The initiative is part of a series of gatherings organized by the United World Project to advance the proposals of the Communities established after Genfest 2024.
The second meeting in a sequence of four, organized by the United World Project, took place on July 5th. These meetings are facilitated by members of the Communities formed after Genfest 2024, which was held in Brazil. The purpose of these international virtual meetings is to promote the United World Community proposal, one of the initiatives of the United World Project, supported by the Focolare Movement.
The Communities serve as genuine social laboratories, where individuals from diverse generations and cultures collaborate, grounded in their local territories, to translate ideals such as fraternity and unity into tangible actions. They represent a concrete response to the Genfest 2024 call for caring for life on our planet.
The organization and execution of the July meeting’s agenda were assigned to three of these Communities: Politics, Economy, and Communication. The latter includes the NetOne Network as one of its key coordinators. Specifically, Community Communication and Media is led by Ana Tano (a Communications student from NetOne-Argentina) and Luís Henrique Marques (a Brazilian journalist and member of the NetONE International Committee).
The meeting, broadcast via Zoom, included simultaneous translation in five languages (Italian, English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French) and attracted over 100 participants, comprising both youth and adults from various parts of the globe. Following the initial greetings, the purpose and organizational structure of the Communities were outlined, accompanied by brief narratives of their experiences. After an introduction by Ana Tano, attendees were encouraged to form language-based groups to reflect on one of these experiences, focusing on the four pillars of the Communities’ methodology: observe, think, act/engage.
Following the group discussion, the program proceeded with a dialogue featuring two experts: John Mundell, the founder and president of the US environmental consulting firm Mundell & Associates, which focuses on economics, and journalist Luís Henrique Marques, who specializes in communications. The conversation, facilitated by Verônica Farias from the organizing team of the meeting, revolved around the theme “Links for Social Transformation.” Through their reflections and shared experiences, the guests offered insights on how nurturing human relationships within their professional domains can foster positive societal change. This discussion was followed by a short interaction with the participants.
The meeting wrapped up with a short update and a warm greeting to all attendees. The organizers noted that the meeting’s immediate effect was quite favorable, as evidenced by the feedback in the chat and the prompt interest shown by some participants in either joining or creating their own Community.
