From 25^th to 27^th February 2022, “Hombre Mundo”, a global project, conceived and implemented by young people as a way to reach universal fraternity, will take place. Local and global actions to foster knowledge between different cultures and religions, develop active citizenship, show the commitment of teenagers to overcoming the major challenges of the planet, from environment to the elimination of hunger and poverty. Claire Mulimbi, a Gen 3 (the 10 to 17 year olds of the Focolare Movement) who lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was one of the organizers of a two day “Hombre Mundo” event in September 2021. She said, “We understood that we have to accept each other, despite our differences, which can actually turn out to enrich us. It is a way to promote true values and ban false values. It was a very nice experience of sharing cultures through songs, dances, poems and guessing games. Experts came to teach us about ecology and then we planted some trees”. “Hombre Mundo”  is a project that involves thousands of boys and girls of the Focolare Movement all over the world. The aim is to learn about universal brotherhood, getting to know young people of the same age from other cultures and religions, discovering and sharing the riches of each people, working together for the major challenges of the planet. But “Hombre Mundo” is not only an opportunity for getting to know one another, it is also based on concrete actions to develop active citizenship for the common good of the communities to which the teenagers belong or by twinning with others. “Hombre Mundo” therefore includes actions at local and global levels alongside international events, such as the one to be held from 25^th-27^th  February 2022. The first “Hombre Mundo” workshop took place in 2014 in Argentina, then in 2017, three were held in Eastern Europe (in Croatia, Serbia and Poland): these were international “laboratory” type workshops, to get to know, love and respect the homeland of  others as one’s own. The program is designed and carried out by the young people,  from the choice of themes to be addressed to the experiences to be shared, to the lyrics of the songs. This edition should have had two central events, in Kenya and in  Ivory Coast and many local events in many countries of the world. For the first time, however, due to the pandemic, it will be completely online . The internet was a great help in the preparation. Gašper Jošt, a Gen 3 from Slovenia said: “We split into smaller groups according to time zone and language. From Slovenia, we met up with Malta and Ireland. We wrote a song together. Miha wrote the lyrics and Anja wrote the melody. Through it, we want to encourage people to continue building a more beautiful world and to say that as long as there is even one person trying, they will encourage others and bring them hope”. The Gen 3 from all over the world have also initiated various concrete actions in order to live out and spread a culture of giving and sharing. For example, useful educational material was sent to the young people of some countries of central-eastern Africa, Vietnam, Indonesia and Myanmar. In India, on the other hand, funds were allocated to prevent child labour, to build safe places where children can participate in activities to regain their self-esteem, socialize with others and develop their talents. Becoming more and more “world” men and women, that is people with a heart open to all humanity, with its riches and its challenges, is the goal of this year’s three days. Each day a theme will be explored. They will start from personal life and then broaden their gaze around the communities in which they live and then to the whole planet. February 25^th  will be dedicated to the lifestyle that characterizes these young people: the art of loving proposed by Chiara Lubich will be at the centre of their reflections and testimonies, with particular reference to the time in which we are living: how can we live it during the pandemic? How can we continue to love in the virtual world and social media? On the second day, the focus will be on integral ecology and the involvement of the Gen 3 for the “Zero Hunger” Goal, the second of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. On the third day the title will be, “May all be one” and the attention will focus on the beauty of peoples coming together and their common commitment to build a world of peace and unity. Our two international bands will also participate in the 2022 “Hombre Mundo”. Gen Verde will give a percussion workshop that will involve 60 boys and girls from the inter-American region and Gen Rosso will give a concert for peace on 26^th February  at 12:30 (Italian time), live from the Italian island of Lampedusa, famous for welcoming migrants. Before the concert, at 12 noon (Greenwich Mean Time) there will be a worldwide link-up to pray, all together, for peace. Granville from Bangalore (India) told us, “Every person on planet Earth is endowed with aspects, faculties, abilities and skills that make them a unique work of art. Therefore, whenever we stand side by side, supported by a spirit of unity, we compose an amazing art gallery. What does “Hombre Mundo” mean to me? I believe one word perfectly answers this question: unity. There can be no unity without love. Love is the bridge over the abyss of division. Love breaks down the walls that fragment us and love unite us. It is only through love for my neighbour that I can do my part to create a world in which each of us, works of art, come together to create a synergistic art gallery”. For more information visit teen4unity.org

Lorenzo Russo