second Vatican Council, on the initiative of Andrea Riccardi and a group of high-school students. These are years marked by great social and political change, when young people started wondering what they could do concretely to change the cities they lived in. They started frequenting the Roman slums, where they met children living in economic and educational poverty. Many of them couldn’t go to school and found it difficult to get an education.
That is how the first service provided by the community was born - an after-school activity to help children out with homework and as a support to families. Right from the start, however, the focal point was not just the service itself, but the personal and friendly relationships it created. Over the years, Comunità Sant’Egidio grew and spread to over 70 countries worldwide. Today, it takes care of the homeless, elderly people living alone, migrants, minors and encourages inter-religious dialogue.
“The principle that keeps leading the Community is that of helping the periphery, intended not only in a strictly geographical sense, but also socially and existentially. In Bologna, the Comunità Sant’Egidio works on different projects through Casa dell’Amicizia in via Lame,” illustrates Nicola Perugini, an operator working for the Community.
The main activities include street rounds to meet the homeless, handing out clothes and meals, a school of Italian for foreigners, services for the elderly and the Scuola della Pace.
“Scuola della Pace is one of the main projects of the Community in Bologna and it was first set up in 2021. It was created after the Covid emergency, when the Community realised the difficulties many children were having to deal with, especially those from migrant families. Home-schooling in fact increased inequality, as many families did not have any technological means and many children missed out on important socialising activities. For that reason, the Community decided to start a Scuola della Pace in Bologna too, as there were others in other cities,” continues Nicola Perugini, who works in the project.
It currently involves over 40 children from the Bolognina district. Activities include helping with homework and school support, but the objective goes beyond mere after-school activities. Scuola della Pace aims, in fact, to create a space where different cultures can meet and promote values such as dialogue, coexistence and peace.
The pivotal role is played by the young volunteers - many from high schools around Bologna, while others University students. The Community defines them as “Giovani per la Pace” (i.e. Young People for Peace), and they take part in the services provided by the Community, especially through Scuola della Pace and the Friday night rounds. Around 50 of them are currently regularly involved in the project.
The Community also organises international meetings dedicated to young people from the various continents where the Community is present. The meetings help volunteers talk to others who carry out similar activities in other cities, so they can share their experiences and thoughts.
“One of the main events is GlobalFriendship, an annual meeting dedicated to Comunità di Sant’Egidio volunteers from all over Europe. It is organised in a different European city every year, and it enables volunteers to talk to others carrying out similar activities in other cities. There is also a cooperation network from the various Communities in northern Italy. The Bologna branch is in contact with Communities in Padua, Trento, Trieste, Parma and Reggio Emilia. There are also events organised in Rome, the city where the Community was first born and which is still the headquarters’ location,” explains Nicola Perugini.
Another important aspect of the work carried out by the Community concerns the direct involvement of young people. Many start out initially as volunteers to help with after-school activities and, over time, establish stable relationships with the families and children. According to the Community supervisors, the objective is not only to offer a service, but to create a space where people’s voices can be heard. In the case of Scuola della Pace, the relationship with children is not just limited to support for school. Volunteers also organise group activities and events that help children build up relationships and feel part of a community. The idea is to educate towards dialogue and coexistence.
In a city like Bologna, characterised by the presence of very different cultures and communities, the Comunità di Sant’Egidio is trying to create places where these differences can turn into opportunities to socialise instead of creating conflict. Activities are supported via donations, self-financing and the help of volunteers.
Their objective remains the same one that drove those first Roman students in 1968, i.e. that of building up relationships, creating inclusion and dealing with the needs of the most vulnerable.
*Lucrezia Lanzani is a former student of Liceo Steam Emilia, who is now studying Communication Science at the University of Amsterdam. She is eighteen years old and has always been interested in social issues. For more than three years, she has been volunteering in various organizations in her community.
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