Italy

2 events: Potenza and Rome

 

Potenza, Italy
report by Vito Palladino

In January, we began a project with some 200 students in 12 high schools in Potenza. Through the creation of handwritten mandalas, the students looked at the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations—goals such as elimination of hunger and poverty, access to quality education, gender equality, peace and justice, respect for all life in water and on land, a sustainable economy, and so on. To create the mandalas, the students first drew a design that represented the issue they had chosen, and then chose a phrase of gratitude to write in the mandala.

At first, some students said that it would be too difficult to fill 70 concentric circles with writing. But slowly, day by day, circle by circle, they managed to complete their mandalas with a feeling of joy and dedication, making sure that they were writing from a deep place in their hearts. Among the 12 schools was an international school with students from five continents, and they wrote their mandalas in various languages. It was truly a blessing from heaven to have made this project a reality, and I am thankful to the divine family at Fuji Sanctuary for their inspiration and support.

The mandala project concluded with an exhibition inside the National Archaeological Museum in Potenza, which ran from May 18 to June 24. Large rooms spread across three floors welcomed the 200 mandalas made by the students, which blended in perfect harmony with the museum’s permanent archaeological collection. The project was accomplished thanks to the work done by the school administrations and the local, provincial, and regional governments, and our major partners, UNICEF of Basilicata and Art&venti2012. By the end of the year, we will be publishing a catalogue of the mandalas that the students created.

On May 27, we held our second major event, a large peace ceremony at the Gesualdo da Venosa Conservatory of Music. More than 200 students participated in the ceremony, which included performances of music, dance, and theatre. In the future, we hope to expand this project nationally and internationally, involving schools, public institutions, and the general citizenry.

 

Rome, Italy
report by Maria Caterina Putignano

On the 18th of May, the Yoga Dharma Community celebrated the SOPP, connecting with Fuji Sanctuary and events around the world and sending out a vibration of peace for all the countries of the world.

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