Unire le nostre forze e mostrare il reale potere dell'Umanità

Eliana Del Bianco

Dear Mediterranean friends, it is a great pleasure for me to finally have the chance to introduce myself to you all and start my journey as Youth Officer for the Centre for the Cooperation in the Mediterranean. The emotion in writing this presentation letter is undoubtedly very strong, nonetheless I must say that I am very excited and look forward to this new adventure, certain that there will be many occasions for us all to work together as a strong network in order to combine our forces and show the real ‘power of humanity’. But before speaking about the work and the activities that will see us involved all together I would like to introduce myself briefly.I am an Italian Red Cross Youth volunteer and I started this wonderful journey in Red Cross nine years ago. During this period of time I have had the chance of participating in many activities organized by my Local branch, developing the skills and the passion that have guided me in becoming a Local Youth Leader and in understanding that only by living our principles, and experiencing the inner change that this entails, we can change our communities and truly become agents of change. The participation in training camps, and the growing impact that the actions that the other Youth volunteers and I were achieving together, have led to an increased involvement at a local, provincial and regional level. This has allowed me to be directly involved in the coordination of youth volunteers, providing constant support and updates on one side, and organize training events and workshops on the other. Furthermore, I have had the chance of working during international events such as Solferino ’09 being part of the IFRC Support Unit, with the Italian Red Cross providing linguistic support during international conferences or for the translation of important documents, and last but not least with the CCM itself as volunteer in charge of the logistical organization of the Youth Seminar “Humanitarian Consequences of Forced Migration” held in Rome in May 2012. And now this new challenge has come. Being the Youth Officer for the CCM is certainly a big responsibility, but responsibilities can be lightened when working in a team. And I believe that all us Youth of the Mediterranean basin are in this together! For this reason I intend to develop the way we do networking, trying to make the most from new and user-friendly online and computer tools that will improve the way we communicate. In this sense the MedYouthPort@l will have to become the space in which we can all be informed on the latest Red Cross/Red Crescent news, share information and best practices, and feel free to express any doubts by writing to the focal points in order to receive a direct feedback. It is on these aspects that I want to work with you all in order to truly feel as if we were all part of the same team. My expectations for the year to come are high, but I am certain that we can face this challenge guided by our enthusiasm and being sure that we can always count on one another. I would like to thank the Italian Red Cross for giving me the opportunity of working here as Youth Officer, but above all for the enrichment that countless events, workshops or simply volunteer activities have given me throughout the years. I truly hope to continue this path together for the years to come. I would also like to thank the CCM team for the warm welcome upon arrival and because I am sure that this experience will be fruitful and at the same time fun for all of us. As for the team, I would like to spend a word on the past Youth Officers, thanking them for all the work that they have carried out throughout the years, strengthening the ties that unite us all and laying the foundations for ‘doing more, doing better and reaching further’.Our journey together has just begun, but I am sure that working with you all will be a pleasant and exciting experience at the same time. I truly hope to meet you all soon and wish us all the best. Warm regards,Eliana Del Bianco