Rosa Uliassi
Somebody said that the small is always a source for great enlightenment. Therefore, standing in front a controversial and chaotic contemporary world, the small virtuous realities make the difference. This is why it is worth talking about ‘Accoglienza Degna’ (Translated: Virtuous Welcome) which is a project born the last December in Bologna between the walls of a 4 years occupied barracks, now called Làbas.
This is run by young students and workers in their 20s and 30s, determined to take seriously the concept of human dignity and bottom-up solidarity. They alone succeeded in realizing a totally self-managed structure of welcome for immigrants and homeless, which is a concrete answer for housing emergency and for people who are running away from home risking their lives.
In this way the self-managed dormitory come to life, here disadvantaged con find a bed for some days, food and sanitary assistance.
Besides the welcome, with 15 beds, showers and a common kitchen, there are more socialization and inclusion activities that help the guests to feel in the foreground and in an equal condition.
Làbas is a small virtuous reality that, thanks to its activists and its solidarity networks, helped 21 persons after not even a year of activism. This year the new welcome team joined the “Anti-Racist World Cup 2016” for the first time, a Uisp* event against discrimination and violence in sport, culture and music.
The domestic economic crisis and the growing help request of millions of people running away from war and persecutions need a rapid and dignified solution from Italy and Europe.
In a society where equality struggle to reach everyone, where institutions are paralyzed, active citizenship takes care of outsiders, of the lasts, of the marginalized.
‘Accoglienza Degna’ is a small example of a pre-existing structure, simple but efficient, that should be a model for the whole country: a humanitarian local network which aims to provide aid, assistance and friendship to those who need it, beyond the limits of mere welfare/social handouts.
*(Italian Union Sport for everyone)
Rosa Uliassi
The contents of this article are the sole responsibility of the author, and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of ALDA and the European Union.
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