"It's a privilege to be here. There are few occasions in which there is a direct confrontation with young people. Giffoni is a breath of fresh air", this is how Mariastella Gelmini, Ministero per gli Affari Regionali e le Autonomie (Minister for Regional Affairs and Autonomies), started her visit, returning to Giffoni for the third time, the first time as a minister.
"It was in Giffoni - she continued - that environmental sustainability was first discussed. Today it's a topic that has been customs-cleared. As an Italian, I am very grateful to Claudio Gubitosi. Only a visionary like him could carry out such a beautiful and complex project. I wish more young people could have this experience. As a mother, I thank Claudio for this invention. The pandemic has robbed us of the possibility to dream. The presence of so many young people reminds us to build the future. This fills our hearts. It's a good sign of restarting". The director Claudio Gubitosi accompanied her and showed her the latest news about Giffoni, the future projects and what will happen in the next few years. Then the meeting moderated by Federico Monga, director of "Il Mattino" and enriched by the questions of IMPACT! in the Sala Blu of the Multimedia Valley. The President of Ente Autonomo Giffoni Experience, Pietro Rinaldi, and the Mayor of Giffoni Valle Piana, Antonio Giuliano, were present.
There was much talk about young people, as is natural for a place like Giffoni. How do young people approach politics? "We try not to drive them away - said the minister - I meet many young people who are passionate about politics. It is evident that there is a rediscovery of the common good, of feeling a community, of being together. Travelling around Italy I have always seen, where there is a social or cultural problem, committees and groups of citizens with many young people and women. This confirms that certain issues are very close to the heart of young people". Then, there are young people’s dreams and ambitions. Can the Piano di Ripresa e Resilienza (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) be the right tool to support younger generations? Gelmini has no doubt about it: “Environmental sustainability and digital transition – she said – are issues young people care about. The Recovery and Resilience Plan devotes great attention to them. Therefore, today we have the opportunity to make young people’s dreams come true”.
The mention of vaccines, the pandemic and what will happen in the coming months, starting with the return to school, was inevitable: “As regards this issue – said Mariastella Gelmini – I would like to avoid another campaign, because we really don’t need one. As a citizen, I say that there are irrefutable facts: if the virus reappears and people are vaccinated, there will be no increase in admissions to intensive care and hospitalisation. This means that vaccines save our lives. However, the vaccination plan only works if there is a collective effort. We must then move forward without ideology and without fanaticism. We must have faith in science. Not least because none of us wants new closures, as those we have had so far have led to health and economic problems”.
The political debate is currently focused on the so-called Green Pass. What does the Minister for Regional Affairs think about it? “I think it is an instrument of freedom – she explained – it is not a contradiction. Those who have it can have access to a series of services; furthermore, there are activities that have been closed until now that can finally reopen thanks to it. There is a lot of individualism in this period, but this virus has taught us that we can only overcome it together, with new and shared rules”.
