Lives seeking Life
Hi! I’ m Elisa, I’m 21 years old and have lived 19 years in a small community of families who chose to live together in a town in the province of Asti. I am currently in my third year at the university in Turin, the city where I now live, trying to study some standard Arabic and some aspects of the cultures related to this super fascinating language. In life I enjoy dancing, talking, playing, observing, walking, and occasionally being upside down.
The meeting with ASCS and the Oulx camp.
I met ASCS and the Youth Animation group “More Bridges Less Walls” at the winter camp in Oulx Border in January 2023, recommended by a friend they met in Sarajevo during an experience with Caritas. In those few days it was enriching to discover the transit reality of the small town in the Susa Valley, but what I took home was the desire to do and be active among peers. I found, in fact, in the style of ASCS a certain consistency that kindled hope in me: from the choice of ethical food, to the attitude toward people on the move, to the attention and care toward volunteers, to the moments of reflection and processing, to the care in post-camp relationships to allow the seeds planted in those few days to grow.
Bringing “The Game” to the hills of Asti.
Back home, I immediately tried to organize a workshop to bring “The Game” among the Canelli hills. The first time I played ” The Game ” was very intense and helpful in becoming more aware of some of the migration dynamics that exist and that, even when experienced in a role-playing game, are capable of really stirring strong emotions and, combined then with the right information, can trigger a certain hunger for justice, one of the characteristics of the spirit of ASCS.
The border experience: a month in Ceuta
Later, I was involved in the youth animation group of “More Bridges Less Walls,” which allowed me to participate in many meetings with other volunteers, which were always very enriching: in the sharing of experiences, thoughts, emotions, and perspectives we grow together. Each time you return home with new threads woven together that aim at building a shared solidarity.
After going through certain border places such as Oulx and Trieste with various experiences, this summer I embarked on an overseas experience with ASCS. In fact, I spent about a month in the reception house in Ceuta as a volunteer. It was a very important and meaningful experience that left me with many questions about the world and particularly about that frontier place, that middle ground traversed by so many lives seeking Life. Relationships in these contexts are often complex, but it is out of this complexity that truly profound encounters arise.
The geopolitical dynamics of the world have real consequences for people and we see this every day, even more so in these contexts as major crossroads of migratory movements. No story is easy, and every human being carries complex and articulated worlds that, in the encounter with the other, can take on value and feel recognized. Recognizing the other and together allowing the other to recognize you is a powerful, empowering act. You give yourself Life, and that is what human beings seek.
