From Oceania to Northern Europe, from Tierra del Fuego to the Far East: United World Week (UWW) 2011, had its official closure on 8th May, could not have been anything less than a worldwide experience.
Yet it was much more than a simple series of events around the globe: the thousands of Youth for a United World (Y4UW) from the most varied cultures and traditions who took part in this week’s activities and projects, were a visible demonstration of that a united world is possible.
If one were to overview the events carried out during UWW 2011, it would be like going on a fascinating trip around the world. However even just a brief glimpse at each activity, would be too to fit into a few pages!
Let’s take a quick glance at some of the activities.
The explosive opening of the United World Week 2011 took place on 29th April evening at Castel Gandolfo (IT). This was an excellent setting to launch UWW 2011 on a worldwide level. The response was really great!
The Middle-East Y4UW took up a very active role. As we all know, the Middle East is a region which is undergoing great historical changes. These changes were triggered off by the youth themselves.
The Y4UW in Lebanon
The social arena was also the focal point in Latin America. In Cuba La Havana , that sprouted up under one of the city’s bridges.
In Guatemala, a series of events coloured each day of the United World Week with a different shade: ‘Giving’, ‘Being the first to love’, ‘Dying for your own People’, ‘Forgiveness’, ‘Ecology’, ‘Inter-weaving Relationships’ were the various titles of the 6-day event.
Our last stop in Latin America brings us to Rosario, Argentina, where two groups of 25 young people – right on the main roads’ zebra crossings - presented a variety of mimes about their commitment towards building a united world!
The Y4UW from Burundi, wrote as follows: “we paid a visit to a poverty-stricken camp site where people who had escaped to neighboring countries during the conflict period, had returned to their homeland but were unable to take possession of their own property. More than 400 families are camped on this marshy land and their hovels are made of mud and straw. The camp site is very crowded and many times a few square meters’ hut is occupied by more than one family. We were shocked by the whole situation and the contribution we brought along (clothes, soap, etc.) was like a drop in an ocean of need! However, the greatest gift we possessed was the love that we tried to share with them while playing with the kids, taking them into our arms or just talking with the parents. Their sad and gloomy faces turned into smiling faces.”
The youth from Man (Ivory Coast) told us: “We are at the end of “our” United World Week. On this day, we visited an orphanage in our town and we had a morning of great joy, fraternity and harmony. We divided ourselves into three groups. One group sowed corn and cassava in the fields of the orphanage. Another group prepared food for the children and the last group cleaned the premises and took care of the children (wash up, play games with them and eat with them).”
In various countries UWW events were focused on “Give help to Japan”, where the earthquake followed by a tsunami had just struck the eastern coastal area of Japan. In Los Angeles a “Hike-a-thon” was held to raise funds for the population of Fukushima Rome
In Melbourne , Australia
The Youth for a United World, in Split, Croatia report: “we divided ourselves into groups to visit some elderly people who are often lonely and sick. The joy that we tried to give to them returned to us in great abundance.”
A message from the Y4UW in Sarajevo: “On 8th May, we were particularly united with you through the Time-out for peace! We recalled that fifteen years ago, the Y4UW all over the world prayed for peace in our war torn country and for us it was a very strong encouragement and support. Today, we are particularly close to all those of us who are undergoing war and suffering. In this way, we continue building a more united world.”
In Austria, the youth organized an event called “Encounter with the city”. They wrote to us: “we split up into three groups and each group dedicated itself to a social activity. One group prepared and served a meal for 80 homeless people, who had been invited for that occasion. Another group walked around in the city to bring food to other homeless people and to keep them company. Moreover, some of us offered a “sweet challenge”: little pieces of chocolate were distributed on a major shopping street, saying, “Change the image of your city. Do something good – here and now.” At 7:30 pm sharp, a “flashmob” at St. Stephen’s Square took place, which was the highlight and the conclusion of the day. First, everybody was supposed to act normal. At the sound of a whistle, we all sat or knelt on the ground, each of us holding a sign in our hands, saying “For you always have the poor with you;“ (Mt. 26:11) or sentences taken from a different world-view or religion. At the same time, a huge banner was let down from the roof of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. It was a very exciting moment! It was a statement declaring that we are all brothers and sisters and this means that each one of us is responsible for those who are at the margins of society.
It was a fantastic day, which united us with the whole world.”
The conclusion of the UWW 2011 took place in Sassello (IT) where the Y4UW presented a musical called “Living the Dream”, inspired by the life of two Italian youth, Alberto Michelotti and Carlo Grisolia. It was an event where 1,200 youth were present. This fourteenth edition of United World Week was also transmitted worldwide via internet. The climax of the programme was the announcement of Genfest 2012 entitled “Let’s Bridge” and will take place on 31st August to 2nd September in Budapest, Hungary.
More information on the United World Week 2011 can be found on the following website:
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