NetOne joined United World Week 2025 by conducting four webinars in different regions of the world, with the general title: Communication and Hope. Along with these proposals were a number of workshops in Brazil on the theme of communication.
The journey began in Brazil on the weekend of May 2-4; Luís Henrique Marques, a Brazilian journalist who is a member of NetOne’s International Commission, organized workshops in São Paulo, Brazil, for different groups of the Focolare Movement. The central theme was “Communication in light of the charism of unity,” adapted for youth, adults and elders. Chiara Lubich’s communicative principles, dialogical communication and the use of WhatsApp and social networks were proposed. These meetings fostered dialogue and the exchange among all.
The United World Week continued on Tuesday, May 6, dedicated specifically to the interests of the Communication Community, which was created at the Genfest 2024 international youth meeting, held in Aparecida-Brazil.
On this day, we began the world tour with webinars starting in the Philippines with the presentation of the book: Journeys of Hope by journalist Romè Vital. This publication collects the stories of people who managed to overcome drug addiction thanks to the recovery proposals offered by Fazenda da Esperança. All present expressed great appreciation for the book, both for its content and the way it was presented, and the vital importance of making these stories visible to better accompany those suffering from this problem was stressed.
The day continued in Kenya, where an exchange took place between Youth for a United World and the Younib Organization on the theme, “Communication and Our Role in Building a United World.” With the youth, Magdalene Kasuku Journalist of Radio was present.
Simultaneously, a panel discussion was presented in Lebanon with the theme: Ethics in Communication. Marianne Najn, software engineer, presented the project of an ethical oath for those who work in digital: the Digital Oath, while Guy Constant Ehoumi (Benin), journalist, offered a general reflection based on his professional experience, with a focus on his two terms as president of the Observatoire de la déontologie et de l’éthique dans les médias (Observatory for deontology and ethics in the media) from 2012 to 2019 in Benin.
The day closed in Argentina where journalist Laura Carbonari from Mendoza offered her experience/reflection on the theme, “Communication as a Bridge: How the media can unite organizations with their audiences.” This was followed by a presentation on the experience of the UWP Communication Community, with Anita Tano from Rosario-Argentina, a social communicator and manager of this space.
