“Il Veliero” (The Sailing ship), a home for boys and girls
“Are you ready to board the sailing ship?” This was the invitation circulating on many young people’s cell phones since late November, accompanied by a date (December 8) and the coordinates of a mysterious location.
December 8 at 2:30 p.m.: many young people went to the meeting place and found themselves surprised in a quiet and insignificant street behind the former Cinema Scala; they looked questioningly at the adults present, hoping to extract some information from them, but nothing… At a certain point, the distant sound of a trumpet echoes in the air… the guests set off following the music and reach a young trumpet player who is playing the song “Avrei voluto essere una banda” (I wish I were a band) on the side of the road; then the music stops and the boy joins the group, which resumes its journey to the notes of another trumpet. A little further on, hidden among the branches of a tree at the edge of the busy road, a second trumpet player welcomes the group with his notes; the two musicians strike up “La banda” together and then set off again.
Along the way, a girl with a trumpet waits to join the others, and finally a young percussionist calls everyone together by beating time on her drum. The crowd turns onto Via Gherardi and at number 6, marked by a plaque bearing the words In nomine tuo salva nos, the doors open and everyone enters, increasingly amazed. The place is beautiful: a large hall with many smaller rooms on either side, the image of a sailing ship drawn in chalk on a large blackboard, everything ready for a party, cakes and delicacies on a table…
A group of excited adults at the back of the room watch the children enter, and then Alessandro Bazzani, head of GS Modena, goes to the microphone and, moved, finally tells the story of the Veliero, a place that bears a special name.
He says that Enzo Piccinini, a doctor and man passionate about life, used the metaphor of a sailing ship to describe his own existence. “Look,” Enzo would say, “our human potential is like a sailing ship braving the seas. But when it runs aground on the shoals of ‘I want to, but I can’t,’ without hope, you need to meet someone. If you meet someone who responds to you, keep that desire alive, and that desire becomes a question, becomes a search, becomes hope.”
Alessandro says that “This is the heart of Veliero: to be a place where young people can meet ‘someone’, that is, an adult who does not extinguish their desire but nurtures it, encourages it, accompanies them, someone who stands by them, listens to them, and shares their journey.”.
The guests are amazed to learn that the Veliero was born from the initiative of many adults present there, passionate about life and the education of young people, and from the generosity of a group of benefactors, who purchased the property and made it available to the association created to manage the spaces and initiatives that will arise. The plan is for Il Veliero to be a safe haven where all young people can study, talk, exchange ideas, and find adults who are willing to listen to them, support them in their studies, and encourage them in their interests: music, theater, sports, reading, movies… Alessandro says that this place will also welcome Gioventù Studentesca, a group of friends who bring with them a tradition of friendship and faith. “Il Veliero,” he concludes, “is not just a building, but a living community that is open to everyone and wants to offer a broader horizon.”
Enthusiastic applause marks the start of the party: trumpeters (who have come from Cremona for the occasion) and other friends play and sing, while adults and children dance happily and carefree, following the lead of the dancers, or gather around the lavish buffet (where a beautiful cake decorated with the image of a sailing ship has arrived). groups of young people run around excitedly and write their ideas for the use of the rooms on post-it notes placed in front of each room: “There’s already a bookcase here, I’d like there to be novels to read and exchange”; “It would be nice to have the GS pub here”; “We’ll put the pool table here”; “We’ll rehearse the choir here”. In plain view is a piano, a gift from friends, and some already want to learn to play it. The excitement also extends to the renovation work: Alessandro has announced to the young people that they will be able to participate in the refurbishment of the rooms by giving practical help and has invited them to indicate their availability: “The Veliero needs to move. And you are the wind: your heart, your creativity, your passion, and your arms”. The party is coming to an end, it’s time to say goodbye, but we know we’ll see each other again soon: the Veliero is about to set sail!
