Report by Ms. Bruna Rondoni, the City of Cervia, Italy
During the month of May, the Municipality of Cervia invited classes from several primary schools to visit the park “Rondano Dondini” in Montaletto, where “Pacifico” was planted almost ten years ago.
“Pacifico” (which means “peaceful”) is a second-generation ginkgo biloba tree, born from the seeds of trees that survived Hiroshima after the atomic bomb was dropped on 6 August 1945, donated to the City of Cervia, through Mayors for Peace German member city, Aalen, one of the many twinning cities with Cervia. The seed was planted in 2015 by the students of the Buonarroti School with the help of our administration, and it has become a symbol of peace in our community.
During these visits, our children can learn about the painful stories of the past generations and reflect on the sorrow caused by war, which can push people to work together to build a brighter future.
We teach our students that, even though we are lucky enough to live in a country that has been free from war for many decades, we are still surrounded by less fortunate people, whose lives are in peril because the conflict to this day still scourge our Earth. It is our duty to be aware of the struggle of these people so that we can reach out to them and offer a helping hand.
These are the reasons that brought us to adhere to the International Kindness Movement and to proclaim the Buonarroti School “Scuola Gentile”. We are committed to upholding the foundational values of forgiveness, optimism and kindness.
Photos: courtesy of the City of Cervia