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New dates for the Foreigner Support and Information Service are available! The desk offers social-work support, housing and legal guidance. In particular, it is possible to request: - Assistance on residence permits and family reunification. - Support in issues related to labor and rental contracts. - Support in the search for a home and relations with landlords. - Information on renting and buying property. - Support in job search and training courses. - Support in compiling a resume and cover letter. The office is open every Wednesday by appointment from 3 to 6 p.m. at 40 Via Concini in Terranuova Bracciolini. For appointments: send a message via Whatsapp to 353 439 0762 or email: sportellivaldarno@gmail.com or contact social services directly Attached is the calendar of openings from January to April 2024: Desk Calendar 2024 ...

Florence, Christmas 2023 In the Church of Santa Maria della Pieve in Arezzo, as soon as we cross the threshold -on the right- nine faces of distant, silent, anonymous suffering introduce us to the sacred. Those faces were chosen from a folder full of other eloquent images by students who participated in the "Man Project" organized by the Foundation from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1. They are faces that we could meet every day in our cities; faces that tell of the same periphery that on the night of Bethlehem was populated by the excluded as they approached the Grotto and that still today ask that that embodied Hope does not remain confined to the territories of good statements only, as they would have the right to reproach us since they are deprived of any future - as they are - because of the conflicts that still inflame some regions of the world; conflict in Afghanistan, civil war in Myanmar, crisis in Yemen, Russian-Ukrainian war, Gaza war...

I am Viola Nouhi, and I have been working at the John Paul II Foundation for a few months now, after doing Universal Civil Service in Bethlehem for a year at the Paul VI Effeta Institute. Just about this time last year I was there, cheered by the joy of the children and fascinated by the spirit of Christmas that only the Holy Land can convey. These days I often think back to that time when the war seemed so far away. In a few days it is Christmas again and my heart breaks as I read the news of the conflict that is once again devastating that land. The Dorothean Sisters, who have always run the Institute, tell me every week what is happening in Bethlehem; unfortunately, fewer and fewer students can reach the school. In fact, most live far away and are unable to travel because it is risky to travel the roads and cross the checkpoints. Classes continue online but for...

"Mark (Mark 7:31-37) presents the miracle performed by Jesus that restores hearing to a deaf man." So begins the President of the John Paul II Foundation, Andrea Bottinelli, speaking about the link between Effetà and the Foundation. "The ancient Aramaic word "Effetà," which means "open," is not only emblematic for fostering communication for the hearing impaired; it is paradigmatic for what the Foundation proposes: to open gazes and intelligences in an area of suffering and exclusion and to feel it as one's own." For more than a five-year period, in fact, the Foundation has been supporting the Bethlehem Institute and the Palestinian girls and boys who find shelter, care and a life project within those walls. "We feel that we belong to the family of the Effetà Institute and, like any belonging, it consumes desires, illusions, joys, achievements, renunciations, failures like any creature, which even if not deprived of hearing, sometimes remains deaf to the perception of silence." continues Bottinelli. The bond between the Tuscan non-profit organization and the Pontifical Institute is now well established....

  Every day, in meeting others we set our gaze on their face. If we do not place our gaze on their face, it means that we want not to see them, not to recognize them; we reduce them to being shadows, silhouettes, beside which we pass in order to go beyond... Emmanuel Lévinas Every year the John Paul II Foundation organizes a space for reflection dedicated to discussion on various issues, involving collaborators, donors, employees and the whole community. This year the day will take place in Arezzo and will be entitled "Project Man," a reflection on the faces of humanity, the use of language and our interpretation of the other. For the first time, it will be possible to follow the day in its entirety through live streaming from the Foundation's Facebook page. The main purpose of the days is to involve young people and make them protagonists of the discussion, in fact, on November 29, they will have the opportunity to converse with Marco Bentivogli, a trade unionist, to talk about the challenges of the open society. The next day, 30.

We are pleased to invite you, on Friday, December 1 at 2:30 p.m., at the Baracchi Foundation (Via Bosco di Casina 12), to the event "Life Project: a new approach for the Rights of persons with disabilities" !The event is organized by the John Paul II Foundation in collaboration with the Recognize Foundation and with the contribution of the CR Florence Foundation. During the meeting we will address the issues of social inclusion, autonomy and independence of people with disabilities, through the tools of the "Project of Life" and "After Us". We look forward to seeing you!Programore 14:30 Registration of participants ore 15:00 Opening of the proceedings Filippo Vagnoli - Mayor of Bibbiena, Carlo Toni- President Union of Municipalities of Casentino, Eleonora Ducci - Mayor of Talla ore 15:20 Life Project: the state of the art in the province of Arezzo Mauro Conticini - president of the Reconoscersi Foundation 15:40 Territorial networks: collaboration between the John Paul II Foundation and the Reconoscersi Foundation Andrea Bottinelli - president of the John Paul II Foundation 16:00 Methodological framework: paradigm shift...

On July 21, 2023, the John Paul II Foundation received the status of an International Organization Validated by "CAF International Global Charity Database." Charities Aid Foundation America is an organization that allows U.S. companies, associations and citizens to make donations to organizations around the world, guaranteeing them on the one hand a tax deduction and on the other hand the solidity and transparency of the charities they accredit. CAF America went through the entire exhaustive process of verifying and reviewing the organizational chart, mission, financial status and business plan of the John Paul II Foundation, recognizing it as eligible for inclusion in its database. The John Paul II Foundation will henceforth be able to receive donations from U.S. donors through CAF America. This is a very important milestone in continuing to improve the lives of the most fragile people in the Middle East, Italy and everywhere in the world. ...

John Paul II Foundation asks for help for earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. The earthquake that has destroyed large parts of Turkey and Syria has forced many people to flee their homes and remain without access to goods and services. In the affected regions at the moment, temperatures are very low and food is lacking. In particular, the city of Aleppo, which has been tried by more than 12 years of war, is at the end of its strength. The international community is already helping those affected by the earthquake. The John Paul II Foundation is also close to the earthquake-affected people and has been working in the affected areas for years. In Anatolia, where Florentine Bishop Father Paolo Bizzetti is working, and in the city of Aleppo, where Franciscans have been present for more than eight centuries, through Father Firas Lutfi, who is responsible for the Custody of the Holy Land in that area. Both Bishop Bizzeti and Father Lutfi are known in the...

Civil service offers an opportunity for 4 volunteers to work for the Foundation in Italy and Lebanon. To apply, visit the dedicated website. The SCU FOCSIV projects in the call act in different sectors and areas of activity, from education to sustainable development, from health development to the protection of the fragile, from rural development to the promotion of human rights and beyond. Aspiring volunteer workers should apply through the Application on Line (DOL) platform at https://domandaonline.serviziocivile.it. In the section how to apply you can find all the information useful for the application and for any doubts or guidance young people can contact the organizations promoting the projects or the FOCSIV Training, Volunteering and Civil Service Office is available at serviziocivile@focsiv.it and at 06 - 6877796. The Civil Service is #AnAchoiceofValue, an experience of growth, a choice of active participation and global citizenship. Fifty years after the Law on Conscientious Objection, we...

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